The Creston Chapter’s 34th Annual Dinner and Auction for Ducks Unlimited Canada is fast approaching. This fundraising event offers up tasty hors-d’oeuvres, a delicious dinner and an exhilarating evening of auctions and multiple raffles that promote and support the continuity and preservation of our wetlands.
It takes place on Saturday, October 13th, 2018 at the Creston & District Community Complex. Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres begin at 5:30 pm. Dinner is at 7:00 pm with raffles and auctions to follow. Tickets are $50 each and are available at Mawson Sports or by contacting Gertie Brown at 250-428-7581. Tickets purchased by September 29th are eligible for the Early Bird Draw but get them soon because they’re selling fast!
Since 1985, when the Creston Chapter first began its fundraising dinner and auction, over $620,000.00 has been raised with support from the local community. Local fundraising initiatives such as these, along with support from generous sponsors, contribute to DUC’s sustainability and have made possible the delivery of programs which focus on the Creston Valley Wetlands. One such program is called ‘Project Webfoot’.
Project Webfoot, an elementary school outreach program, introduces students to the fascinating world of wetlands and encourages them to become stewards of our world-famous Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area. Since 2009 schools in District No.8 (Kootenay Lake), Crawford Bay and Yahk have benefited from this educational program.
This year’s program was delivered to nine different classrooms in six separate schools: Adam Robertson Elementary, Canyon Lister Elementary, Crawford Bay School, Erickson Elementary, Prince Charles Secondary, and Yaqan Nukiy School.
Programs such as these, along with ongoing site management and maintenance at the CVWMA, reflects an overall commitment and dedication to habitat management by Ducks Unlimited Canada.
This year’s project, a major streambank repair, and road relocation were done at Summit Creek where it passes through the Management Area. Significant erosion along the north bank of Summit Creek, downstream of the Bailey Bridge crossing, was threatening to cut off access to the Leach Lake compartments, as well as potentially washing away some of the control structures. Relocation of the access road has occurred once already, but since that time high runoff volumes and logjams have caused even more bank erosion. So, DUC engineering staff along with CVWMA personnel finalized a design for a more comprehensive fix and in August 2018 a 160m section of the access road/dike was moved, widened and improved. This undertaking included the movement of approx. 3,000 cubic yards of earth and the placement of 170 cubic yards of gravel.
This remedy was successful and so final seeding of the area will be done later this fall.