Brook Trout · Brook Trout by Lesley Peterson ... Basin alone. Asian carp are a particular...

Volume 19, No. 2 Spring 2013

Loved in eastern Canada, loathed in the Rockies:

The Two Sides ofBrook Troutby Lesley Peterson, TUC Project Biologist

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F ish Community Management is one

of the four themes identified under

TUC’s National Conservation Agenda

that guides our day to day conservation work.

The key policy of this theme is to protect and

restore existing native coldwater fish species

and their communities. A major threat to na-

tive trout populations in some ecosystems is in-

vasion by non-native fish species. Historically,

non-native fish have been stocked into waters

throughout Canada to increase angling oppor-

tunities, by accident, through dumping bait

buckets, or for various other reasons that may

have, “Seemed like a good idea at the time.” Re-

cently, TUC has witnessed an increase of inva-

sive species expanding their range in part due

to climate change or transferring from one wa-

ter system to another. Fisheries managers now

have a better understanding of the impacts on

native fish populations and the value of native

species. As a result the policies relating to non-

native fish have changed in many areas. For ex-

ample, the Alberta provincial government no

longer stocks flowing waters where non-native

fish could threaten native fish populations. In

Ontario, fishery workers are obligated to de-

stroy certain invasive species such as Asian

carp when they are incidentally captured dur-

ing research activities.

Ontario has almost three times more non-

native fish species than all of the fish species

found in Alberta combined! 186 invasive spe-

cies have been identified in the Great Lakes

BRONTE CREEK: THE FISH HAVE SPOKEN! • ARCTIC GRAYLING IN ALBER TA • NEWS FROM NATIONAL

Trout Unlimited Canada’s National Newsletter 1

Currents: Volume 19, No. 2 • Spring 20132

COVER STORY: THE TWO SIDES

Basin alone. Asian carp are a particular con-

cern, and pose a threat to native species such

as brook trout. Why care?

• Native species have had thousands of years

to adapt to local conditions,

• Native species coexist with the other spe-

cies with which they have adapted,

• Native species are resilient to the natural

disturbances regimes within their home

ranges,

• Altering a part of this complex system and

food web has the potential to exert irrevers-

ible changes to functioning ecosystems over

time, and

• We need to consider… if we do not protect na-

tive species in their native range, just where

will they be protected from extinction?

One species that is of particular interest to

TUC is brook trout because, depending on

where you are in Canada, it is either a beloved

native species, east of Manitoba, or, west of

Manitoba, a maligned invasive species. TUC

works towards protecting brook trout and its

ecosystems within its native range in eastern

Canada through a variety of initiatives and

programs like the Bronte Creek Watershed

Renewal Program. Brook trout face threats in-L ike every single person who works or

volunteers for Trout Unlimited Cana-

da, I care passionately about the envi-

ronment. The same could be said for people

who work for or support any of the other great

conservation organizations in Canada. For

forty years our particular interest at TUC has

been cold water trout streams and the land

that impacts them. The ethic that inspires the

work we all do is the same whether a person

supports an organization that looks like it is

concerned with one species (trout, salmon,

ducks, elk, sheep, pheasants…) or supports an

organization that works to protect all of our

world and its beautiful places.

I was asked recently how we keep up our

energy in the face of what sometimes seem

to be constant and difficult challenges — the

search for stable funding; constantly denying

that we have to choose between the economy

and the environment; being caught in what I

think of as the “reasonable zone” between the

closed-minded fringes of industry and the

equally closed-minded fringes of the environ-

mental group world, not being truly trusted by

either side. More recently we have been chal-

lenged by the enormous amount of energy

required to argue have a meaningful discus-

sion with our federal lawmakers about the

sense of rolling back the accomplishments

of the past 100 years or so by downsizing

the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, by

changing the Fisheries Act, the Navigable

Waters Protection Act, the Environmental

Assessment Act and (soon to come) the Spe-

cies at Risk Act.

