by 2022 Watershed Stewardship Assistant, Shannon Hart
New Interactive Program!
It’s been said that love can build a bridge and now, so can you! Here at OWC, we have an exciting new display to showcase. The 2021 Outreach Assistants used their creativity to design an activity to promote keeping Wheels Out of Water. It challenges participants to build a Lego bridge for a toy quad to cross a beautiful, handmade model streambed. The Wheels Out of Water activity is a fun, interactive way to highlight the importance of keeping OHVs and other modes of transportation out of local water bodies. You’re never too old to build something out of Lego!
OWC’s newest interactive model: “Keep Wheels out of Water” by building a Lego bridge! Designed and photographed by Brandon Regier at its debut at the 2021 Recreational Stewardship Fair at Caesar’s Flats.
The lakes and streams of the Oldman Watershed are diverse and essential ecosystems that are utilized by wildlife, plants, insects, and people. They are sources of water for drinking, industry, agriculture, and recreation. There are many benefits to keeping wheels out of streams. These include preventing sediment disturbance and erosion, avoiding damage to fish and their habitat, and reducing the spread of invasive species and pathogens between water bodies. Following the protocol of “Clean, Drain, Dry” also aids in the prevention of these impacts that may be caused by watercrafts, hip waders, and swimsuits. Combined, all of these best practices play a role in keeping our waterways clean and healthy.
Feeling ‘Sedimental’
Sediment is found at the bottom of waterbodies; it is made up of sand, silt, clay, and other particles. While sediment is a natural occurrence, stirring it up can create multiple concerns within a lake or stream. Sediment can lower the quality of drinking water and is expensive to remove. Its buildup can also block stormwater drains, thereby increasing the chance of flooding.
Sedimentation is visible from the streambank near McGillivray Staging Area in 2016
Fish may also be affected by excess sediment. Increased cloudiness in the water (called “turbidity”) can make it difficult for fish to find food. Their gills and scales also may become damaged or clogged by sediment; this increases their risk of contracting diseases and lowers their growth rates. Their eggs also may not be able to hatch if too much sediment settles onto them, cementing them into the substrate because of compaction. Fish in Alberta prefer cold water; sediment absorbs heat, increasing water temperature. Simultaneously, excess sediment can block sunlight and make it hard for aquatic plants to achieve photosynthesis. The bugs that the fish rely on for food can be suffocated under floating sediment.
Fish, plants, and insects all need each other to maintain a successful ecosystem, and without these key elements, other organisms suffer. Bears have fewer fish to eat, moose cannot forage for underwater vegetation, and the water that humans require becomes dirty and harder to filter. The stress placed on our natural environment in recreation areas can lead to closures and diminishes the quality of the places people set out to enjoy.
Unwelcome Guests
Another important element to consider in our natural water bodies is the presence of invasive species. These pests are introduced to habitats outside of their natural ranges. Once there, they establish and take over. Invasive species can negatively impact native plant and animal species, carry diseases, and create problems regarding infrastructure and human health. One of the main aquatic concerns in Alberta is invasive mussels. There are two species, zebra and quagga, that negatively impact fish and have no natural predators. They can survive for 30 days out of water and move from lake to lake by hitching a ride on recreational equipment such as boats and paddleboards. If these creatures were to infiltrate infrastructure such as irrigation, hydroelectric systems, and the drinking water system, costs to fix these would be an estimated $75,000,000. When it comes to invasive species, prevention is easier than eradication!
Invasive zebra and quagga mussels. Photo: Government of Alberta.
Invasive plants can be transported to new locations through soil caught in tires and boots. Many release seeds into the soil, while some mature plants such as yellow clematis can regenerate from only a few inches of stem. These invasive plants can cause harm to native plant communities, wildlife, livestock, and even people. It is very important to clean all equipment after using a recreation area to ensure plants, animals, and diseases do not travel with you.
Whirling Disease
Whirling disease is a darkly whimsical name for the effect of Myxobolus cerebralis, a parasite that affects Alberta’s trout and whitefish. Younger fish are the most at risk of whirling disease and have a mortality rate of 90%. Some visible signs of an infected fish include swimming in ‘whirling’ patterns or circles, skeletal deformities, and colour changes due to nerve compression. Whirling disease has been officially found in four major watersheds within Alberta: Bow River, North Saskatchewan, Red Deer River, and the Oldman River basins. If a fish suffering from whirling disease is found, the Government of Alberta asks that an email be sent to aep.whirl@gov.ab.ca that includes photos, location, date, time, and any other relevant information. Alberta Environment and Parks has also published a decontamination protocol for watercraft and other equipment used in or around water.
Using the clean, drain, dry method can be useful for preventing the transfer of invasive species and pathogens. Car washes generally treat their wastewater, making them a great place to hose down vehicles, fishing gear, etc. versus a driveway, which drains straight into the water system. In fact, did you know that in Lethbridge there is a Drainage Bylaw (5594) against washing vehicles on your driveway, for this very reason? For a more extensive primer on whirling disease, check out this previous OWC blog post.
OWC’s Efforts: Building Bridges
Over the years, OWC has partnered with local groups like the Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad on several projects that invest in infrastructure to help keep wheels out of water. This past June 4, 2022, our seasonal Watershed Stewardship Assistants participated in a day of bridge installing and trail building near the McGillivray staging area by Coleman. The simple wood and metal bridge took only a few hours to install and allows OHV users to continue enjoying the designated trail while reducing impacts on sensitive habitat and water quality. Helping to build bridges, staying on designated trails, and using appropriate stream crossings are just a few ways for recreationists to reduce impacts. Taking the time to decontaminate - or at the minimum, Clean, Drain, Dry your equipment - is another. Whenever OWC is working in a stream, our gear is cleaned and decontaminated regardless of whether there is known whirling disease in that waterbody.
Come visit the OWC at the 2022 Recreational Stewardship Fair in the Crowsnest Pass on August 20 for a chance to try your hand at bridge building with our Wheels Out of Water model (more event details coming soon). We can all contribute to keeping wheels out of water as we enjoy the great outdoors, making risks to our local ecosystems water under the bridge.
Program Support
OWC’s educational and stewardship programs are supported in part through grants from:
EcoAction Community Funding Program (Government of Canada)
Habitat Stewardship Program for Aquatic Species at Risk (Government of Canada)
Watershed Resiliency and Restoration Program (Government of Alberta)
Thank you for your support!
Sediment traps can be suspended beneath bridges to keep sediment from entering the water. Photo: Conlan Donahue.
