What’s my watershed story?

(Editor's note: Brian Bradley, Branch Manager of RBC in Lethbridge on Mayor Magrath Drive, will be presenting the Oldman Watershed Council with a whopping cheque of nearly $58,000 as part of their Blue Water Project on Thursday at 11 am. It would mean a lot to see you there to show support for all the incredible people who are working hard to ensure clear, clean drinking water and healthy ecosystems at both RBC and OWC. Brian has got a great watershed story that begins way down in the south part of the prairies ... I'll let him continue with the story ...)  

Well, I was born in south Saskatchewan, south of Moose Jaw - in fact, in a very dry part of the world. I grew up on a dry land farm with one horse! We grew "heavy oats" to sell to American racehorse suppliers. We relied on the spring runoff to fill our two dugouts and ran pipes from a slough to manage our water needs. Drinking water, though, was hauled in from a community well 10 miles away in Assiniboia – straight south of Moose Jaw and about 45 miles north of the Montana border.

I remember particularly the spring of '88. It didn't rain at all and we ended up just plowing the crop under. We ran an air conditioning business, though – and that summer was a busy one with people buying up units to try and escape the heat.

We had a reservoir about 30 miles away that we used for boating and fishing. Knee-boarding was all the rage when I was a kid. That hot summer I would have been about 15 and we had a lot of fun out there. Just outside of town, about 8 miles away from us, there was the Assiniboia reservoir – so it was closer but we could only use it for fishing because only electric motors were allowed on it.

I ended up going to college in Lethbridge where I learned Business Administration and Heavy Duty Mechanics. My dream was to farm here, so I rented land and started to grow oats following the family tradition. My wife, Bobbi, was working at RBC and when this remarkable opportunity came up with them, we made an important choice and I began my career with them.

I'm excited to be able to present the Oldman Watershed Council with this cheque of $57,880 from RBC's Blue Water program. RBC has pledged over $50 million to protect water over a ten-year period. Water is an absolutely crucial focus for our philanthropy and we couldn't be more pleased to see this money go toward the OWC's activities. We can see that the OWC's work aligns exactly with what RBC is attempting to do with the Blue Water program. The program was launched in 2007 and RBC has pledged over $38 million to more than 650 charitable organizations worldwide to help protect our water. In our seventh year of this project, RBC Blue Water is tackling the critical issue of urban watershed. This is something I know hits home to all of us, and resonates with our families, friends and neighbors.

Our branch here on Mayor Magrath Drive is also participating in the coulee clean-upon June 10^th starting out from the Helen Schuler Nature Centre. We really try to incorporate water awareness in our everyday work, too. We have stopped using plastic bottles in the branch, for example!

I am excited about teaching my 6-year old son, Austin, more about where our water comes from, where it goes … and how he can become a strong water steward for the future. Like every youngster, he loves to get out under the sprinklers, swim and fish. Waterton Park has to be about his favorite place in the watershed. I hope that RBC's contribution to the OWC can help us raise awareness and ensure clean, plentiful water for drinking, working and playing for generations to come. 

I hope to meet you and say hello  this coming Thursday, June 12th, at the branch

 when we officially hand over the cheque to OWC.

 It would be great to see you there!

Brian Bradley | Branch Manager, RBC Royal Bank | Royal Bank of Canada

T. 403-382-3950 | F. 403-380-3699 | 1139 Mayor Magrath Drive South, Lethbridge, AB T1K 2P9

Connie's blog

(Editor's note: This is a really special blog posting, with insights into the OWC's focus on the headwaters, written by Connie Simmons, OWC Planning Manager. She was inspired to write the blog upon hearing the news that the OWC is the recipient of an  RBC Blue Water grant. The grant has been earmarked for the Headwaters Action Plan, which Connie steers. I'll let her tell you all about it, below) ....

I am passionate about the Oldman headwaters.   I live here, and the water I drink is straight out of an artesian well, gravity fed to our tap.   The little catchment up behind our home is forested with big windswept firs, spruce and aspen, and picturesque rocky outcrops criss-crossed with game trails.  It percolates rain and snow melt-water through the ground to our spring, coming to us clear, cold and delicious.   Are we fortunate?  You bet!  There isn’t a day that goes by without deep gratitude!   And this realization is what maintains my commitment to healthy and safe drinking water for all downstream - every hamlet, village, town and city - and the myriad other life forms that call this watershed home.

We have a lot to celebrate in our work for the Oldman headwaters.  Most importantly, we are grateful for committed stakeholders, volunteers, a caring public, and funding support for our work.   When we have the backing of the greater watershed community, it appears the funding follows!   This week, we are celebrating significant support from the Royal Bank of Canada Blue Water Project - who recently approved a grant for $57,880.00 to implement key priority actions of the OWC’s Headwaters Action Plan 2013-14!  Thank you RBC!

We are so excited to have this funding for this important work! The OWC is committed to working with the greater watershed community, and this funding provides a solid step forward to keep our commitment to a diverse group of stakeholders (Partnership Advisory Network; PAN) and the public who participated in good faith and provided significant contributions to create the Headwaters Action Plan 2013-14, with the expectation that positive work for the headwaters health will be put on the ground.   To begin this work, the Headwaters Action Team has just been formed - a great bunch of people from diverse sectors who stepped forward from the Partnership Advisory Network to begin working on our priority actions.  

So what actions are we starting on? 

