by Program Assistant Brandon Regier

OWC staff have been busy these past few months completing and participating in a variety of different projects and initiatives in the field. We have been fortunate enough to share these experiences with multiple partners and volunteers such as Waterton Biosphere Reserve, Alberta Parks, Calgary Heritage Roasting Company, Trout Unlimited Canada, Cows and Fish, Blood Tribe Land Management, Siksikaitsitapi - Blackfoot Confederacy, MD of Ranchland, Lethbridge College, and Alberta Environment and Parks. We’ve been educating students earlier this fall, followed by CABIN sampling, willow harvesting and staking, participating in the annual Fish Rescue, as well as conducting some additional restoration work along Dutch Creek. Each day in the field benefited our watershed - from educating our young generation to physically restoring our headwaters streambanks.

*Where we’ve been working: OWC’s CABIN, restoration, and stewardship activities conducted in fall 2021.*

In early fall, Sofie Forsström, our Education Program Manager, and Brandon Regier, our Program Assistant, took part in the annual Wetland Field Day held at Police Outpost Lake Provincial Park by Waterton Biosphere Reserve. Here they educated local grade 5 students on how different wetland species use their physical and behavioral adaptations to survive in their habitat. It is always rewarding to see kids' faces light up with excitement as they connect the dots from their own experiences to our watershed’s natural environment.

*Brandon describing mallard duck adaptations to Grade 5 students at Wetland Field Day.*

Throughout September and October, OWC’s trained CABIN field technicians had a blast sampling streams at multiple restoration sites in our watershed. The Canadian Aquatic Biomonitoring Network (CABIN) is a national program used to measure the health of freshwater ecosystems by sampling benthic macroinvertebrate communities. The different species of macroinvertebrates (water bugs) can tolerate different levels of pollution, and so are indicative of the stream's health. These samples can fill gaps in baseline data on our headwater streams. OWC spent six days sampling at a total of seven different restoration sites within the headwaters; these ranged from high in the Livingstone PLUZ, and as far south as Castle. By the end of the field season, we’d established an extremely efficient routine when out sampling.

*Kallie, Shannon, Brandon, and Sofie collecting* *CABIN* *and* *STREAM* *samples in our headwaters.*

The crew’s willow harvest loaded up and ready to be soaked in preparation for planting along streambanks later in the fall.

In early October, Brandon took a day trip to the Crowsnest Pass to help Trout Unlimited Canada harvest willows for their future restoration work. These willows are harvested after they go dormant, meaning that the willows had stopped growing for the year and stored all their carbohydrates (energy) for the winter and spring. The harvested willows were then soaked to keep them hydrated until it was time for them to be planted and grow into a healthy willow stand.

Throughout the fall season, OWC alongside partners and volunteers were able to plant over 1500 willow stakes! This was not necessarily easy work, which made those early-morning bakery stops a must. Just like willows, OWC staff needed to store some energy to make sure that the willows could be planted with care.

Willow staking is exactly what it sounds like: a toonie-sized hole is pounded as far as possible into the ground where the willow stake can be carefully planted into the soil (ensuring good soil contact), where they will grow roots and shoots. As these willows establish, they stabilize the streambanks, restore riparian vegetation, and create habitat for both terrestrial and aquatic species. OWC was fortunate to plant in Castle Provincial Park, on public lands, on Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as on private land.

*Lethbridge College students staking willows with OWC along the streambank at Dutch Creek.*

*Willow staking at Red Crow Park with Blood Tribe Land Management team, OWC, and volunteers.*

A mountain whitefish caught in the canals. Fun fact: Mountain whitefish are 1 of 3 native fish species found in our headwaters.

Brandon took another solo trip this fall to help out Trout Unlimited Canada at their annual Fish Rescue near the Waterton Reservoir. In Southern Alberta, during high water flow in the summer months, fish make their way through the irrigation canals from the rivers and reservoirs that supply water to the irrigation system. In the fall when the water lowers and the irrigation canals dry for the winter months, the fish find themselves stranded and in need of assistance to get back to where they originated from. Trout Unlimited Canada, Brandon, and many other volunteers were able to rescue hundreds of fish that day and release them back into the Waterton River. These annual fish rescues are a great way to get some adrenaline pumping and get the family involved. Brandon highly recommends signing up for next year's Fish Rescue events.

Brandon posing with a friendly Burbot caught in the irrigation canals.

