Rocky Creek Restoration Completed!

Rocky Creek Restoration Completed!

Rocky Creek is a tributary to the Clearwater River and is an important Bull Trout spawning, overwintering, and nursery stream. Bull Trout are listed as threatened in Alberta and populations are in decline due to overfishing, habitat degradation and competition with introduced species. At Rocky Creek, habitat degradation was a major problem.

Extensive off-highway vehicle (OHV) use in and around Rocky Creek damaged the area surrounding the creek. OHV use compacted soils and removed plants around the creek, which caused excessive mud, sand and silt to enter the creek. Although erosion and sedimentation are natural processes, it can be problematic when these processes are increased due to human activities. Too much sediment can smother aquatic insects, fish eggs, and spawning habitat. OHVs crossing through the creek could also crush eggs and developing fish. OHV trails also act as sediment chutes, where mud and sediment from exposed soils are delivered straight to the creek during rainfall or snowmelt events.

Background

Last fall, Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) visited Rocky Creek with Fisheries Management and Recreation Management staff from

Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP). An undesignated off-highway vehicle (OHV) trail ran parallel to the creek and even crossed the creek several times – on average, more than six times per kilometer. In some places, excess erosion had caused a portion of the creek to flow down parts of the trail. During the site visit, numerous Bull Trout were observed stranded in shallow pools and along the trail where they were isolated from the main creek.

Shortly after the site visit, TUC and AEP conducted a fish rescue to move stranded fish to overwintering habitat. AEP then implemented a temporary public closure of the area, a reclamation plan was developed, and work got started right away to fix the damage and allow the creek to begin to heal.

Recent Work In early June, TUC staff and over 20 volunteers, as well as AEP staff, worked together to finish the work started last fall by planting over 4000 willows, installing additional erosion control structures, and seeding native grasses along Rocky Creek. The bioengineering work rehabilitates the riparian area and stream banks to limit the amount of excess mud from entering the creek, and ultimately improves the quality of Rocky Creek for native fishes like Bull Trout.

The use of bioengineering techniques, like log walls and willow planting, work by first acting as a “living fence” to mechanically prevent soil from washing away. As the willows grow, the roots further stabilize the soil and prevent excessive mud from entering the creek. The 4000+ willows planted at Rocky Creek and 4000+ tree seedlings planted along former trails will help speed up the natural recovery process and provide healthy habitat for Bull Trout. We expect to see the number of Bull Trout in Rocky Creek increase in the future because of our efforts.

The Rocky Creek project is one of the largest native fish habitat restoration projects conducted within a single watershed in Alberta: 31 sites restored over 20 km of Rocky Creek. In addition to the on-the-ground work, four educational signs are being installed at former access sites to the undesignated trail and educational handouts have been created.

Later this summer, TUC will be working with AEP on similar work along Fall Creek within the Ram River watershed, also benefiting the local Bull Trout population. To get involved, sign up with TUC as a volunteer or contact us for more information. These projects are part of the provincial government’s North Central Native Trout Recovery Program and TUC’s Reconnecting Canada program.

This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Habitat Stewardship Program and from Alberta Environment and Parks.