OVERVIEW

Engaging Recreationists is a collaborative, on-the-ground project designed to reduce threats to the headwaters—threats that include the cumulative effects of linear features, such as roads and recreational trails. Through stakeholder engagement, education, community-based social marketing, streambank restoration, and stewardship activities, we are encouraging motorized recreationists to keep wheels out of the water and thereby protect our headwaters, water quality, and critical habitat for endangered species. The ultimate goal of this project is to engage Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) users in restoring places where they recreate, changing behaviour to reduce their impacts, and becoming environmental stewards. This project supports important government efforts, and demonstrates how local, multi-stakeholder action can work to effectively restore damaged areas and reduce threats in the watershed.

WHAT'S BEING DONE

OWC has been hiring seasonal Outreach Assistants to talk to OHV users in the backcountry, conduct surveys, and provide public education about watershed health. They are testing the effectiveness of signs at encouraging OHV riders to use bridges, and recording observations throughout the headwaters using a customized app called Epicollect. We support local stewardship initiatives such as weed pulls and garbage cleanups. Together with partner organizations and volunteers, we have been working to restore illegal fords (next to bridges) in the Dutch Creek watershed and provide signage to educate backcountry users about the importance of restoration and native fish. Our social media and communications strategies support Government of Alberta messaging and ensure that all stakeholders have a voice. The results of this project have proven very positive; people enjoy seeing our staff on the ground and have come to regard the OWC as a credible source of information. Through our efforts, we have noticed a shift in the conversations with more of a focus on the need for responsible recreation and stewardship in order to ensure sustainable use.

Recreation Advisory Committee

The OWC has engaged representatives from local OHV organizations, retailers, and individual riders to form the Recreation Advisory Committee (RAC)—a group that is helping inform the OWC on how to educate backcountry users on safe, appropriate, and sustainable motorized recreation. These folks are leaders in the OHV community and help demonstrate what experienced, responsible riding looks like. They've invited OWC to speak at their events, build and deck OHV bridges over creeks, and organized nature cleanups. In addition, the RAC has been working with the OWC to provide collaborative recommendations to the Government of Alberta on the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan's Land Footprint Management Plans and the Recreation Management Plans for the Porcupine Hills and the Livingstone areas.