To finish off the field season, OWC was able to complete some more intense restoration work along Dutch Creek in the Livingstone PLUZ. With approval from Alberta Environment and Parks, OWC hired contractors to de-compact a stretch of nondesignated trail that led to multiple stream crossings. This is done by digging holes with larger machinery and dumping the loosened soil back down. Also called Rough and Loose, this simple yet very effective technique loosens compacted soil and rock, creating microclimates and suitable habitat for a diversity of species to re-establish. Alongside the de-compaction, massive root balls of willows and willow fascines were planted within the newly-loosened soil, giving the revegetation process a head start.

*One stretch of decompacted trail at Dutch Creek. It looks messy, but it’s an important step for restoration!*

Fieldwork ‘Fails’

Of course, fieldwork is never without its challenging moments. Things don’t always go according to plan: there are delays; tools break; or things just go a bit sideways. It always helps to have a sense of humour when doing fieldwork (as well as an Emergency Plan and a few extra supplies so you can be prepared for most situations!) In the spirit of solidarity with others who conduct fieldwork, here are a few of our 2021 Fieldwork ‘Fails’:

Every single planting bar broke at least once during willow staking.
One morning, we got up super early, drove two hours plus a couple of kilometres hike/side-by-side to collect CABIN samples at Trout Creek… only to discover there was no water in the creek!
The outhouse we ordered got lost en route to our volunteer willow staking site - TWICE! (but eventually turned up both times).
Our trusty Subaru got a flat tire on the very last day of willow staking.
Not so much a #FieldworkFail, more of a #ITriedItSoYouDontHaveTo, but from experience, we don’t recommend willow staking during a +30°C heat wave!

TikTok 2021 Field Season Highlights Reel

OWC’s Favourite Field Moments

BRANDON : Any day spent in the headwaters is a great day! However, Sofie and I (with the help of Cows and Fish), had a remote CABIN site to sample in early September; this was definitely my favorite day. It is not every day that you get to backpack across rivers and through the mountains for work.

Brandon loaded and ready to backpack into our remote site for CABIN sampling.

Sofie practiced her wader-tying skills on Brandon’s pack. This was leaving the remote CABIN site to begin the 5 km hike back to the vehicle.

SHANNON: My favourite field work moment was working side by side with high school students from Piikani Nation Secondary School, staking willows along Crowlodge Creek. It was refreshing to see their enthusiastic faces and friendly humour as they worked together to sledge hammer planting bars into the soil. They also planted sweetgrass, a vital cultural plant.

SOFIE: It’s difficult to choose a favourite moment; I feel exceptionally fortunate that I have a job where I get to spend time outdoors! I love the variety of locations and tasks. One event that stands out for me is the CABIN field training I organized with the Blood Tribe Management in August. We had a keen group of people, a very knowledgeable trainer, lovely weather, picturesque sites, delicious food, and a lot of fun - what more could a person ask for?!?

KALLIE: My normal day usually includes working on a computer and doing bookkeeping or answering emails, so the chance to get out in nature and plant willows or do CABIN sampling is pretty amazing. I don’t have specific moments that are favorites, but my favorite things are swinging the sledgehammer when willow staking, and the satisfaction when the willow goes in to the right depth. I also really love CABIN sampling, especially doing the water chemistry or the moment when we complete the 100 pebble sample. Usually by then our hands are freezing!

JON: While I am generally in the (home) office buried under cables, computers, and looming project deadlines, I do manage to escape out into the wild a few times a year. This past year, I had a few really great days where we able to visit some beautiful spots in the watershed to gather ambisonic audio and 360° video for an upcoming project funded through RBC’s Tech for Nature program. The pictures below are from one of these days where Shannon and I went out to the Castle area. It was a bit windy (as it seems it always is when we’re recording audio) but it was beautiful and the cloud were rolling across the landscape like an avalanche of pillows, one spiralling into the other. In the image on the left, I am hiding behind a tree stump from the camera.

Moreover, I will find any reason I can to take a drive through the mountains and stop at small-town bakeries along the way. So, any field day can be my favourite field day!

Thank You!

Another huge thank you to our volunteers and partners, this work would not have been possible without your help. We planted over 1500 willow stakes throughout the fall season; that is incredible! If you are interested in being a part of making a positive difference in our watershed, visit our volunteer portal and stay connected with us on social media for future opportunities to get involved.

Our 2021 field season was supported in part by grants from: