Cutthroat Trout in the Porcupine Hills Environmental Rehabilitation: Project Update – Trout Creek, Alberta By Evan Tichonuk Fisheries Technician
The Porcupine Hills are a landform consisting of a montane ecoregion of outlying hills, located in southwestern Alberta near the town of Claresholm. Historically, Trout Creek, a stream that originates from these hills, provided valuable coldwater habitat for Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii lewisi) and Bull Trout (Salvelinus confluentus). However, a range of activities including industrial, agricultural, and recreational land uses within the region, along with natural disturbances, have resulted in changes to how water flows across the landscape and in the creeks which have resulted in habitat degradation and fragmentation. In addition to habitat changes, non-native Rainbow Trout have also impacted the Westslope Cutthroat Trout through interbreeding, resulting in hybrid offspring. As a consequence, the range and abundance of Westslope Cutthroat Trout within Trout Creek have declined considerably, while Bull Trout have been extirpated from the watershed. Due to their habitat requirements, these species function as indicators of healthy, intact watersheds with clean, cold, complex, and connected waters. The severe decline of these native species within the region suggests that the habitat is unsuitable for the continued persistence of trout in the upper reaches of the Trout Creek watershed. For the past two years, Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) has been working with various stakeholders, partners, and volunteers to actively conserve, protect, and restore Trout Creek and other streams in the region.
Live Willow Stakes Were Planted in November 2020
Previous Work in the Watershed In 2020, TUC completed major construction work to reconnect flow into portions of Trout Creek where previous flood events had shifted the main current onto trails and roads, resulting in poor quality habitat. Returning flow back into the natural channel will improve fish passage and habitat. In addition, a comprehensive watershed assessment was also completed to identify and prioritize additional restoration needs within the watershed.
Monitoring and Assessment Work In 2021, work continued along Trout Creek and its tributaries. TUC began the year by deploying seven water temperature loggers in mid-April to assess stream temperatures throughout the upper watershed. The collection of this data helps to identify the potential impacts of water temperature on the distribution and abundance of fish and can also be used to evaluate the risk for disease and invasive species proliferation. This data is also used by TUC to prioritize areas where restoration would be most beneficial to recovering native salmonids. Following this, we then began conducting volunteer-driven redd surveys in the late spring into early summer. Redd surveys help us understand where and when fish are spawning and also shed light on the adult density and spawning success of spring spawning salmonids in the area. The results yielded from these surveys identified one definite, two probable, and one test redd throughout nine 500 m reaches of the upper Trout Creek watershed.
In September, TUC accompanied technicians from Blackfoot Confederacy to collect eDNA samples from three locations in Trout Creek and its tributaries. eDNA, or environmental DNA consists of cells from organisms, including fish, that can be detected in a water sample. The water is filtered and analyzed in a lab to detect the target species. These samples will be used to help us understand where trout can be found in the watershed as recent electrofishing surveys have detected few fish.
Restoration Activities Restoration work commenced in late June with the seeding of native grasses where bare soil was present within our previous 2020 project area. The ultimate goal of this seeding is to encourage the establishment of native vegetation along portions of the now decommissioned trail which intersected the Trout Creek floodplain.
New OHV Bridge Constructed in October 2021
Further restoration activities continued in September with riparian restoration occurring along four sites identified in the 2020 watershed assessment. During these workdays, cuttings from native willows (Salix spp.), Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), and Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera) were harvested and incorporated into several bioengineering techniques. These techniques included the construction of wattle fences, live fascines, live staking and were complemented by the distribution of woody debris throughout restoration sites. Approximately 1200 live stakes were planted, and 180 m of stream bank was restored in September. Restoration continued in late October with TUC completing the installation of a bridge and culvert. The bridge replaced a previously unbridged stream crossing along the designated off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail and the culvert was installed where the trail intersected a spring that was running down and eroding the trail. Over 300 live willow, dogwood, and poplar stakes were planted, and woody debris was distributed throughout the former OHV ford crossings. We continued restoration activities in the beginning of November by adding another 400 live willow, dogwood, and poplar stakes within the 2020 project area to make up for the low survival of plantings done in 2020. Finally, we concluded restoration activities with a contractor planting another 300 live willow and poplar stakes at one more site identified in the 2020 watershed assessment.
Wattle Fence Constructed Using Live Willows in September 2021
To learn more about this project, check out Let’s Go Outdoors video produced last summer. More work is needed to reduce sediment impacts on the creeks and to improve habitat for all life stages of resident fish. We have more planned along Trout Creek and other streams in the Porcupine Hills this coming year so please feel free to enroll in upcoming volunteer opportunities in the area and elsewhere across Canada! Join the Oldman River Chapter of TUC or sign up for our mailing list for more information on why restoring degraded stream habitat is important to us, and for other ways to get involved.
Former OHV Ford Restored Using Bioengineering Techniques
This year’s project was completed with the much appreciated financial support of the Government of Canada through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund, the Land Stewardship Center of Canada’s Watershed Stewardship Grant, and the Oldman Watershed Council. In-kind support was also generously provided by the Oldman Watershed Council, Municipal District of Ranchland No. 66, Cows and Fish, the Blackfoot Confederacy, and the Oldman Chapter of TUC.
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