Knight Creek
Background
Knight Creek is situated on the north side of the Nechako River downstream from the community of Vanderhoof. Knight Creek flows through forest and agricultural lands, and crosses Sackner Road before entering the Nechako River. Much of the area along Knight Creek has been logged and/or cleared for agricultural purposes over the last century. Historical clearing practices and cattle grazing in riparian areas have contributed to stream bank stability deterioration, erosion issues, in some locations were severe, and have resulted in stream creek/relocation, erosion, and significant movement of bed materials sediment downstream.
The first restoration project on Knight Creek happened in 2021 as part of a large Healthy Watersheds Initiative lead by NEWSS. Since then, other projects have focussed on different stretches of the creek, including were it crosses Sackner Road through two culverts.
Project List
Fish Habitat Restoration (2026-2029)
In early 2026, NEWSS was awarded funds to start on a 3-year project on the lower reach of Knight Creek. The project will focus on fish habitat restoration and monitoring.
Fish Passage and Habitat Assessment (2025)
A study was conducted comparing Clear Creek (good fish habitat) and Knight Creek (poor fish habitat) to determine if habitat restoration methods like BDAs are helpful for young Chinook salmon. The work was done in 2025, and the interim results are presented in a report for this project. In total 8 BDAs were placed in Knight Creek.
BDA Installations (2024)
Knight Creek has historically been a non-natal stream for Chinook salmon, however Chinook salmon fry were observed in Knight Creek in 2024. In an effort to restore salmon access and use of Knight Creek, NEWSS is working with landowners to rebuild the stream and conduct salmon assessments. This includes installing Beaver Dam Analogues within the system.
Hall Bridge Installation (2023)
Undersized culverts at this location on Knight Creek have caused erosion and fish passage issues for a number of years. This project removed the culverts and replaced them with a 7m clearspan bridge to help restore the natural flow of the stream at this site.
Kochel Bridge Installation (2022)
Two undersized culverts installed a number of years ago washed out at this crossing on Knight Creek. The wash out continued to erode the stream banks resulting in the widening of the stream and the addition of fine materials to the creek.
Healthy Watersheds Initiative (2021)
As part of the larger Healthy Watershed Initiative in 2021, this initial project on Knight Creek focussed on adding structure and diversity to the stream channel and banks.