Dismal Creek Restoration: In early May, TUC’s
Northern Lights Fish Fishers Chapter spent two days restoring habitat along Alberta’s Dismal Creek. Dismal Creek is a tributary of the Pembina River, and one of the few streams within the Pembina system that still supports native Arctic Grayling.
Background The Northern Lights Fly Fishers has been active in Arctic Grayling conservation work since 2011 in partnership with Alberta Environment and Parks and with support from Alberta Conservation Association and Environment and Climate Change Canada along with several other partners and volunteers. This has included angling surveys, stream temperature monitoring, a fish movement study, and habitat assessment work.
Habitat Rehabilitation Following a multi-year tagging and fish movement study carried out by the NLFF to help understand habitat use movement patterns in the watershed, Dismal Creek was identified as an important stream for the Pembina River watershed’s remaining Arctic Grayling. At one of the stream temperature monitoring sites, volunteers observed a slumping bank. It appeared that historic removal of trees and shrubs caused the bank to become unstable and slump into the creek. While erosion is a natural process, when vegetation is removed from shorelines, it weakens riverbanks and can cause excess soil to enter the creek. This can have a negative impact on spawning habitat and can change the natural form and function of the creek by causing it to become wider and shallower than under natural conditions.
In spring 2018, TUC spent two days along the creek to help this slumping bank heal and recover. During the first day of work, over 700 live willow cuttings were harvested from local stands and soaked in water overnight. On the second day, the cuttings were installed along the bank. After planting, these willow stakes will start to send out roots and shoots and eventually grow into a healthy, native willow stand. Willows are deep-rooted shrubs that perform a valuable function along shorelines. Not only do they help to stabilize banks but they also provide shade and cover in the stream and provide a home to a variety of insects, birds, and animals.
What Else is Happening in the Pembina? In addition to ongoing temperature monitoring and recent habitat rehabilitation work by TUC, several other efforts are underway to help recovery Arctic Grayling. In 2016, the upper Pembina River watershed (including Dismal Creek) was closed to all angling for a 5-year period to help recover the grayling population. In 2017 the upper Pembina was included in the North Central Native Trout recovery program, a larger provincial program to recover native salmonids along Alberta’s eastern slopes. As part of this program, several other habitat-related initiatives are underway. For example, the watershed has been identified as high-risk fish habitat and forestry plans are being developed to minimize impacts. Water withdrawals have also been restricted in much of the Pembina River watershed, including Dismal Creek. The Pembina River watershed is a top priority for stream crossing assessment to reduce fish passage barriers and sedimentation. In 2017 and 2018, 17 fish passage barriers (culverts) have been (or will be) remediated.
To participate in future habitat rehabilitation or fisheries conservation projects, join the Northern Lights Fly Fishers or your local Trout Unlimited Canada Chapter.
This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada.
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