When 600 willows need to be planted during a historic heatwave, OWC’s Outreach Assistants step up to get the job done! By Outreach Assistant Sydney Taplin.
On the first weekend in July, three Outreach Assistants and OWC’s Education Program Manager planted willows along creeks on private land at the base of the Livingstone Range. With a plentiful supply of sunscreen, lots of sweating, and a couple of early mornings, we managed to complete the task. Typically, willows are planted in the fall or spring when they are still dormant (not growing new roots or shoots); these willows had to be planted immediately. So we took a break from surveying backcountry recreationists, pulled on our gloves, and swung sledgehammers for three days under the hot Southern Alberta sun.
We stored the willow stakes in the creek until they were ready to be planted so they didn’t dry out, giving them the best chance of survival once they were planted. These willows had been harvested in the spring and kept in cold storage until a few days prior to planting. Photo by Randy Paquette.
Planting willows is very important for water quality, and it also provides habitat for many species at risk like westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout. When willows and other riparian plants grow along a stream, the banks are stabilized and water is filtered naturally. In these ways, willows help provide clean, clear water for fish and other wildlife (learn more about restoration methods from our previous blogs).
We (the summer staff) are thankful for our flexible work schedules, which enables us to do a wide variety of activities that benefit the watershed. While our main activity is surveying recreationists, we also participate in stewardship activities whenever we can. We remove invasive plants, pick up garbage, conduct trout surveys, and plant willows to keep the watershed healthy.
On Friday, July 2 we planted 250 willows along Cow Creek, where the landowner had installed an off-stream watering unit and fenced off the riparian area to keep cattle out of the creek. Our first mistake of the day was to start planting at 10 a.m. when it was already 30℃ outside. As a result, we were not able to get all the willows planted and had to come back Sunday morning to finish - but we were happy to spend another morning taking in the beautiful scenery of the Livingstone Range.
Brandon uses the planting bar and sledge hammer to create a hole where the willow stake is planted. Don’t be fooled by the grass - the ground was very rocky! Photo by Randy Paquette.
The banks were very rocky. After a couple of hours of trying to pound holes through rock, we were exhausted. Luckily, the landowner was an excellent baker and brought us homemade cookies and watermelon to keep us going. We must have eaten our spinach before planting, because we broke a sledge hammer and a planting bar! It’s a good thing we brought a couple of spare tools.
Brandon, Randy, and Sydney planting willow stakes along Cow Creek. Photo by Sofie Forsström.
Having learned our lesson on Friday, on Saturday we started our day at 6 a.m. so we wouldn’t be planting in the scorching heat. We planted willows with the landowner in three different locations along Wildcat Creek. We blasted through the willows, planting around 300 in five hours, and were rewarded with lemonade and fascinating stories from the landowner while eating our lunch. Later, at the landowner’s suggestion, we cooled off at Waldron Falls.
Randy cooling off at Waldron Falls after a hot morning of planting willow stakes.
Some of our favourite things about working with landowners are the connections formed, and being able to experience their beautiful properties with them firsthand. After all, nothing brings people together like sweating side by side!
Sydney and the landowner planting willows along Wildcat Creek, with the Land Rover to haul our equipment.
The landowner at Wildcat Creek had a 1974 Land Rover that was used to transport the willow stakes and our equipment. Luckily we were able to ride shotgun; it definitely added to the experience of working on the beautiful property!
Randy is ready for the safari in the Livingstone Range! Photo by Brandon Regier.
Sunday was another early morning; we headed back to Cow Creek to finish the last five bundles of willows. By the third day we were speed planters and managed to get the last 125 willows in the ground by 10 am. Afterwards, we headed out to explore more of the headwaters near Dutch Creek.
An after photo of the planted willow stakes along Wildcat Creek. Photo by Randy Paquette.
Despite the heat, it was a very successful weekend, and we planted around 600 willows! Even dealing with a historic heat wave and many broken tools, we still managed to get the job done. Hopefully all our hard work will pay off and next year we will see new leaves growing on the willows.
Randy watering willows that were planted at Pasque Creek in 2018. One day the willows we planted this year will have green leaves and new branches on them, too! Photo by Sydney Taplin.
The Oldman Watershed Council is often looking for volunteers to help harvest and plant willows in the spring and fall (ordinarily there isn’t a heat wave while we’re planting willows, we promise!). Even one day of planting can have a massive impact on our watershed and benefits countless species. By becoming a member of the OWC, you will never miss a volunteer opportunity!