These were good laws, developed over a

long time period with a lot of thought and

effort. A little tweaking in the name of effi-

ciency might have been in order, but we don’t

believe the wholesale assault that has taken

place will have a net positive impact. We

have been assured by the powers that be that

the new world order will be better. I guess we

have no choice but to wait and see.

What motivates us to keep going? The

short answer is that people who have had the

opportunity to fish or hunt become very con-

nected to the natural world. You can’t spend

a day on the Skeena with a fly rod or in a

blind somewhere without having it happen

to you. We understand that our food doesn’t

really come from the grocery store; it comes

from the land and from the water. People

who become connected to the land and water

are more likely to notice and care about what

have been called “slowly emerging catastro-

phes” that others might not recognize. The

more we each get out on the land, the more

we each learn about science and ecology, the

more likely we are to develop this kind of

ethic. The more informed we are about our

laws and how they are made and changed,

the more comfortable we are with getting in-

volved and taking action to protect the things

we think are important.

If you want to learn more about the legisla-

tive changes that have taken place over the

past year, check out the excellent analyses

done by West Coast Environmental Law (wcel.

org) and by Ecojustice (ecojustice.ca). And if

you just want to get more involved, give your

support to Trout Unlimited Canada or one of

the other great conservation Cana-

dian conservation organizations.

What’s Going On?by Jeff Surtees

TUC NEWS FROM NATIONAL

TUC CEO Jeff Surtees. TUC photo.

Alberta’s east slopes cutthroat habitat is no place for imported brookies. Hidden Lake outlet, Banff National Park. Lesley Peterson photo.

Continued from Page 1


OF BROOK TROUT by Lesley Peterson

cluding habitat loss, competition from invasive spe-

cies, and degraded water quality issues. Similar chal-

lenges face native species in western Canada such

as bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout. Brook

trout are an invasive species that threaten native fish

throughout the east slopes of Alberta. Introduced in

Alberta in the mid-1900s, brook trout have become

entrenched in many watersheds. TUC is currently in-

volved in two programs in Alberta aimed to remove

or suppress brook trout to facilitate a recovery by na-

tive cutthroat trout and bull trout.

This year, the Stewardship Licence Pilot Project

is entering its fourth year. This unique project is-

sues anglers, who successfully complete an educa-

tional species identification test, a Fish Research

Licence. These anglers are authorized to harvest an

unlimited number of non-native brook trout from

selected streams along Alberta’s east slopes. The se-

lected streams either have a low or zero retention limit in

place. The Stewardship Licence Project is a joint initiative

between TUC and Alberta Environment and Sustainable

Resource Development, and is based on the successes of

the Quirk Creek brook trout Suppression Project which

has demonstrated the success of using angler education

as a management tool.

In 1948, Quirk Creek contained only cutthroat and

bull trout, but by 1995, these native species only com-

prised 8% of the population, brook trout made up the

remainder. Since 1998, qualified anglers have removed

over 9,600 brook trout, reducing brook trout to 30% of

the population in the lower reach of Quirk Creek.

In 2012, TUC received funding from the Alberta Con-

servation Association’s Grant Eligible Conservation Fund

and from Devon Energy, allowing us to train additional

anglers and complete more supervised outings to qualify

anglers for the Fish Research Licence. Angler effort qua-

drupled from the previous year resulting in the harvest

2,080 brook trout! The response from the fishing com-

munity has been extremely positive. Anglers

appreciate the opportunity to put their passion

for fishing to use benefitting the resource while

taking a few fish home for dinner.

The other project underway in Alberta in-

volves a partnership with Parks Canada on

an innovative brook trout removal project in

the Corral Creek / Hidden Lake system within

Banff National Park. Upper Corral Creek and

Hidden Lake were once home to westslope cut-

throat trout until brook trout were introduced

in the 1960s. Brook trout eventually pushed

out the cutthroat trout, which now only live

downstream of an impassable waterfall on

Loved in their native ranges east of Manitoba but often loathed in the west, in Alberta introduced brook trout (top, Lesley Peterson photo) displaces native species like cutthroat trout or bull trout (pictured above, on spawning beds: Andrew Gustavson photo).

from Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise allowing

us to lend a hand to the project.