Connie's beautiful view of the Gladstone Valley in the Oldman watershed

Classifying linear features is an important first step.   When the PAN reviewed the scientific assessment of headwaters pressures and risks - the amount of linear features was at moderate to high risk to 77% of the headwaters sub-watersheds.   That means every seismic line, cutline, road, railroad, pipeline, powerline and quad trail adds up to risk to key headwaters values.   

Sure, we need many of these linear features, but there are many that can either mitigated to safeguard headwaters health, or reclaimed so that we reduce the pressure and risk to important headwaters values and functions.  These include surface water quality, retention and control of water levels and flows (e.g. during floods), and taking care of biodiversity values - like habitat for threatened bull-trout and Westslope cutthroat trout.  

But first, we need to have a method of assessing which linear features to keep, which need mitigation work to lessen impacts on water sources, which ones should be prioritized for rollback and reclamation.   This requires a solid effort of collaboration between scientists, stakeholders and public users to understand the way we are classifying linear features, and take the necessary steps to begin the job of remediating negative effects on headwaters health. 

We are also looking at a recreation education program to help recreation users in urban and rural communities to understand how their actions impact headwaters values.  Recreation education related to sustaining water and watershed health is focused on ensuring that recreation activities are mindful of impacts on water quality and the sustainability of healthy aquatic ecosystems.   This is a big one for the Oldman headwaters - we are in jeopardy of loving the place to bits and losing key values that make it so incredibly beautiful and special!   

And speaking of special - First Nations have had a special spiritual connection to this place for millennia.   We would like to honour and learn from this connection.  With the participation of First Nations community members, we are working towards hosting a First Nations Youth and Elder Water Day - where Elders share their traditional knowledge about water and spirit of water with Youth, and where we can also find links to western watershed science. 

We have a lot to do!   And are moving things forward as I speak!  We sincerely thank RBC Blue Water for this significant support of the Headwaters Action Plan, and to the urban and rural communities that rely on a healthy Oldman headwaters as a critical water tower in southern Alberta. 

If you would like to learn more or would like to contribute to our efforts - please contact us: info@oldmanbasin.org

   

Connie Simmons

Planning Manager

Oldman Watershed Council

Executive Director's good news secret ...

(Editors note: I said I'd never publish two blog posts on the same day ... 

...but this is such good news... and I can't keep a good news secret!

We've had such a strong increase in our readership that I want you to read it here first :-)

June 06, 2014

Media Release

We are still recovering from the flood of 2014, and fear is high that this year will bring more trouble. Reservoirs are at their lowest levels ever – just in case. Canadians rank the economy and healthcare as the most important national issues, while water pollution and supply continue to be low priorities. In fact, since 2008, Canadians’ concern for water quality in lakes, rivers and streams has decreased. Yet 75% of Canadians understand that, due to climate change, extreme weather events, such as flooding, will become more and more frequent.

That’s why we’re thrilled that the Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) 

has been awarded RBC’s second largest Blue Water Project grant in Alberta. 

Over $57,000 is designated towards a very special project to help protect headwaters. A cheque presentation will take place on RBC’s Blue Water Day, Thursday, June 12^th at 11:00 a.m., at the RBC branch in Lethbridge (1139 Mayor Magrath Drive South). Branch manager Brian Bradley will present the donation to OWC Executive Director, Shannon Frank.

The RBC Blue Water Project was launched in 2007 to help provide access to drinkable, swimmable, fishable water today and for future generations. To date, RBC has pledged over $38 million to more than 650 charitable organizations worldwide that protect watersheds and promote access to clean drinking water, with an additional $7.8 million pledged to universities for water programs.

“The Blue Water Project is an important part of how RBC gives back to the communities we live and work in,” says Mark Brown, regional vice president, RBC. “Water matters – pure and simple. Last year, we began focusing our efforts on supporting projects that help protect and preserve water in communities across the country – projects just like this.” 

Photo courtesy Andy Hurly Important at-risk fish species in the headwaters thank the RBC, too!

The public is invited to attend to hear Executive Director  Shannon Frank explain how that grant money has been designated to protect our headwaters. Our water source begins in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and provides all our drinking water in southern Alberta. But all is not rosy – due to increased development, recreation, industry and agriculture, 80% of our headwaters are classified as “in danger” as its health declines and species’ populations are at risk.

The OWC welcomes all enquiries about watershed management and health – 

and how you can make a difference in your local community. 

To find out more – or to become an important volunteer or sponsor – please contact:

Shannon Frank
OWC Executive Director
100, 5401-1st Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 4V6 
Phone: 403-382-4239 
Email: shannon@oldmanbasin.org
www.oldmanbasin.org

Help plant the City's new floating island!

New floating Islands in storm ponds use green technology for cleaner water

The City of Lethbridge has purchased BioHaven® Floating Islands from VITA Water Technologies, for the West Highlands Storm Water Pond.  Installation is planned for June 9 and 10, 2014.

Floating Islands will enhance the environmental and biological health of the pond and create wildlife habitat in the same way as Mother Nature.

Installation of BioHaven® Floating Concentrated Wetlands (FCW) is a first for the City of Lethbridge.  The installation includes 12 floating islands, each with a surface area of 6 m².

“A clean, environmentally friendly park system is very important to us and to residents,” says David Ellis, Parks Manager for the City of Lethbridge.  “These new floating islands will help to keep the water in storm ponds clean, while enhancing the park experience for residents.”

Erik Vandist, Managing Director of Vita Water Technologies, stated “VITA is proud to support Lethbridge as the first city in Western Canada to use Floating Concentrated Wetlands to clean water in a public pond and at the same time, add a beautifying water feature.”

