Source watersheds & multiple land-use challenges Presented by - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Source watersheds & multiple land-use challenges Presented by Marina Krainer, Executive Director, GWAS office@ghostwatershed.ca

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About the Ghost ✦ 1910: Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve established for the maintenance of timber and a continuous water supply ✦ Most of the Ghost Watershed is public land ✦ Few full time residents ✦ Very popular for recreational pursuits, especially motorized

Alpine

Subalpine

Montane Forest

About GWAS ✦ Established in 2002 under the Alberta Societies Act ✦ GWAS is a Watershed Stewardship Group (WSG) under Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy ✦ Water for Life: WSGs are tasked to promote best management practices, collaborate with land-use managers, undertake on-the-ground actions to protect the watershed.

GWAS Vision: The Ghost Watershed Alliance Society (GWAS) is a group with the vision to preserve and enhance the integrity of the ecosystem in the Ghost Watershed in order to secure the optimum quality and yield of the area's surface and groundwater resources.

GWAS Mission: The GWAS has set its mission to identify ecosystem and environmental issues affecting the watershed of the Ghost- Waiparous , raise public awareness and work towards resolving these issues.

Cattle grazing

Forestry: 5.7% of the forested portion of the Ghost Watershed area are harvested cutblocks, logged between 2005 and 2017.

Forestry: provides benefits, but also comes with challenges

Linear disturbance can negatively affect species: ✦ bull trout at densities as low as 0.2 km/km 2 ✦ at 1.25 km/km² black bears can be displaced ✦ at densities of 0.4 km/km² grizzly bears can be displaced ✦ at 0.62 km/km² elk are adversely affected Photo credit: DFO

Ghost PLUZ: Many trails were not designed and engineered for recreational use 18

Ghost PLUZ: Many trails were based on seismic cutlines Photo credit: Bob Spirko

Ghost PLUZ: Signage is poor. Off-trail use is prevalent.

Many stream crossing sites on designated trails in the Ghost Public Land-Use Zone 21

Erosion & stream crossing 22

Trails channeling run-off 23

Bridges alone often times do not solve the problem of stream sedimentation Same site with successful bio-engineering. 24

Soil Compaction & Loss of Vegetation 25

The Energy Sector and Linear Features

Water Quality Study commissioned by AB Environment in 2006 Sediment loading coefficients in the lower regions of Waiparous Creek and Ghost River were much greater than would be expected in rivers draining a similarly forested environment in the upper foothills of Southern Alberta. 27

Linear features: ✦ 250 km of documented roads and designated motorized trails in the Ghost Watershed 1.7 km/km 2 ✦ 1,650 km of documented linear features, such as seismic lines, powerlines, pipelines, roads and trails in the Ghost Watershed 3.0 km/km 2 ✦ Road and trail density within 100 m of streams is high 0.5 km/km 2

Random Shooting & Vandalism

Studies and reports commissioned by GWAS: ✦ Riparian Health Assessments by Cows & Fish ✦ Cumulative Effects Study Phase I and II by ALCES Landscape & Land-use Ltd. ✦ Ecosystem-based management assessment by Forester and Ecologist Herb Hammond ✦ Ghost River State of the Watershed report First and foremost we must understand what we have!

Beneficial management practices: ✦ Toilets in Ghost PLUZ ✦ Bridges instead of fords ✦ Improved trail system and signage ✦ Better enforcement ✦ Bio-engineering of eroded stream-banks

Source Water Education and Protection Initiative & Bio-engineering project

Educational signage: 33

Collaborative work Westslope Cutthroat Trout is a threatened species that occurs ✦ in the Ghost Watershed Beginning of the year 2016 DFO issued a “critical habitat ✦ order” that prohibits “damaging or destroying the residence of individuals of a species listed endangered or threatened” Action needed to be taken in the Waiparous Creek sub- basin.

Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2016 Generously funded by:

Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2017 BP Canada grant Generously funded by: through the BP Retirees

Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2017

Annual Campsite clean-up by BP Volunteers September 2017 - 330kg of garbage were collected in less than 3 hours! A big Thank You to the BP Retirees for their ongoing commitment and support!

Outreach & Education Hikes & Walks in the Watershed Top: Hike to Black Rock Mountain Right: Plant ID Walk with Gus Yaki

Challenges for GWAS in 2018 GoA’s new recreation management planning initiative in the ✦ Ghost Publish and promote Ghost River State of the Watershed ✦ report. Undertake more bio-engineering projects ✦ Expand Education & Outreach program ✦ Recruit more volunteers ✦ Fundraising for operations and projects (Casino, May 23-24) ✦

For more information please visit our website: WWW.GHOSTWATERSHED.CA Ghost Watershed Alliance Society P.O. Box 1461 Cochrane, AB T4C 1B4