The Alouette River Management Society is ready to start the second part of its study that will look at the number one goal of the society – building a fishway connecting the South Alouette River to Alouette Lake.
The society recently received $87,932 from the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, funded by B.C. Hydro.
The money will support the Alouette Watershed Sockeye Fish Passage Feasibility Project, which will determine if sockeye will benefit from having a fish ladder allowing sockeye and other fish species to move from the South Alouette River into the Alouette Lake, where they used to spawn before the dam cut off their access in the 1920s.
The society has tried to re-establish a sockeye run for the past several years with little success.
Vancity Community Partnership Program also gave the society another $2,500 for its workshops on attracting pollinators, such as bees, into people’s back yards.
The Port of Vancouver and the City of Maple Ridge alaso contributed $950 and $1,500 respectively to ARMS’ annual Rivers Day, on Sept. 30.
The society has its annual meeting, this Thursday, April 12, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Maple Ridge Public Library. Brian Riddell, president of the Pacific Salmon Foundation, will be the keynote speaker.
The society’s annual fundraising dinner takes place May 17 at The Ranch Pub and Grill. Tickets are $30 with all proceeds going to the Alouette River Management Society.
The society, along with Maple Ridge Adopt-A-Block, is hosting an Allco Park cleanup, at the north end of 248th Street, on April 28 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.