FCWs are used in lakes, storm ponds, waste water ponds and dugouts to improve water quality.  The islands bio-mimic natural wetlands.  Bio-mimicry is the copying of natural processes.  As in nature, native plants and naturally occurring bacteria grow above and below the waterline of the island.  Plants and bacteria filter and remove unwanted nutrients and contaminants from the pond without the use of chemicals.

In 2000, inventor and outdoorsman Bruce Kania saw something that changed the way he looked at water.  His dog, Rufus, jumped into a pond and came out red.  Concerned for his dog and the condition of the water, Bruce saw a need to improve water quality in nature.  Bruce knew floating peat bogs improve the water quality of waterways.  Bruce set out to “bio-mimic” these floating structures.

More than 5,400 islands have been launched in North America, the EU, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Korea and China.

In addition to cleaning water, FCWs have other applications.  These include the control of shore erosion, docks for watercraft and as recreational platforms. Floating Islands enhance wildlife habitat and beautify ponds in both urban and rural settings.  FCWs may be custom shaped and come in sizes from 2.5 m² to 4,000 m².  Each island will improve water quality for 15 years.

We are looking for volunteers to help out with planting and other duties.  If you would like to help out please contact Taren Hager and she will provide you will the details (see contact information below).  Snacks and beverages will be provided, along with gloves and safety vests!

 

Taren Hager, B.Sc

Storm Pond Operations Technician

City of Lethbridge

304 Stafford Drive North

Ph: (403) 380-7313

Cell: (403) 393-3252

For more information, check out the storm pond website!

Quads on Lake Shores: What are the rules and the state of enforcement?

The Alberta Lake Management Society has asked a good question.

It’s a timely one too, as awareness about the impacts of OHVs on watersheds peaks with the annual spring wetness.  There are definitely rules and some options for better enforcement.  There’s also a slight legal grey area and passing of the hot potato.  Wet areas surrounding a permanent lake expose a gap in provincial regulations and uncertainty as to how municipalities can fill it.  Some simple reforms would provide much clarity and there are multiple current opportunities.

Whose job is it anyway?
The environment isn’t a distinct legal category. That means everyone including the feds, the province, the municipality and the landowners could have lake management roles. The two key players concerning quads on lake shores are the province and the municipalities, and I sense uncertainty about their division of responsibility.  Lakefront landowners and the feds have smaller roles that I’ll note in passing:

Lakefront landowners might have most reason to complain about OHVs but they may discover that public policy is a more useful tool than property rights. Direct recourse would require a private lawsuit against the individual quadders. These individuals might be unidentifiable and are often less of a problem than the cumulative effect of motorized access. The claim would be based on common law nuisance or riparian rights. Riparian rights aren’t available where the property is separated from the water by strips of municipal or provincial land. Even a non-navigable marsh between the land and open water could stymie a claim. Therefore good lake management measures by public authorities have the side effect of foreclosing private claims.  The benefit is that private claims become less necessary. We’ll revisit the landowners respecting municipal planning.

Federal legislation is mostly help not hurt, just don’t expect much help. The Migratory Birds Convention Act, Fisheries Act and Species at Risk Act can all regulate recreational impacts. The best example was a Fisheries Act conviction for “joyriding” in Waiparous Creek in the Ghost on the 2011 May long weekend [the Bertram case]. The future utility of federal legislation is uncertain in this age of rollbacks.

Beware that the federal power over navigation can impair local action against motorized watersports. This barrier can be avoided by distinguishing OHVs in the water from motorized boating. In R v. Kupchanko the British Columbia Court of Appeal held that a provincial ban on motorized conveyances in a wetland wildlife refuge was invalid concerning motorboats but allowable for OHVs.

Provincial legislation is a key piece of the puzzle. There’s no doubt that the province is concerned with OHVs in wet areas.  Check out the education campaign on the AESRD website and reports of enforcement efforts on the AESRD blog. The legal issue is that outdated public land legislation is more about ownership than stewardship. This leads to “access” management when we need “recreation” management.

The Public Lands Act gives the province ownership of the “beds and shores” of all permanent and naturally occurring water bodies. Provincial ownership ends at the “bank.” The bank can be tricky to define as the Surveys Act focuses on vegetation distinctions while the common law focuses on the high water mark. The ELC’s Guide to Wetland Law and Policy concludes that permanent marshes or wetland vegetation should be part of the bed and shore owned by the province. For an example of provincial management further inland, see our post on  Buffalo Lake.

Provisions governing motorized use of lakeshores are somewhat contradictory in my view. The Public Lands Act prohibits damage to public land in general. This was enforced against OHV destruction of a creek bed in 2013 [the Sharpe Case]. The Public Lands Act also prohibits injury to the bed or shore of any lake and injury to watershed capacity. The uncertainty comes through the 2011Public Lands Administration Regulation (“the Regulation”), which creates a baseline for public access that is best described as ‘open unless closed’. The Regulation prohibits any wheeled or tracked conveyance on the bed or shore of any permanent water body but it does not clearly cover impermanent wetlands. That means random mud bogging on vacant public land is basically legal so long as it doesn’t cause injury. Protecting seasonal wet areas requires closures, and there have been many since the 2013 flood. Closures are a blunt tool that can be unpopular, especially if unplanned and for uncertain duration. With rules this muddy, its’ no wonder that we need buddy in the titanium baseball cap to “respect the land.”

