A late bird nesting season will not hamper work on a fish habitat restoration project that began on Colony Farm last week, according to a Metro Vancouver parks official.
Frieda Schade, the regional district's central manager for parks, said a thorough examination of the area turned up only one nest inhabited by birds that appear close to flying away. The nest has been marked and screened off from the rest of the site and construction crews will work around it, she said.
"There was some concern because everybody knew that the nesting season seemed to be late," Schade said. "That may be the case in other areas but on the ground [at the work site], that did not bear out."
Had more nests been found, Schade speculated that work could have been delayed.
Work on the Colony Farm Tidal Flow Restoration and Habitat Enhancement Project is taking place on an area of the park known as Wilson Farm. Excavators have moved on to the site to build several channels and two ponds, which will serve as a winter habitat for small salmonids.
The project is designed to restore tidal flows, enhance the ecosystem and create fish access to the area from the Coquitlam River. Native trees and shrubs will be added to the area, diversifying riparian and wetland habitat.
Work on the channels began last week and Schade said crews intend to complete the excavating before the rainy weather hits the region in early October. If the work is not complete by then, crews would have to wait another year after the next nesting season before completing it.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