No matter where you are in Canada, it is

important for anglers to know how to properly

identify between fish species, whether you are

harvesting fish or practicing catch and release.

Taking time to educate oneself to understand

what you are catching and whether it is a na-

tive or non-native species adds a new dimen-

sion to your experiences. Catching a native

species within its native range is becoming

more and more difficult. When you do catch a

native fish, you might just appreciate

the experience that much more.

Corral Creek. The project goal is the removal

of all of the brook trout within the creek and

lake above the falls, by electrofishing, gill net-

ting, and angling. When the brook trout are

gone, pure cutthroat trout, sourced from below

the falls, will be translocated into the lake and

creek above the falls. This project is an out-

come of the provincial Cutthroat Trout Recov-

ery Strategy to increase cutthroat trout habitat.

This is significant, considering cutthroat trout

now only occupy less than 10% of their histor-

ic range in Alberta. The waterfall would protect

the cutthroat trout from potential future brook

trout invasion. In 2012, TUC received funding


N orthern Lights Fly Tyers/TUC Ed-

monton (NLFT/TUC) embarked

on a multi-year program to collect

baseline data that will support development

and implementation of a conservation strat-

egy for remaining arctic grayling stocks in the

Upper Pembina watershed, situated 1½ hours

south-west of Edmonton. Grayling occupying

the Pembina River and tributaries represent

the southern-most populations in the Arctic

drainage within Alberta and Canada.

Grayling conservation is of great impor-

tance because these populations may be ge-

netically distinct. Historically, ten or more

streams in this area provided good to high-

quality grayling fishing for residents of central

Alberta. For a variety of reasons, including

rapidly expanded road access, overfishing and

extensive land use through oil field develop-

ment and agriculture, many of the grayling

populations no longer exist. Those grayling

that remain are highly fragmented and in a

precarious state.

In 2011 and 2012, volunteers from NLFT/

TUC undertook a systematic angling survey of

streams formerly occupied by arctic grayling

to update data on the distribution and abun-

dance of this iconic species in the watershed.

This information is being provided to Alberta

Environment Sustainable Resource Develop-

ment, Fish & Wildlife (AESRD (F&W)). Data

collected included angling location, angling

effort (hours fished), fish length, and stream

habitat conditions.

The anglers also took a series of geo-refer-

enced digital photos of the sites. After several

h u n d r e d

hours of ef-

fort in the

two sur-

vey years,

i n c l u d i n g

planning, travel time and angling, it is evident

that grayling status has declined markedly

relative to previous times. In fact, significant

numbers of grayling were captured in only

two tributaries and the populations in these

systems can be best described as localized,

and remnant.

NLFT/TUC also installed continuous re-

cording water temperature data loggers in

the Pembina River and its tributaries. The

intent was to gain insight into the tempera-

ture suitability of waters in the project area,

now and into the future considering climate

change. The group purchased 15 data log-

gers in 2011 and an additional 15 units in

2012. Data loggers were installed in early

June and retrieved in mid-October, with as-

sistance from AESRD (F&W). The intent is

to install the units for three more years to

account for year-to-year differences in water

By Ken Monk & Jim O’Neil

ConservingArctic Graylingin thePembina RiverWatershed

TUC VOLUNTEER EFFORTS

Latching onto Dismal Creek grayling, a treat that’s getting scarcer in central Alberta. Paul Fitt photo.

A perfect Arctic grayling—well worth protecting as available habitat in Central Alberta diminishes. Ken Monk photo.



temperature due to variable summer weather

and discharge patterns. Based on two years

of data it appears that water temperatures

during the summer months are unsuitable in

many streams and stream reaches, particu-

larly those situated in low-gradient, low el-

evation settings. In several cases, maximum

water temperatures of 25°C were recorded,

far beyond the preferred levels for grayling

(maximum temperatures cooler than 20°C).

The good news is that the upper reaches of

several tributaries maintain optimum sum-

mer water temperatures for arctic grayling.