An alternative would be the recommendation of the South Saskatchewan Regional Advisory Council to ban mud bogging and destructive recreation for what it is. This could be done by strengthening the Regulation or incrementally through regional plans. The current provincial response is as much focused on providing recreational opportunities as managing impacts. Such ‘carrot and stick’ strategies can definitely help reel in outlaws (think Caribbean pirates, high school bullies or jailhouse informants). However, the focus is on trails and camps in the Green Area. This doesn’t help lakes in the White Area where recreational impacts come through municipal development and private land. There is some logic to kicking the ball to the local community, so long as the community can respond.

Municipal powers must be delegated through provincial legislation. Recreation management raises the municipal concern about ‘responsibility without power’, but municipalities also have more power than they use.

The ideal is to address recreational use through the municipal planning and development process. The Municipal Government Act lets municipalities take “environmental reserves” from land abutting the bed and shore of any lake for the purposes of preventing pollution and providing public access to the bed and shore. This can simplify management by limiting the number of private access points from which OHVs can get onto the shore. The municipality becomes the landowner so the manner of access – motorized or non – should be on its terms.  Other purposes of environmental reserves are more focused on keeping development away from environmental hazards. The Municipal Government Act is under review so the time to enable reserves for clear environmental protection purposes is now.

Municipalities might not take environmental reserves due to landowner sentiment or not wanting ownership. An environmental reserve easement could limit land use while keeping title with the landowner.

Reserves can only be taken on initial subdivision. This ship may have sailed given that lakes are development magnets. This situation favors creative thinking and engaging the developers. Conservation easements, bare land condominiums or land use zoning might bind a row of private units to non-motorized beach access.

An alternative municipal strategy is to flex some muscle below the bank. Municipalities are not ousted simply because the province owns the beds and shores. Municipalities have broad powers and specific powers that could be available:

• The Municipal Government Act provides broad powers to prohibit activities. These powers are intended to “enhance the ability of councils to respond to present and future issues”. Broad powers were central to the famous pesticide bylaw case of Spraytech vs. Hudson in which the Supreme Court of Canada found that municipalities are often best positioned to address local concerns.

• The Municipal Government Act specifically provides municipalities with “direction, control and management” of natural water bodies within the municipality.” The water body power was used to uphold a City of Calgary lifejacket bylaw in R v. Latouche. The case concerned boating rather than OHVs but it indicates that municipal bylaws under the water body power can regulate recreational use below the bank.

A municipal bylaw that bans OHVs from lake shores within municipal boundaries would not automatically be trumped by the province permitting motorized access. There might not be any conflict between the laws. Going back to the pesticide example, the province doesn’t force you to spray Roundup so there’s no conflict in complying with the municipal ban. Provincial consent to ride OHVs on the lakeshore doesn’t mean it must be done.

What matters is the scope of municipal power. Greater clarity from the province as to what powers have been delegated would provide municipalities with more confidence to use these powers. The City of Calgary can defend a court challenge, but how about your summer village?

As a final though on municipal powers, they suffer from the same ill as provincial regulations in that they mostly enable blunt prohibitions. Recreation management also requires proactive solutions like ordering restoration and funding stewardship work – yet another item for legislative reform.

Boots on the Ground:

Regulations don’t mean much without enforcement capacity. This is a proven challenge to managing OHVs in Alberta. Enabling the province and municipalities to enforce each other’s’ regulations on each other’s turf could help ease the burden.

Having provincial officers enforce municipal bylaws might create some incentive for municipalities to take environmental reserves. This option is another matter that deserves to be addressed through the Municipal Government Act review.

Likewise, municipal officers could help the province to protect its property. The Public Lands Act provides that officers can include members of police services or peace officers approved by the province. Municipal officers can be approved to enforce provincial legislation other than the Municipal Government Act through the Peace Officer Program run by the Solicitor General. The program Policy Manual states that the intention is to “meet specialized law enforcement needs”. The province would have to provide written authorization that sets out what the officers can enforce and the tactics available. OHVs are cited as an examples enforcement item in the program manual. Municipalities can enter agreements to share the upgraded officers, which could be of great assistance to small lakefront communities.

You can strengthen environmental decision-making in Alberta. Please give generously.

Adam Driedzic / Leah Orr

Environmental Law Centre

    

1-800-661-4238

lorr@elc.ab.ca

www.elc.ab.ca

Big things are happening at the OWC!

To view May's E-Newsletter, click here

Province acknowledges destructive recreation: upped enforcement or flavor of the month?

(Editor's note: I was wondering how much had changed in a year. In time for May long weekend, the following article by Adam Driedzic from the Environmental Law Centre was published exactly a year ago. Have things changed? Please - You tell me! Responses and new guest blogs most welcome. Also, send the Oldman your BEAUTY & THE BEASTS shots from May long: What was wonderful - What was not!)

May 17, 2013

"There's no God-given right to mud-boggers"

 (Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, Nanton News, May 13, 2013)

May long weekend is here:  begin the bush parties, litter, trucks in the river. . .  I wish I could find last year's Sustainable Resource Development blog post about the perennial rotting couches. There will be liquor bans, fire bans, trail closures and check stops. 

Responsible recreationalists will understand.

Next time you head out, stop by the MD Ranchland Hall at Chain Lakes and check out "The New War Zone," a classic  newspaper feature about the efforts of rural municipalities to address destructive recreation.

The war's not over. In 2012 near every municipality on the Eastern Slopes met collectively with three ministers – Justice and Solicitor General, Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resources Development, and Tourism Parks and Recreation – to request action on public use of public land.

