“It’s this classic, ‘Build and they will come,’ Field of Dreams-type thing,” says Dr. Ken Ashley, faculty director for the BCIT Rivers Institute. He expects other wildlife and birds will take a liking to the habitat, too.

This two-year long project is intended to restore the barren Seymour River Estuary in North Vancouver. Directed by Ken Ashley and assistant instructor Dave Harper, a team of students and graduates of BCIT ecological restoration program secured large woody debris structures to boulders using 1/2” (diameter) steel cable and epoxy cements, in the newly designed inter-tidal zone at the Seymour spit.

Large woody debris add structure complexity to the fish habitat, ensure cover from predators and help in the establishment of a healthy intertidal vegetation cover.