A Burnaby environmentalist is demanding answers after spotting trail repairs that he fears will disrupt spawning salmon.
This photo shows Eagle Creek and a cracked bridge with a piece of heavy equipment crossing it. Photograph By John Preissel
John Preissl emailed the NOW with photos of work being done on the Trans Mountain Trail along Shellmont Street near Meadowood, just east of the Burnaby Mountain Golf Course and south of the Kinder Morgan tank farm.
Preissl said the trail was recently washed out and that repairs using heavy equipment were used to 鈥渟tart the trail rebuilding in a rainstorm.鈥�
The photos show that the temporary bridge set up to allow the equipment to cross the creek had buckled under the weight, dipping into the water.
鈥淥f course the temporary bridge collapsed into Eagle Creek,鈥� Preissl said. 鈥淭o make matters worse, the contractor continued to use the bridge until the end of the day. The bridge is still in the creek. This as the salmon are spawning just downstream. The site is a mess.鈥�
This is a critical time for local creeks as far as their ability to provide space for salmon to lay their eggs. We wrote about where people can watch spawning salmon here and Eagle Creek was listed as a main spawning site in Burnaby.
Preissl has contacted various agencies to bring attention to the issue, but says he hasn鈥檛 heard back yet.
