LEPS has been conducting on-the-ground stream surveys for over seven years. In that time, we have mapped over 750 kilometres of Langley's streams and contacted hundreds of landowners to discuss stream stewardship and land management issues.

As well, we have sampled over 500 sites throughout the Township for fish presence, and all of the streams in Langley have been colour-coded for fish use and potential. In the process of conducting this work, hundreds of volunteers have been exposed to different mapping and fish sampling techniques.

The survey methods that LEPS uses have evolved over the last seven years, and Langley's watersheds have been mapped using different methods. Many of our watersheds have been mapped using an adapted Streamkeepers method, which focuses on measuring stream centerlines and identifying and describing fish habitat features using a compass and measuring tape.

More recently, LEPS has been using a method called Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping, or "SHIM". LEPS was instrumental in the development of the SHIM method, working with the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the BC Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, and Environment Canada.

The SHIM Project (SHIM) is a community-based approach to mapping aquatic habitats and their riparian areas, primarily for settlement areas of British Columbia. SHIM provides reliable, current, and spatially accurate information about local fish and wildlife habitats.

SHIM is a small-scale inventory and mapping project that is watershed-based, building on existing local and senior government information.

Adopting one standardized inventory and mapping method is key to successful land use planning by local and senior governments. It is also essential for effective restoration and monitoring of BC's urban fish and wildlife habitats by community stewardship groups.

Basically, SHIM mapping involves the use of a Trimble GPS to collect information on the stream centerline, in-stream habitat features, and habitat quality of the riparian (streamside) zone. The SHIM method has already been applied in the Upper Salmon River, Palmateer, Little Campbell and West Creek watersheds.

More information on SHIM can be found on the Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping website.

Mapping & Inventory | Why We Map | How We Map | Where We've Mapped