Was it a coincidence that the areas of gray-

ling concentration identified by the anglers

were situated in areas with suitable water

temperature? Or does it indicate that habitat

conditions in the upper reaches are of higher

quality, or are difficult to access by anglers?

Untangling the effects of various environ-

mental variables is challenging, but hope-

fully our efforts will help in this regard.

NLFT/TUC Edmonton also collected pel-

vic fin tissue samples as a contribution to a

research program on arctic grayling genetics

at the University of Alberta. It is hoped that

this information will be of value in identify-

ing suitable donor populations if the need

and opportunity arises to re-establish popu-

lations in formerly occupied streams in the

area.

Subject to funding, future plans for the

Pembina River arctic grayling project in-

clude a continuation of the angling surveys

and temperature data collection, a study of

migration patterns using fish traps and tag-

ging, and identification of key critical habi-

tats including spawning, rearing, overwin-

tering sites. NLFT/TUC will also develop a

data bank of potential stream rehabilitation

sites and restoration opportunities includ-

ing sediment entry points, water abstraction

sites, and problem stream crossings for future

follow-up.

The Alberta Conservation Association and

the TUC Edmonton Chapter provided fund-

ing to facilitate the first phases of this project.

To learn more about the project or sign up to

help with the study, visit our gray-

ling page at www.nlft.org/grayling

TUC Welcomes New Staff tershed. These funds will be used to protect

and restore fish habitat and riparian areas.

Provincial Fish and Wildlife Officer Andrew

Gustavson saw the two jeeps attempt to climb

the steep riverbank several times and driving

approximately 160 metres through the river

before exiting the river. Andrew, a TUC mem-

ber, was aware of the work TUC is doing in

southwestern Alberta and recommended the

courts pursue creative sentencing, with TUC

as the beneficiary. While the majority of day

to day fisheries offences that Andrew encoun-

ters are handled with very specific penalties,

this case was a unique situation with larger

fines and an offence under the Fisheries Act

of Canada. This is only the second time in Al-

berta off-roaders have been charged under the

federal Fisheries Act for such an offence as this.

In May 2011 a Calgary man drove his truck

through Waiparous Creek, eventually got

stuck was later found guilty of destroying fish

habitat and ordered to pay $1800 to the Ghost

Watershed Alliance Society.

Driving jeeps or off-highway vehicles

through creeks and up the banks damages

critical fish habitat and incubating fish. The

Carbondale River, like many other streams in

Alberta’s East Slopes provides important habi-

tat for trout and other aquatic species. During

spawning, trout build a nest or redd. Trout

bury their eggs in these redds just a few inches

under the stream bed gravel. While incubat-

ing, the eggs are vulnerable to disturbances,

such as being crushed by the weight of a ve-

hicle. When stream banks are damaged and

eroded, or when the stream bed is disturbed

by an activity such as driving, silt is stirred up

in the water that can settle on eggs, suffocating

them through lack of oxygen.

Recently, TUC was granted $10,000 from

Devon Canada to develop an education and

awareness program to reach out to the many

Albertans who encounter rivers and creeks

when exploring the wilderness. The program

will teach Albertans what a redd is, why they

are important, and how to recognize and avoid

damaging them. While some activities have the

potential to cause grave environmental damage,

there are certainly ways to recreate responsibly

and respectfully. Those using the back country

should stay on established trails within desig-

nated areas. If you must cross a stream, do so

T rout Unlimited Canada is pleased to

welcome a new team member in On-

tario. Beth Anne Fischer is the Proj-

ect Biologist for the Bronte Creek Watershed

Renewal Program working out of the Guelph

Trout Unlimited Canada office. Beth Anne is

honoured to be a part of this National TUC

flagship program and dedicated to inspiring

the Bronte Creek community.

Beth Anne started her environmental career

with the Ministry of Natural Resources’ Ontario

Stewardship program, working with a variety of

communities including Wellington, Waterloo,

Haliburton and Oxford Counties. Before start-

ing with TUC, Beth Anne worked as a Water-

shed Stewardship Technician with the Hamil-

ton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program.

