Trout Unlimited Canada, now rebranded as Freshwater Conservation Canada, has a policy, #10-03, that says,:
“Chapters should strive to maintain and restore a watershed’s stream corridor / riparian systems and channel structure . . . ”
The Northern Lights Fly Fishers Chapter has ‘strived’ to do just that, especially over the last 8 years. And this year, 2024, we reached a benchmark by having helped protect over 1,000,000 sq.yds of riparian land (almost, but not quite, a million m2 if you prefer the metric system!) – 225 acres to be precise.
Considering the vast amount of riparian land that Alberta is fortunate to have, that’s not very much. But what makes it significant for a fishing group like ours is that every one of those square yards has been along the banks of some of Alberta’s favorite trout streams – the Dogpound, the Raven, and the North Raven (aka Stauffer Creek). And that doesn’t include all the willow, shrub and tree planting that we’ve done to help stabilize the banks. The forest of evergreens, for example, just upstream from the Buck for Wildlife parking lot on Stauffer Creek resulted largely from the late Dave Parker’s efforts. Dave was a longtime member of Northern Lights/TUC. And the Upper Pembina (and hopefully its Arctic grayling population) has benefitted from quite a few willows planted along its banks.
Some folk wonder why we bother with the work. “It’s the water and the fish you should be protecting”, they say. They’re maybe not aware that the riparian zone is a critical transitional area, protecting the water’s ecosystem from sedimentation, from runoff that’s often polluted, and from erosion. It provides shade that helps keep the water cooler for the fish and other aquatic life, and is a source of food and shelter for the wildlife that live in the stream and for those that live along its banks. A 2022 research report noted ‘The riparian systems should be top priority for conservation and restoration of ecological sustainability.’ That’s the scientific rationale for doing the work.
But, maybe, for those of us who most enjoy fishing the streams, it’s because riparian zones are where we’ve spent many of the most memorable moments of our lives! “And who or what is causing damage to that area?” In every case it’s been cattle, sometimes horses as well. Those streams run through farmland; cattle and horses need water to drink and don’t much care about trampling down the streambanks and vegetation to get at it. Every one of our riparian projects has included fencing. That keeps the livestock out of the riparian zone and the water. However, we still had to get water to the cattle in some other way. So all of our grant applications included a request for money to buy and install a solar-powered system that pumps water from the stream to a watering trough on the other side of the fence. They’ve worked fine through all four seasons.
We can take some minor credit for the work, but the truth is that we couldn’t have done any of it without advice and support from the staff of our Partner in Conservation, Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), and the financial backing provided us through its Conservation, Community, and Education Grant program. Credit is also due to the anglers and hunters in Alberta who pay annual license fees. It is those revenues that fund ACA and its grant program.
Our reward, we say, is the good feeling you get from contributing to fish and habitat conservation, but maybe the truth is that it gives us an excuse to go fish our favourite trout streams and relive past memories. Roderick Haig-Brown wrote, ‘fishing is just an excuse to be near rivers!’ Maybe our riparian protection work is an excuse for the same thing!
Article contributed by Peter Little