MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Surrey Staying Sharp on Salmon Enhancement
November 2, 2006 – Surrey, B.C. Surrey salmon streams are benefiting from the Salmon Habitat
Restoration Program (SHaRP). What began as a summer employment program eleven years ago,
involving local high school and college students, has grown into a proactive watershed stewardship
initiative resulting in teams of students enhancing the Little Campbell, Serpentine and Nicomekl
watersheds.
SHaRP falls under the umbrella program ‘Nature Matters’, says City of Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts.
“Essentially, Nature Matters is about protecting the things that matter most: our water, streams and creeks,
and our natural areas and habitats,” says Watts.
But it turns out that SHaRP is so much more than salmon habitat protection. Since 2001, the agricultural
component of SHaRP – with funding from the Agriculture Environment Partnership Initiative – has been
working with farmers to integrate environmental and agricultural needs such as livestock exclusion
fencing, community education, invasive plant removals and debris removal.
Installation of exclusion fencing along riparian edges – 390 metres this year alone – has addressed and
dealt with some unusual problems, from preventing Coho fry becoming trapped in the water retained in
cattle hoof prints to ensuring new-born calves do not need to be rescued from the muddy banks of a creek.
Paul Taylor is that Surrey farmer who had to rescue his new-born calf.
“We have had both exclusion fencing installed and invasive plant species removed on our farm by the
SHaRP team” says Taylor. “Now, where we had erosion of land along the stream bank due to the cattle
we have native plants established and fencing which has prevented further loss of our land to the stream.”
“Our cattle are now safer as they are not able to fall into the stream or get stuck in the mud along the
banks,” Taylor adds. “Working with SHaRP has not only improved the stream habitat, it has