Advocacy

Environmental protection and awareness

Our advocacy is anchored in environmental protection and awareness. Josh collaborates with an assortment of streamkeeper and conservation groups. For example, he conducts salmon spawner surveys with the Alouette River Management Society and supports water quality monitoring by the North Shore Streamkeepers. A large portion of our advocacy is centered around pollutants within urban watersheds of the Fraser Valley. This has led to particular focus on stormwater, the water that runs off roads, roofs and others, typically directly into rivers and creeks. In 2022, Josh collected samples of road runoff and found them to be acutely lethal to fish, in violation of the Fisheries Act. Subsequently, he identified causes of toxicity in the samples, including trace metals and a tire preservative (6PPD-Q). Find this research here.

In 2026, Josh supported the Cougar Creek Streamkeepers in sampling and measuring water contaminants which entered the watershed from numerous stormwater outfalls. The results identified worrisome levels of 6PPD-Q and trace metals. The detailed report can be downloaded here.

workshops

Josh has a passion for communicating science to the public and has presented as
part of a number of workshops. See below:

Baker J. 2025.	Land Use and Water Quality: McLellan Creek: BC Wildlife Federation’s Federation Fish Habitat & Riparian Stewardship workshop: August 9, 2025; Surrey, BC. Workshop presentation.
Baker J. 2024.	6PPD-Q research update. North Shore Fish and Game Club: March 13, 2024; North Vancouver, BC. Meeting presentation.
Baker J. 2023, 2022, 2021.	Chemistry (and contaminants) in the Cougar Creek Watershed. BC Wildlife Federation’s Federation Fish Habitat & Riparian Stewardship workshop: October 16, 2021, August 21, 2022, September 23, 2023: Delta, BC. Workshop presentation and instruction.
Baker J. 2023, 2021.	The salmon journey in the Alouette. British Columbia Wildlife Federation Fish Habitat & Riparian Stewardship workshop: June 2023, October 2021: Maple Ridge, BC. Workshop presentation.
Baker J. 2022.	The salmon journey – An environment chemistry perspective. BC Wildlife Federation’s Wetland and Stream Assessment Training, August 27th, 2022: Chawathil First Nations. Workshop presentation and instruction.
Baker J. 2022.	The salmon journey – An environment chemistry perspective. Langley Environmental Partners Society, June 20, 2022. Workshop presentation. Available online
Baker J. 2022.	The salmon journey in the Nicomekl. British Columbia Wildlife Federation Fish Habitat Stewardship Workshop: Nicomekl Enhancement Society, May 28th and 29, 2022: Langley, BC. Workshop presentation.
Baker J. 2018.	Conference Short Course. Introduction to Regulatory Toxicology, Toxicant Identification and Unusual Test Responses. 45th Annual Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop: September 30, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia.