About French Creek

Where is French Creek? French Creek is located on the east coast of Vancouver Island, halfway between the City of Parksville and the Town of Qualicum Beach.  Draining a watershed of approximately  68km2, French Creek is considered to be a senstive stream under the Fisheries Protection Act, and the watershed is a designated community watershed.

Up until the 1960′s, French Creek was very healthy ecologically.  It supported large populations of coho and chum salmon, steelhead, cutthroat trout, migratory birds and other diverse wildlife.  Unfortunately, the ecological health of the Creek has declined in recent decades due to human activities that have lowered water quality, reduced flow levels, and damaged the natural habitat.

“As the east coast of Vancouver Island continues to develop, the land is subject to the various demands from the public.  We harvest timber, work farms, locate housing, manage waste, expand commercial and industrial opportunities against a spectacular backdrop of wilderness, faunal diversity, clear streams and open wetlands – initially our footprint is small, but as we grow we cannot avoid indelibly changing the landscape.  It seems prudent to periodically take stock of where we are in the developmental stage, what we have affected and what remains.”

*French Creek Watershed Study 2001/2002 produced by the Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection; Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management.