Enforcement is always a feature in recommendations to reform motorized recreation policy.  Examples include:

·         The Recreational Stakeholder Workshop (2005) convened by OHV user groups and environmental groups;

·         Watershed Protection on Public Lands, Agricultural Service Board Resolution #12, 2003;

·         The Voluntary Planning Off Highway Vehicle Task Force Report for Nova Scotia (Eastern Provinces may be ahead. They've had public land for longer);

·         Review of Access Management Strategies and Tools, Foothills Landscape Managers Forum, (2009).

This isn't just about OHV use.  Unruly "random camping" has come up in question period, and the response asks us to expect more boots on the ground this summer. Thus, when the Solicitor General traveled to Chain Lakes for an announcement on May 13th, the real question was whether this was just the annual summer kick-off spiel or something more?  We will see a new enforcement strategy for the Eastern Slopes, or is this simply seasonal issue awareness?

Try to look past the debate over access to public land under the pending South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (for the polarized version listen to Recreation or Conservation on CBC Radio "the 180″ with Jim Brown).  In reality, multiple ministries are trying to deal with the impacts of destructive recreation.

In 2011, the Public Lands Administration Regulation (PLAR) created new tools to address public use of vacant land.  PLAR showed excellent efforts by Sustainable Resource Development to fit the issue under an outdated Public Lands Act that barely considers recreational use. There has been little implementation, perhaps due partly to the next change.

In 2012, officers responsible for Fish and Wildlife, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Parks Conservation were consolidated under the Solicitor General. This makes sense if one considers that all 'peace officers' have a similar enforcement functions. The ministry's goal of consolidating enforcement services to "ensure effective specialized enforcement" could be helpful. Creating a specialized OHV enforcement force was a top recommendation from the Nova Scotia report (above).

The officer transfer creates new challenges.  All 'peace officers' have powers to enforce regulatory offenses but not all officers have all powers under every statute. Then there are other policing priorities.  If your job was to promote a safe Alberta, where would you put law enforcement resources?  Perhaps on Highway 63 to Fort Mac?  One can see why backroad rowdies don't top the list.

The Information Bulletin really doesn't promise more than the annual weekend blitz.  It does, however, give much attention to the health of public land. And it isn't alone. The Solicitor General is blogging about the outdoors. Nanton News quotes our political head of public security speaking the language more commonly used by land managers - asking users to "respect the land," to not abuse public resources and to leave it for the future. He acknowledges resistance to a "police state" but suggests that legislation dealing with OHV issues will be reviewed.

Now note the quotes from municipal councillors on further solutions: like a real trail system.  Moving recreation up the land use planning agenda could make enforcement a whole lot easier.

Enjoy the long weekend.

You can strengthen environmental decision-making in Alberta. Please give generously.

Adam Driedzic, Environmental Law Centre

Environmental Law Centre

    

1-800-661-4238

www.elc.ab.ca

Calling all role models - YOU!

Dear Friend,

This May long weekend let’s start a new tradition. 

Instead of focusing on all the challenges we face in the headwaters, let’s focus on what we can do, personally, right now, to make a difference. Instead of lamenting the probable parties, disrespect for fellow users and damage to streams and habitat, let’s take this opportunity to do something. We’ll feel good knowing we took some sort of action rather than just watched from the sidelines and complained. Let’s see the May long weekend as the beginning of our opportunity to improve the watershed.

I know from several years of public input processes and community engagement sessions that people do care A LOT about the natural environment. Disagreement is only around how to best maintain the environmental goods and services we depend on to survive and how much maintenance is necessary.

So this weekend when you’re out there enjoying the scenery and slower pace of life, seize the opportunity to camp away from the water’s edge, pick up litter, talk to nearby campers about responsible use of the area and share with the people you are with, why you are so passionate about this unique place and what you hope the future of it looks like. If you’re an ATV’er make sure you know which trails are designated for use and which are not, use bridges and encourage others to do the same.

If you are not going to spend time in the headwaters there are still many things you can do, starting by just talking to people! Behavioural science has proven that people only change their behaviour through personal interaction with other people. And it takes time and encouragement for people to change, so keep the conversation going.

People are generally good and want to do what’s right. They may not know what the right thing is and you can help them connect their personal behaviour to the impact on the watershed.

I believe that real, lasting change only happens when a culture itself changes.

It starts when role models demonstrate what is acceptable behaviour and share their passionate stories of why they have chosen to act this way. Fortunately there are already role models in the headwaters doing this. The Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad is one example. They promote responsible riding (staying on trails, using bridges, wearing safety gear, no littering, etc.) and take action to build bridges and maintain trails – roles that no one else is currently filling.

If we all strive to be role models in our own behaviour and have the courage to speak to others about their behaviour, we can accomplish a lot without waiting for policies, funding structures, enforcement regimes, etc. to force change. 

Cultural norms can last for centuries and can impact many issues (equality, crime, health, etc.). Enforcement and incentives only last as long as they are maintained and people will revert back to their old behaviour if the program ends.

Each one of us who cares so passionately about the watershed is an individual agent of cultural change. It has to become "normal" and "positive" to have respectful conversations with strangers about watershed health.

Beginning with "shoulds" and "shouldn'ts"... "don't" ...and "you people" is shutting down the conversation before it can happen. Good conversations begin with you as an active listener. Share their passion and then you will find that conversation opening where you can share how changing a certain behaviour will enhance their outdoor experience. 

For example, many ATV enthusiasts are also avid anglers. Understanding how fish lay eggs in shallow waters (= right where it's convenient for an ATV to cross!!!) is an important connection.

