2008

December

A meeting with Mr. Chris Badger and senior staff at Port Metro Vancouver, Steve Jenkins, Environmental Coordinator for the District of West Vancouver and several directors of the WVSPS was held at the Port’s office.

Potential opportunities and linkages between the goals of the District of West Vancouver Shoreline Preservation Plan (SPP) and the Port’s goals and policies in the areas of of community engagement and environmental sustainability were discussed. The meeting was very positive and future discussions and actions are expected to follow.

In the coming months work at Lawson and McDonald area will be finalized including planting of foreshore plants and details of sand bypass at Lawson Pier.

Work is underway to apply the principles learned in recovering erosion fronting seawalls to an eroded area of private and public waterfront just east of Cypress Creek. Carefully placed intertidal boulder groups will trip storm waves, thus creating a broader surf zone that in turn enables stability and recovery of a flatter shoreline slope.

The proposed pilot project at Navvy Jack Point that has been a high priority of the Shoreline Preservation Plan is proposed to be implemented as soon as possible subject to available budgets or sponsored contributions. The work involves placement of offshore subtidal reefs and mid tide islet / tombola formations.

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Initial planning examination of the area just east of the Ambleside Pier, (another proposed SPP project) is also being considered to improve the quality of the shoreline while improving the safety of boat launching and access.

April to September

Over the summer months work was done to “tweak” the enhancement works between Lawson Parkand McDonald Creek. At McDonald Creek in particular the beach elevation now has been raised to eliminate the scouring drop and this may in future allow for possible fish passage into the creek itself.

At Lawson Creek, with the shoreline stabilized at the location of the culvert and legacy seawall it has enabled installation of a log footbridge. The footbridge was funded by a West Vancouver Foundation legacy donation by former Mayor Don Lanskail for the purposes of contiguous public access to the shore.

Work was done to enhance the storm wave passage of upper beach material through the Lawson Pier and a small tombola boulder feature was placed just east of the pier to encourage a wider and foreshore sandier upper foreshore and provide for kelp attachment and stability in the mid tidal area.

Based on the District’s successes with the pilot projects, four private property owners at 27th Avenue have recently funded the District to enable shoreline enhancement and rehabilitation work that benefits both the public park at the road end as well as well as enhancing the public shores fronting and protecting their individual properties.

The linking of multiple private properties very much supports the coastal unit approach to restoring the overall health of this stretch of seawall impacted shoreline and their leadership is a very empowering example.

The District is in discussion with other waterfront property owners who also appear interested in contributing to shoreline health as a pre-emptive response to climate change impacts of increased storminess and sea level rise.

The District and WVSPS goal of re-creating a kelp forest and intertidal reef and tombola in proximity to Navvy Jack point are a high priority and efforts continue to find funding or in kind opportunities to advance this component of the overall Shoreline Protection Plan.

January to April

A modest input of sediment from the creeks over the winter and limited storm wave events has allowed the shoreline to evolve gradually.  Noticeable gains in beach width and upper beach sand retention has been noted from McDonald Creek to Ambleside Pier.  Expanded kelps, mussel beds and other habitat features are prolific as of May 1st.  Aquatic birds are prolific amongst some of the new reefs and bull kelp beds.

Private/public foreshore enhancement projects building on the principles of the pilots and the Shoreline Protection Plan (SPP) are continuing to develop.  One private property owner has elected to remove a legacy concrete and glass panel seawall in favour of a naturalized shoreline.  Adjacent waterfront property owners are now expressing interest in extending the naturalized approach.

Incremental enhancement work is planned in spring and fall of 2008 along the public foreshore as per the SPP within the limitations of the municipal budget. It is hoped to implement a LIDAR survey of the foreshore in 2008 to provide an accurate benchmark for both anticipated impacts of climate change impacts and the mitigating benefits of the foreshore pilots.