The Clare Winsor Project
Throughout 2023 & 2024, M.E.S.S.S will be enhancing salmon spawning habitat in Embley creek by adding fresh spawning gravel and removing silt from existing gravel in salmon spawning areas.
This project is a partnership between M.E.S.S.S, the Clare Winsor Foundation, the Smoke House foundation, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and DFO
Clare Winsor came to visit the Broughton Archipelago on a fly fishing trip in 2018 with her husband Chris. Clare spent much time photographing the local wildlife, and soon fell in love with the area. Sadly, Clare passed on in 2020 and the following year her late husband, Chris Winsor, chose to return and scatter some of Clare's ashes in the Broughton archipelago that she cared so deeply about, as she did about many beautiful wild places.
Chris and Clare Winsor 2018
Since Clare's passing, a foundation in her name, The Clare Winsor Foundation, has been set up to provide financial grants to help small worthy environmental projects get off the ground. When Chris heard about the need for enhancement of spawning grounds in Embley creek, he kindly offered to contribute financially to the project. This donation will be used to purchase approximately 8 tons of washed, fisheries grade spawning gravel, the optimum size for spawning salmon, which will then be helicoptered into position alongside Embley creek and from there, placed carefully by hand onto the spawning grounds, ready for the returning salmon in the fall.
Long time resident of nearby Hopetown Village and guardian of Embley creek, Irvin Speck, will be offering his first hand knowledge of the Embley salmon, their habitat and their needs. Irvin, along with his affiliated charity, the Smoke House foundation will be covering the cost of barging the gravel from Campbell River BC, to Embley creek, and to find local volunteers and workers to help put the gravel into place as well as clear silt from the existing gravel beds.
The Pacific Salmon Foundation will (pending funding approval) be funding the cost of the helicopter to fly the gravel from the barge site to the creek side. Stay tuned for updates...