In her ‘free’ time Beth Anne enjoys weekend

hikes with her dog, spending time with fam-

ily and friends and volunteering as director and

founder of a local arts organization.

TUC Receives Proceeds from Creative Sentencing Fines

O n August 10, 2012, two men were

charged under the Fisheries Act of

Canada for damaging fish habitat

when they drove their jeeps through the Car-

bondale River in southwestern Alberta. Both

men pleaded guilty. Each was ordered to pay

a fine of $1,800, the majority of which is to be

paid to TUC to help with ongoing conserva-

tion efforts in the nearby Drywood Creek wa-

Beth Anne Fischer, Bronte Creek Project biologist.



An Alberta Fish and Wildlife officer patrolling the Carbondale River. Andrew Gustavson photo.

The Big One at “The Big One”: one of two Chairman’s Custom Apparell Packages featuring this spectacular solid silver and gold toned belt buckle, matching cuff links and custom-made cowboy boots, auctioned at the 2013 Calgary National Conservation Banquet and Auc-tion. TUC photo.

by the shortest route possible. Avoid the down-

stream end of pools as this is often preferred

spawning habitat. Proceed straight and slow,

and always cross at the same place.

Native Bull Trout and Cutthroat Trout,

which live and spawn in the Carbondale River,

are protected by various regulations, and con-

servation efforts by TUC and other organiza-

tions focus on protecting these unique species.

Through education and enforcement, TUC and

our partners hope would-be offenders think

twice about driving their machines in creeks.

Not only can these actions kill thousands of

trout eggs and seriously damage fish habitat,

but it could also result in hefty fines.

Lesley Peterson, TUC Biologist

“The Big One”

T he Calgary National Conserva-

tion Banquet and Auction—

“The Big One”—was held on

Thursday, March 14, at the Hyatt Re-

gency Hotel. Chaired by Tervita’s CEO

John Gibson, the dinner once again held

up its reputation as being the premier fresh

water conservation event in North America.

One of the great new merchandise items

this year was a beautifully engraved solid sil-

ver belt buckle with gold accents paired with

matching cuff links and custom-made cow-

boy boots—the “Chairman’s Custom Apparel

Package”. The first set sold for $7,000 and a

second set (yet to be made) for another $7,000.

Additional auction highlights included a golf

trip for eight by private jet to the world class

golf courses in Kohler, Wisconsin, which

sold for $25,000; a “Fund a Project” appeal

for the Mallard Point Side Channel Enhance-

ment project on the Bow River which received

$40,000 in pledges; a drill bit credit from

Shear Bits which raised $20,000; and a quail

hunt for four at Riverview Plantation in Geor-

gia which brought in $19,000.

“That Don Cherry Guy” was in attendance

(or at least his double was—actor Clark Rob-

ertson), regaling our guests with tales of fame

and glory as well as being the most photo-

graphed guy in the Hyatt. In addition, TUC

had an active Twitter feed going which drew

lots of attention from our guests and others

about what was happening “live” at the dinner.

It was great to see a guest comment, “Great

evening, great event” at the end of the night.

Our thanks goes out to John Gibson as Din-

ner Chair and to Lisa Macintosh of Tervita for

their outstanding support. We also owe a huge

“Thank You” to all the Calgary Dinner Com-

mittee members and additional volunteers

who help make the dinner a success. Without

their support the dinner could not happen.

Join us next year on Thursday, March 20, for

our 30th Annual National Conservation Ban-

quet and Auction!

Lifetime Membership Dues Increase

D ue to rising costs a lifetime member-

ship with Trout Unlimited Canada

increased from $1000 to $1500 ef-

fective March 15, 2013.

A lifetime membership with TUC continues

to offer excellent value, including membership

that never needs renewing! In addition to the

benefits of regular membership, life time mem-

bers are provided with the choice of a premium

Winston or Orvis rod or a TFO signature rod

partnered with a TFO Mark I or Mark II reel.

The value of the Winston, Orvis or TFO signa-

ture rod and reel combo alone almost equals the

cost of a life time membership.