Another example: many nature lovers are keen to "camp wild", perching tents close to water's edge or far away from "city slicker campers". Human presence will impede animals in their normal movements and in their ability to thrive  ... and encourage garbage picking.

The OWC is working hard to ensure that everyone has a wilderness to enjoy for many years to come. Currently, almost 80% of the headwaters area is suffering from human activity. 

Share your love of natural spaces ... calling all role models - YOU!

Happy camping!

With thanks,

Shannon

Botanist, Horticulturalist and Author June Flanagan's Guest Blog

PLANT YOUR GARDEN WITH CUES FROM NATURE

Watching the Oldman River watershed come alive with wildflowers is one of my favourite pastimes.  Despite our chilly spring this year, the coulees are already dotted with yellow bells and pale purple prairie crocuses, along with petite prairie townsendia daisies and patches of tiny white moss phlox flowers.  These four early-blooming native plants launch a parade of beautiful wildflowers that will continue until the first fall frost.

If you're interested in following wildflowers or garden flowers, you might like to participate in Alberta Plantwatch - a program that tracks plants as they break bud in spring (http://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca).  It includes native species like prairie crocus, saskatoon and poplar, as well as cultivated plants like the common lilac.  For almost three decades, people from all over the province have contributed bloom and leaf date observations that help researchers study how climate affects plants in Alberta.

Since rising temperatures determine when plants bloom and leaf out, and the timing varies year to year, cues from nature can also help you predict the best time to plant your garden.  Records show that when saskatoons burst into bloom, temperatures have likely warmed enough to sow carrots, beets and broad beans, and as poplars leaf out, it's time to plant potatoes.  One study proved that when the common lilac is in full bloom, green beans can be sown, and by the time lilac flowers fade, it's usually safe to set out squash and cucumber plants.

Even though some garden vegetables require warm temperatures, there's no need to wait until the May holiday weekend to renew your enthusiasm for cultivating the earth.  Salad greens like spinach, lettuce, mesclun greens and herbs such as parsley, dill, chervil and cilantro prefer cool weather for germination and growth.  It's best to sow these greens as soon as your soil dries out enough to be worked, because heat and long summer days can cause some varieties to bloom prematurely and taste bitter.  Late spring snows or cold spells usually don't harm the seeds or sprouts if they are sown directly outdoors.

See my Plants page at www.juneflanagan.ca for more growing tips.

Enjoy spring!

June

June Flanagan is a Lethbridge botanist, environmental horticulturist and author.  She has published five regional books including local gardening guides, Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens and Native Plants for Prairie Gardens, and the newly revised plant guide Common Coulee Plants of Southern Alberta.  Find garden tips and what's in bloom - "like" her Facebook Author Page: facebook.com/pages/JuneFlanagan/616537095101785 and follow her on Instagram: www.instagram.com/juneflanagan

 

Today is the last day to renew your OWC Membership

OWC MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DEADLINE Wednesday, April 30 Renew Your Membership online today! Visit http://oldmanbasin.org/getinvolved/ to renew your membership online.  Go to the tab "Get Involved" and click on "Membership Forms".  There are now four categories to choose from:  Individual, Organization, Municipal or Irrigation. Click on the correct form for you and fill in all of the details - the ones marked with an asterisk is information that Alberta Corporate Registry requires us to keep on file.  Hit submit and it's done! Why be a member of the OWC? Receive discounts on OWC activities and events Run as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors Vote for who you want to represent you as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors Be a part of the OWC community by choosing to be involved in a project or by volunteering.  Contact us if you're interested or want more information.    There is no membership fee but voluntary donations make a big difference! If you are unable to complete the renewal form online, please phone Bev (403-381-5145) or by email and I'll register you manually. Your membership is important to us - thanks for renewing it.  If you are not a member but would like to be, please register online or if you have questions, please call or email us.

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Anglers, ATVs, and baby fish ...

By Richard Burke, Director, OWC

In this part of the world, as it no doubt does elsewhere, the natural order does its best to ensure survival of the various species. You will have noticed the changing of Oldman River colours from deep green awhile ago to muddy brown now. It may lighten a bit for a short time, depending on the weather. But, you can be certain there won’t be many days between now and early July, if things go as they often do, when the river will be considered anything but off.

Off is a term used by anglers to describe water that’s not really fishable, except for the very dedicated. But, that combined with some fishing regulations help minimize interference with fish spawning. Rainbow and Westslope Cutthroat Trout, for example. spawn this time of year -– generally May to July. They find gravelled-bottomed stretches of streams. Females swish their tails to clear a bed where they can drop their eggs for the males to fertilize. On days when the water’s clear and low, you can see the redds (Editor's note: "redds" are "fish nests") – they appear as cleaned gravel and are areas to be avoided by wading fishers.

But, that tends to be moot anyway, because few anglers want to wade in muddy water caused by spring runoff, which generally runs from early to mid-May in the Oldman drainage, and usually ends in early July. That’s when lakes are good places to take your pontoon boat and drop a nymph or water boatman for stocked rainbows. (Just don’t find yourself at the east end of the lake when a west wind is blowing and all you have is a paddle!)

Last year, runoff dragged on a little longer and this year, well, who knows: the snowpack that feeds the runoff is higher than normal  – from 121 percent of average at South Racehorse Creek in the Upper Oldman to 229 percent at Lee Creek, a main St. Mary River tributary. The averages vary from 21 to 45 years, depending on how long recording stations have been active.

