Who are they
Alouette River Management Society (ARMS) is a grassroots non-profit organization that is dedicated to protecting and improving the environment in and near the Alouette Watershed. ARMS was founded in 1993 to negotiate with BC Hydro to increase water flows to the Alouette River after a dam built in the 1920s cut water flows to the river, directly impacting Pacific salmon populations. For the past three decades, ARMS has been protecting the Alouette Watershed and advocating alongside the local community for the river and fish populations. The Alouette River is a heritage river, and 2023 is ARMS 30th year of protecting the Alouette River Watershed.
What they do
Alouette River Management Society engages in various activities, such as water quality monitoring, public education, and community outreach. They are actively involved in looking after salmon populations by advocating for fish-friendly passage across the Alouette Watershed, as well as showcasing the work of BC Corrections, who operate the ALLCO Fish Hatchery.
Alouette River Management Society engages in various activities, such as water quality monitoring, public education, and community outreach. They are actively involved in looking after salmon populations by advocating for fish-friendly passage across the Alouette Watershed, as well as showcasing the work of BC Corrections, who operate the ALLCO Fish Hatchery.
ARMS also has a variety of other workshops and community events throughout the year. Including tours of the Fish Hatchery, community clean-up events, and invasive species removal workshops. They have events year-round in the Maple Ridge area, and if you’re interested in joining, feel free to see the most up-to-date information about events and registration on their Facebook page.
Alouette River Fish Passage & Salmon Enhancement
As stated previously, the Alouette River has been blocked by a dam since the 1920s, which has resulted in a lack of fish passage and declining populations in all five Pacific salmon species. One way to help aquatic life downstream of dammed areas is to allow for more water to flow through the dam. After its founding in 1993, ARMS helped to advocate for an increased flow through the Alouette Dam to sustain downstream aquatic life, which had been extirpated. The increased flows resulted in sockeye salmon returning to the Alouette River Watershed. Although there is more flow through the Alouette Dam, safe fish passage over the dam would increase rearing and spawning habitat for salmon and allow salmon to complete their life cycle in the upper tributaries of the Alouette Reservoir. As of October 2023, ARMS is still working with the government and BC Hydro to develop a strategy that works for all stakeholders and the environment to create fish passage. Additionally, ARMS has been working on several salmon enhancement projects, ranging from public education campaigns to helping manage and run tours of the ALLCO Fish Hatchery.
Adopt-A-Program & Our Heritage
Adopt-A-Program
The Adopt-A-Program is a volunteer-based campaign ARMS is a part of to create a cleaner and healthier Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows. The program works to engage the community and foster a sense of stewardship over their local neighborhoods and parks. As part of the Adopt-A-Program campaign, there are different streams, including Adopt-a-Block, Adopt-a-Stream, Adopt-a-Park, and Adopt-a-Trail.
Our Heritage
Currently- Alouette River Management Society has two active campaigns they are running, the Our Heritage Campaign and the Adopt-A-Program. The Our Heritage Campaign exists to help the Alouette River Management Society update their building, also known as the Geoff Clayton Rivers Heritage Centre. Over the past 24 years, the Geoff Clayton Rivers Heritage Centre has been a community hub that has seen thousands of students and many community events. ARMS is a small grassroots non-profit that currently lacks the funds to make urgent building repairs. If you are interested in helping by providing materials and expertise or by making a cash donation, you can find out more below.
Connection to Clean Technology
Alouette River Management Society utilizes clean technology through its water quality monitoring equipment. Clean technology (cleantech) includes technologies that either reduce environmental impact or generate environmental benefits. At ARMS, they use clean technology through their community water monitoring program. Along the Alouette Watershed, if community members notice any unusual changes in the water, they can contact ARMS to do an initial water assessment and investigation. ARMS will arrive on-site and use a YSI quad probe to take basic water parameters like temperature, pH, conductivity, salinity, nitrates, and dissolved oxygen, then use these measurements to determine if there are any problems with the water. If ARMS notices anything wrong with the water, such as pollution or unusual parameter levels, they will contact the municipal government, which can test the water with more robust technologies. In the future, ARMS would like to reduce its financial barriers and offer its community better water monitoring options. In essence, ARMS provides the community with an access point to resolve water problems quickly. In the past, ARMS has used clean technologies to help alert the government of water pollution issues like oil spills.
