Victoria, BC– The Island View Beach area is experiencing above average nuisance mosquito numbers, which has been compounded by persistently wet conditions through the first half of this year. Engineering contractors have assessed the ditch system at Island View Beach and identified improvements for the ditch system and the tidal gates. The Capital Regional District (CRD), the District of Central Saanich and Tsawout First Nation continue to work together to find environmentally appropriate ways to address mosquito breeding habitat on public and private lands with the goal of improving conditions for residents, workers, and visitors to the area. Smaller work such as applying larvicide, clearing ditch obstructions with hand tools, improving accesses to ditches, and maintenance to the flapper gate will be completed throughout the coming months. Larger work such as overall ditch maintenance (vegetation removal and water flow improvement) requiring heavy equipment will be completed once the drainage areas are dry enough for machinery to access later in the year.
Background on Joint Mosquito Abatement Program
The CRD, the District of Central Saanich, Tsawout First Nation and a number of private consultants work together on a Joint Mosquito Abatement Program for sites in Central Saanich, including Island View Beach Regional Park. This program, which has been running for over 25 years, is delivered annually under a provincially-approved Integrated Pest Management Plan.
The program starts in February each year with consultants conducting mosquito larval surveys at Island View Beach Regional Park and on Central Saanich and Tsawout managed lands. Based on the findings of the surveys, the contractor identifies larval hotspots and determines the appropriate amounts of larvicide to apply and when to apply it. This application program continues through to late fall. The pest management contractor continues to monitor and sample sites and fresh water habitats throughout Central Saanich on a weekly basis monitoring for adult and larval mosquito presence and taking prescriptive actions aimed at reduction.
The Island View Beach area contains a series of ditches and a one way flapper gate that help control the inflow and infiltration of seawater in the ditch system. Qualified professionals undertake regular monitoring, ditch surveys, and if required prescriptions for ditch maintenance. The CRD, Central Saanich and the Tsawout Nation undertake maintenance to areas under their respective management. Based on annual observations made by qualified professionals around the conditions of the drainage system, recommendations are made for improving water flow while not increasing mosquito habitat. Maintenance activities include: brushing specific target areas, manually removing small blockages, or using heavy equipment to redefine ditches. This work is typically undertaken once the drainage areas are dry enough for machinery to access and outside of the time when nesting birds could be disturbed.
Questions regarding the program can be directed to CRD Regional Parks at crdparks@crd.bc.ca.
Proud to be recognized as one of BC’s Top Employers and Canada’s Greenest Employers, the CRD delivers regional, sub-regional and local services to 13 municipalities and three electoral areas on southern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Governed by a 24-member Board of Directors, the CRD works collaboratively with First Nations and all levels of government to enable sustainable growth, foster community well-being, and develop cost-effective infrastructure while continuing to provide core services to residents throughout the region. Visit us online at www.crd.bc.ca.
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For media inquiries, please contact:
Christiana Jones, Communications Coordinator
CRD Regional Parks
Tel: 250.360.3332
Cell: 250.889.8030