If you are currently enjoying the benefits of

an annual Trout Unlimited Canada member-

ship and are considering the purchase of a new

fly rod or fly rod and reel combo why not up-

grade to a lifetime status?

Becoming a life time member offers a per-

fect way to support Trout Unlimited Canada’s

continuing conservation efforts while obtaining

that fly rod of your dreams.

Trout Unlimited Canada Expands its Social Network

T rout Unlimited Canada recently added

Twitter to its social network that already

includes Facebook and two project spe-

cific blogs.

Immensely popular worldwide, Twitter offers

yet another communication outlet between TUC

and its members, supporters and partners.

The recent Calgary National Conser-

vation Dinner and Auction featured

TUC’s first Twitter Wall. Using the

hash tag, #CalgaryDinner dinner

guests could track the overall auction

progress, specific auction items and

other auction highlights. The TUC

Twitter Wall proved popular with many

guests and it was exciting to follow the

dialogue exchange and support of TUC

and its fund raising auction. Expect to see

Twitter Walls at all fu-

ture TUC fund raisers.

Find and follow TUC

on Twitter by search-

ing for Trout Unlimited

Canada or TUCanada1.



TUC Okanagan Makes its Mark!

R ecently, members from the Kelowna,

B.C. based Okanagan Chapter made

their mark by posting catch and re-

lease signs along the Kettle River located in the

Christian Valley.

The Kettle River is designated catch and re-

lease but with little enforcement or compliance

by anglers, adherence to regulations and poach-

ing has unfortunately become a regular occur-

rence.

The chapter hopes the posting of the signs

will educate and inform the angling public of

the catch and release restrictions. The chapter

has also produced a short film detailing their

conservation efforts on the Kettle River that

can be viewed on their chapter page on the

TUC website.

Aquatic Renewal Program

A quatic Renewal? What is it? Put sim-

ply, Aquatic Renewal is a stream re-

habilitation course. But as TUC biolo-

gists say, “It’s not all that simple at all!”

The Aquatic Renewal course is made up of six

workshops which cover everything from plan-

ning, logistics and fund raising to geology, hy-

drology, biology amongst other ‘ology’s as well.

The goal of the Aquatic Renewal course is

to provide participants with the necessary

knowledge to identify problems within their

rivers and streams,

create a plan that

targets the root

cause of the prob-

lem—not the symp-

toms—and success-

fully execute the

plan.

Trout Unlimited

Canada is proud to

employ and partner

with some of the best

minds in stream re-

habilitation and is

doubly proud to host

the only stream reha-

bilitation course in Canada.

During February and March of this year 40

participants attended three separate work-

shops taught by TUC staff and its partners. The

workshops focused on project planning, as-

sessment, evaluation and most importantly on

how streams work. Armed with this knowledge

course participants will continue their edu-

cational journey on three more courses. Dur-

ing these future sessions students will develop

plans and get their hands dirty learning how to

implement them.

For additional information on the Aquatic

Renewal Program and upcoming courses

please visit the TUC website (www.tucanada.

OUR MISSION: To conserve, protect and restore Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and their coldwater resources for current and future generations.

OUR GOALS:• to conserve and protect Canada’s freshwater

fish and their ecosystems and restore their coldwater resources to a healthy and produc-tive state;

• to develop and apply effective, science-based and measurable coldwater conservation solu-tions in the field;

• to inform the public about coldwater conserva-tion issues and educate communities about their watersheds;

• to build and sustain a healthy organization.

Help us help the trout! Visit tucanada.org

Central Alberta Chapter Continued Support to Local Libraries

R ecently, Doug Pullan, Secretary of the

Central Alberta Chapter, presented

donation cheques to representatives

from the Parkland Regional Library and the

Red Deer College Library.

This is the third year that this chapter has

provided funding to purchase books and

DVDs that focus on fish, fish habitat and the

org) or e-mail [email protected].

These work shops sell out fast.

Silvia D’Amelio, Ontario Program Manager

Okanagan Chapter members get ready to spread the word on BC’s Kettle River. Travis Lowe photo.

Invertebrate identification, part of TUC’s Aquatic Renewal stream rehabilitation course in Ontario. Silvia D’Amelio photo.



