GCVDRZ Somethin' fishy at Noons Creek (Traditional Cache) in British Columbia, Canada created by kittyclan

This cache has been archived.

Skookum Bear: As there has been no response from the cache owner, I am regretfully archiving the cache.

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GCVDRZ ▼

A cache by kittyclan Message this owner

Hidden : 4/18/2007

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

Welcome to the Noons Creek fish hatchery! There is parking very close available at the Port Moody Recreation Center, or alongside Ioco Rd. at N49 17.067 W122 49.914 where there is also a trailhead to get down to the hatchery. If you would like more of a hike, you can park at Rocky Point Park or Old Orchard Park, and enjoy the walk along the Shoreline Trail which joins the parks.

NOTE - PLEASE READ. (BYOP!!). Only step where others have gone, and follow the trail. Cache is TWO BIG STEPS off the gravel trail. PLEASE no bushwacking (don't step on, rip out, break, or otherwise damage any plants)! The hatchery volunteers spend a lot of time landscaping and planting native vegetation around here.

The creeks and streams of this area were once filled with salmon and trout. Middens left by native people camping at the mouth of Noons Creek suggest this area was once a favorite fishing ground. Due to habitat degredation, the original salmon runs here were lost.

Noons Creek originates at Cypress Lake (elev. 830m) in Eagle Mountain Provincial Park, and flows approximately 11.5km through Coquitlam and Port Moody before entering Burrard Inlet. This creek is a forested riparian ecosystem. The corridor is narrow, has a high diversity of species, and is extremely susceptible to disturbances. Noons creek has an intact 30m riparian buffer strip on both sides of the entire creek above Shoreline Park, with only a few exceptions. The buffer strip is protected by a City of Port Moody by-law, as the Port Moody Community Plan has stipulated that Noons Creek be maintained to protect fish habitat because it is the largest salmon spawning stream within Shoreline Park.

Prior to 1959, 40 ha on the East side of Noons Creek were logged. Between 1968 - 1979, 100ha on the West side of the upper watershed were logged, and 50ha North of Cypress lake were logged after 1980. A dam was built for water storage at Cypress Lake in 1911, and replaced in 1999. This dam permitts control of base flows in Noons Creek.

In 1978, in a local residents backyard, the Noons Creek hatchery began. With help from the Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP), they dug rearing ponds, installed Capilano troughs, and released young fry yearly into Noons Creek. Salmon began returning to Noons Creek, and the hatchery operated at this location until the residents moved out of the area in 1990.

When the Port Moody Ecological Society was formed in 1991, the City of Port Moody provided a 3 and a half acre parcel of land beside Noons Creek, which is now the site of the current hatchery. Rearing ponds and a side channel were constructed, and the hatchery building was opened in June 1993. The Port Moody Ecological Society also established a water quality lab and water monitoring program in Noons Creek and other streams. Today the hatchery houses thousands of young Coho and Chum salmon. It is also an active learning centre for schools and groups, and many visitors, and each May it holds it's annual Fingerling Festival, where visitors have a chance to release a bucket of fingerlings into the creek. This festival started as a small gathering of visitors helping to release the fingerlings, and now is quite a large festival with displays and games and prizes and tons of fun. My kids and I have been attending it since the beginning, and it is definately worth checking out, although it may not be the best time to try to find the cache, as it is very busy then.

Noons Creek is also inhabited by Chinook and Sockeye salmon, Rainbow and Coastal Cutthroat trout, and three-spine stickleback. There are also resident populations of trout that have been trapped above Panorama Drive. Cypress Lake was stocked with 500 rainbow trout in 1985, but a 1997 survey did not yield any trout, although some sources indicate that the lake does indeed support rainbow trout today.

Within the watershed there are Douglas Fir - Swordfern, Western Redcedar - foamflower, and Western Redcedar - Salmonberry communities. The upper reaches of the creek are inhabited by wildlife species typical of coastal forests. There are frequent human encounters with bears along the corridor, especially in the warmer weather months.

The Shoreline Park is a "leashed" dog friendly park, but please do not allow any dogs (or people!) to go into or too near the creek itself, as this could lead to the damage of senstive areas. No bushwacking is needed to find this cache. Cache container is a black bison tube, just hanging around.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ab ohfujnpxvat arrqrq, gjb fgrcf bss gur teniry genvy. Unatvat ba n oenapu.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

This cache has been archived.

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Somethin' fishy at Noons Creek Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

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