Happy Trout Chapter

Area of Interest
The Happy Trout Chapter focuses on the headwaters of the Rocky Saugeen River near Markdale, Ontario, and precisely several of the small tributaries of the Rocky: West Arm of the Rocky Saugeen and Barrhead Creek. The Rocky Saugeen is likely the most significant stream left in southern Ontario, and it still contains a relatively healthy native Brook Trout community. The Rocky Saugeen is a considerable tributary of the Saugeen watershed. The Saugeen watershed is 3,860 km2, likely the single largest coldwater watershed remaining in southern Ontario. The Rocky gathers enormous amounts of groundwater from bedrock aquifers and the glacial gravel deposits in its upper watershed.

Chapter Description
Happy Trout Chapter’s mission is to enhance trout habitat along the West Arm of the Rocky Saugeen and Barhead Creek through stream rehabilitation. The Chapter also politically involves itself in water taking and water quality issues in the local watershed.

The Chapter views the rehabilitation of the West Rocky Saugeen River as critical to the survival and proliferation of the region’s Brook Trout. Increased sediment, temperature, and decreased flow have decreased water quality for the trout, inspiring the Chapter to combat this. Through their efforts at maintaining water temperature and removing sediment, they have helped improve the water’s quality and hope to continue this to even greater ends.

The Chapter is composed mostly of landowners and local conservation-minded people who see the health of the Rocky Saugeen and its tributaries as critical to the health of their local communities. The Brook Trout tells them that they are doing the right job.

Since its inception, the Chapter has restored temperatures and habitat to the majority of the West Arm of the Rocky Saugeen to the point where Brook Trout populations thrive once again. Work over the last 10 years has included removing undersized culverts, one on-stream pond, and a substantial amount of in-stream habitat work. Work also began on the Barrhead to restore its health, and this project is currently underway.

Chapter History
The Happy Trout Chapter was founded in the fall of 2005 by a group of local landowners and conservationists living in the Markdale, Ontario, area. The Chapter members and landowners were concerned about the deteriorating water quality, habitat loss, and temperature increases in the Rocky Saugeen's tributaries and mainstem and approached the Ontario office of Freshwater Conservation Canada for assistance in determining a course of action.

The chapter's name derives from an organizational meeting held at the cottage of one of the interested local people. The cottage lane was difficult to see from the main road, so a wooden cut-out of a trout was posted at the entrance to the lane, in the direction of looking for the smiling trout. The group liked the idea of the smiling trout but decided to call the chapter the Happy Trout Chapter in the hopes that their collective work would end up with a suitable habitat and happy Brook Trout!

Chapter Interim President: Jeff Graham
Contact: jeffgraham@gssengineering.ca