Help us help the trout — join today! Visit us at tucanada.org

TROUT UNLIMITED CANADA

Jeff Surtees Chief Executive Officer [email protected]

Kimberly Davidson Director of Member and Chapter Relations [email protected]

Dean Orlando Director, Finance and Administration [email protected]

Jack Imhof National Biologist and Director of Conservation Programs [email protected]

Don Pike Director, Special Events [email protected]

Lynn Robb Director of Conservation Education [email protected]

Amanda Graham Director of Development [email protected]

Phil Rowley Marketing & Communications [email protected]

Brian Meagher Alberta Provincial Biologist [email protected]

Silvia D’Amelio Ontario Program Manager [email protected]

Lesley Peterson Project Biologist [email protected]

Stacey Stevens Ontario Office Coordinator [email protected]

Mary Finch Bronte Creek Watershed Project Biologist [email protected]

Beth Anne Fischer Bronte Creek Watershed Project Biologist [email protected]

National Office: Ste. 160, 6712 Fisher St. SE Calgary, AB T2H 2A7 Tel: 403-221-8360 Fax: 403-221-8368 1-800-909-6040

Ontario Office: Rm. 273, Axelrod Building, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56588 Fax: 519-780-1696

[email protected] tucanada.org

Currents layout: David Soltess, [email protected]

surrounding riparian areas. The value of this

year’s donation was $1500. The books that

were approved by the chapter’s executive com-

mittee were tailored towards people of all ages

as well as college level reference texts. The

chapter has received encouraging feedback

from the libraries indicating people are more

concerned about our water resources and are

looking at good stewardship in a different

light. The Central Alberta Chapter believes

education is an important part of the mission

and goals of Trout Unlimited Canada and will

continue with further financial contributions

to local libraries in the future.

The Fish Have Spoken!

W e must have done

something right

in Lowville Park.

Less than six months after the

completion of the in-stream

restoration of Bronte Creek,

TUC biologists found the first

brook trout on record in the

park. As if our biologists were

not excited enough finding one

brook trout, a total of three

more were found!

Brook trout are the only native stream

dwelling trout in southern Ontario. Through-

out its entire length, Bronte Creek was once

home to a healthy brook trout population but

16 years of monitoring and assessment re-

cords from local agencies and TUC had yet to

turn up a single one in the park.

TUC’s Bronte Creek Restoration Project

re-naturalized flow patterns by changing the

depth and width at different points in the

stream. This allowed stream to naturally build

its own habitat for water loving creatures. A

relatively new concept in stream restoration,

immediately created new spawning beds, im-

proved water quality, doubling steelhead pro-

duction within the park. The restoration work

also created deeper pools to hold cooler water

in the summer and increased the diversity of

wildlife in the creek and the park.

TUC biologists admit that they hoped this

work would aid in the return of brook trout

and Atlantic salmon to this stretch of river, but

never dreamed it could would so quickly!

Others have found brook trout too. Here is

what Bronte Creek angler Tony Beham had to say:

“It was exhilarating to catch three tiny, perfectly

healthy, jewels in the creek in Lowville Park! The

water was low and ice clear. It was where the

creek veers north in mid-park that I hooked the

specks. I thought I’d hooked a chub when I got the

first trout! Then I got two more in the next few

minutes. They were tiny, about 4” to 6”, and were

all in the same shallow but well-shaded 20-ft run.

I was thrilled to see the magical little critters in

Bronte Creek.”

There is still more work to do in Lowville.

We at TUC hope you will join us this summer

to complete the project.

Silvia D’Amelio, Ontario Program Manager

Kristine Plastow, Red Deer College Library, Doug Pul-lan, Secretary, TUC’s Central Alberta Chapter, and Ron Sheppard, Parkland Regional Library. TUC photo.

After 16 years, brook trout have returned again in the Lowville Park sec-tion of Ontario’s Bronte Creek. Silvia D’Amelio photo.

Brook Trout · Brook Trout by Lesley Peterson ... Basin alone. Asian carp are a particular...

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