Of course, man’s engineering efforts, particularly damming rivers, most notably the Oldman, St. Mary and Waterton, can affect fish spawning downstream of the structures. Incubating eggs need a minimum flow, so dam operators have been asked to try to maintain that for the sake of spawning, as only one of their roles when they release water. They also need to maintain the integrity of the dam itself during times of high runoff as well as to maintain levels in the reservoirs to release later when it’s needed for irrigation. Other organisms, such as cottonwood trees native to our river valleys, also require a constant water flow later in the year to assure their survival.

In the headwaters, the OWC’s Headwaters Action Plan has as one of its objectives completing a fine scale cumulative effects assessment of fish populations and habitat streams. The Partnership Advisory Network participants that helped craft the HAP generally accepted the findings of the Alberta Westslope Trout Recovery Plan which, among other conclusions noted, as an example, the effect of sediment from runoff along logging roads on cutthroat and bull trout spawning areas. The next step is to determine what can be done about it to protect redds.

So, in the grand design, it should all work together, sometimes with man’s help and sometimes to encourage man to tread more softly on a delicate ecosystem.

(Editor's note: We are hoping to have a productive dialogue with ATV fans - "All-terrain vehicles/quadders"-  this weekend, out in the Crowsnest Pass at the RV and OUtdoor Show. We would like to encourage these enthusiasts to be aware of who they are driving over when they cross stream beds - and encourage other practices that are safe for all beings. The sediment that is churned up adds to the problems Richard describes above, in addition to a host of other environmental challenges.) 

Photo courtesy Andy Hurly, Director, OWC

Funny-lookin' thing!

Q: What's got a long bill like a straw and backward-bending bandy legs?

A: The long-billed Curlew

The long legs of shorebirds are basically adaptations for wading in water and finding food where most birds cannot go. Although curlews are shorebirds, they breed quite far from water in prairie grassland and possibly in cultivated fields. Unusually, males share the job of incubating the eggs and they stay with the young longer than the females do.

If you are missing warm springtime outings because of the weather, learn about what to watch for once you're out there, in the meantime! You can find more about curlews here:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/long-billed_curlew/lifehistory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-billed_Curlew

Enjoy!

Andy Hurly

Lodgepole Environmental: Consulting and Photography

(Editor's note: 
You will probably recognize its lovely call when you hear it in some of the videos below.
Here's an interesting science project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCs0lhF5Gmk
And here is a ton of curlew videos - some great quality, others are DIYs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNAuLaqxQ8Q&list=PLrtVlWWdpvqImwR0AUOBuklST07fVFUR2 )

Photo courtesy Andy Hurly, Director, OWC

OWC April 2014 E-Newsletter

To view April's E-Newsletter, click here

2014 OWC Membership Renewal Deadline - April 30

OWC MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DEADLINE Wednesday, April 30 Renew Your Membership online today! Visit http://oldmanbasin.org/getinvolved/ to renew your membership online.  Go to the tab "Get Involved" and click on "Membership Forms".  There is now four categories to choose from:  Individual, Organization, Municipal or Irrigation. Click on the correct form for you and fill in all of the details - the ones marked with an asterisk is information that Alberta Corporate Registry requires us to keep on file.  Hit submit and it's done! Why be a member of the OWC? Receive discounts on OWC activities and events Run as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors Vote for who you want to represent you as a member-at-large on the OWC Board of Directors Be a part of the OWC community by choosing to be involved in a project or by volunteering.  Contact us if you're interested or want more information.    There is no membership fee but voluntary donations make a big difference! If you are unable to complete the renewal form online, please phone Bev (403-381-5145) or by email and I'll register you manually. Your membership is important to us - thanks for renewing it.  If you are not a member but would like to be, please register online or if you have questions, please call or email us.

Forward this email This email was sent to oldmanwatershed.newsletter@blogger.com by bev@oldmanbasin.org |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Oldman Watershed Council | 100, 5401 - 1st Avenue South | Lethbridge | Alberta | T1K 4V6 | Canada

OWC AGM Date Correction

Please mark your calendars: OWC AGM Date is Wednesday, June 25, 9 am - 1 pm  (and not Thursday, June 26 as was stated in the newsletter). The AGM will be held at the Enmax Centre, Canadian Western Bank Lounge, 9 am - 1 pm. "New and Improved" OWC membership renewal information will be sent out next week.

OWC March 2014 E-Newsletter

To view March's E-Newsletter, click here

Will we have to boil water AGAIN?

From OWC's Executive Director, Shannon Frank: 

The recent boil water advisory in Lethbridge has brought into focus two things: how dependent we all are on upstream users to do a good job  - and how connected we are in a watershed. A watershed is the area of land that drains into a water body – as seen in the map, all that land drains into the Oldman River. And you can also see that Lethbridge is a little ways downstream.

The water quality problems in the river are complicated and there is not one obvious source, that if cleaned up, would ensure Lethbridge a clean water supply for the long term. What we have is a whole range of land uses that all contribute different types of contaminants – sediment, nutrients, pesticides, bacteria, pharmaceuticals, etc.

Recently in Lethbridge, the main problem was sediment overload, basically mud clogging filters at the water treatment plant. But where did all this mud come from?

Recreational use and forest harvesting in our mountain headwaters certainly contribute sediment, as does agriculture, oil and gas and urban communities that change the landscape. Every decision has a trade-off and many of the decisions we make create sediment and allow it to run off into our streams.

In the past, healthy wetlands and riparian zones (green zones along the water’s edge) had an important job - capture and filter run-off before it reached a creek or river. But we’ve removed wetlands and degraded riparian zones to the point where they can no longer do their job. So we try to replace that job with water treatment plants and that comes at an ever-increasing cost.

Having learned this lesson, there is a quiet push to put wetlands back, reclaim riparian zones and be more careful about what we put next to our rivers. Many landowners and local governments are leading this charge but it is yet to become a "mainstream" priority.

OWC and many other groups are working to change that. We are all contributing to the problem and can also all be part of the solution. That is what the OWC is all about – working together to find practical solutions to big challenges like water quality.

So will we have to boil water AGAIN? Most certainly. 

We can't expect to continue to do what we're doing - and even expand land uses - and maintain water quality. There will be consequences. 

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Whether you are a social media fan, a gardener or an outdoor enthusiast, the OWC needs your voice and hands. Several exciting initiatives are happening  - we'd love you to be part of them.

All best wishes,
Shannon Frank

Introducing OWC Blogger Barbara Amos

Hello - my name is Barbara Amos and this is my story of how I am connected to the Oldman Watershed and the OWC.

I am an artist and after many years of working a studio in the urban centre, I felt a need to reconnect to the land. The insistence of the urban grid was beginning to feel overwhelming.   I spent a month in the Crowsnest Pass. When I was there, I felt as if something invisible but powerful was having a  soothing effect on me. I began to understand the power of place. While this was a long way from where I grew up, and in many ways a foreign land to me, the sense of being in the right place was quite profound. Six months later, I had found a way to move my studio to the edge of the Pass. I look out onto a horizon that can both humble and awe the spirit.

To paint the landscape is to study it visually and perceptually. Artists study it with a sense of history, as we look back on how other artists have voiced their interest in the land. We try to add something new to that conversation, and in doing so, we ask how we make our work relevant to the world  today. The artistic effort is one of inquiry, one of curiosity - a series of questions about our place in the world and our effect upon it.

As I work, I am gathering information about the area and I become more engaged with the local community. Their concerns become mine. I find myself amazed at the amount of work that a small group of people are doing to try to create a voice for the watersheds and the wild lands that they sustain. I learn about the headwaters and how their degradation has enormous impact. All land use issues eventually come back to the watershed.  This land is so striking, so huge and yet it is also silent.  The land does not have a voice that is heard easily in the urban setting.  We have to create that voice.

As I studied the traditions of Canadian landscape painting, I began to ask: How does an artist today create a voice for the land for the watershed, for all that it supports? Perhaps there are other artists who would like to consider this as an opening for a conversation?

I share an image of an oil painting of part of our watershed: "Fields and Sky"... and look forward to this new conversation.

Barbara Amos

Introducing OWC Guest Blogger Stephanie Vehnon

My name is Stephanie Vehnon and I currently live in Lethbridge, Alberta. I moved from Yorkton, Saskatchewan, pursuing Diploma in Environmental Monitoring and Protection at Lakeland College in 2009. At Lakeland College, I was the Environment Club President and initiated a recycling program for the Vermilion and Lloydminster campuses. It was here that I learned my passion for the environment. My major was in air, soil and water monitoring and management – I realized that water quality management is the area of most interest to me. It fascinates me how a resource such as water can mean so much to the survival of living organisms.
After Lakeland College, I decided to continue on and obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree, majoring in Environmental Science, at the University of Lethbridge in 2013. When I moved to Lethbridge in 2011, I discovered the Oldman Watershed Council and wanted to get involved. I contributed as much as I could, while a full time student at the University of Lethbridge. In May 2013, I obtained a summer student position as the Environmental Program Assistant at the City of Lethbridge. This was a great experience that lasted until December 2013. Here I learned the value of storm drain pollution and the effects that pollution has on our Oldman River. In February 2014, I obtained a full time position with the City of Lethbridge as the Environmental Program Assistant, and continue to be a part of the Oldman Watershed Council.
Water management is a vital part of the future of our planet and all life forms. I take a keen interest in ways we can monitor and manage this necessary resource. I take a strong interest in the Oldman Watershed Council, how far it has come, and the future directions and goals of this non-profit organization. I learn more and more each time I connect with this group. A main reason I became a part of the OWC’s Communications and Outreach Team is to allow the message to be spread to the community and establish a connection with people, so they understand how valuable our watershed is. Many people do not realize that we are just a small portion of a larger picture – it fascinates me to spread this message to others and engage them in water education. Water connects us all, from the mountains in the West Coast, to the Hudson Bay in Ontario, and beyond! Watersheds are where we live, and they all flow into one another. Water quantity and quality is what we strive to maintain in order to secure the future of our water supply. Groups such as the Oldman Watershed Council help us monitor, manage and maintain water quality and quantity within our watersheds. From mind to body, to the physical and chemical atmosphere, water education and awareness allows communities to be aware and help to preserve the future of our water! One thing I have realized recently is if we just sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy the natural environment for even just 10 minutes a day, it is amazing how relaxed, and connected with nature, we can be! I am pleased to be a part of the Oldman Watershed Council and look forward to being a part of many projects and future goals!

We’d like to tell you about a Field Notes Collective hosted event coming up on Wednesday, March 26th. Dr. Brad Stelfox will be visiting Lethbridge to present his lecture and visualization titled, The Transformation of Southern Alberta. Dr. Stelfox is a well-known Landscape Ecologist and passionate about land use in Alberta. Since this presentation is to the public, please invite others who may be interested! Wednesday, March 26th 6 pm AH 118 (Anderson Hall) University of Lethbridge