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Presented by Marina Krainer, Executive Director, GWAS
- ffice@ghostwatershed.ca
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Source watersheds & multiple land-use challenges Presented by - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Source watersheds & multiple land-use challenges Presented by - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Source watersheds & multiple land-use challenges Presented by Marina Krainer, Executive Director, GWAS office@ghostwatershed.ca 2 About the Ghost 1910: Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve established for the maintenance of timber and a
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About the Ghost
✦ 1910: Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve established for the
maintenance of timber and a continuous water supply
✦ Most of the Ghost Watershed is public land ✦ Few full time residents ✦ Very popular for recreational pursuits, especially motorized
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Alpine
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Subalpine
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Montane Forest
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About GWAS
✦ Established in 2002 under the Alberta Societies Act ✦ GWAS is a Watershed Stewardship Group (WSG) under
Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy
✦ Water for Life: WSGs are tasked to promote best
management practices, collaborate with land-use managers, undertake on-the-ground actions to protect the watershed.
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GWAS Vision:
The Ghost Watershed Alliance Society (GWAS) is a group with the vision to preserve and enhance the integrity of the ecosystem in the Ghost Watershed in order to secure the
- ptimum quality and yield of the area's surface and
groundwater resources.
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GWAS Mission:
The GWAS has set its mission to identify ecosystem and environmental issues affecting the watershed of the Ghost- Waiparous, raise public awareness and work towards resolving these issues.
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Cattle grazing
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Forestry:
5.7% of the forested portion of the Ghost Watershed area are harvested cutblocks, logged between 2005 and 2017.
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Forestry:
provides benefits, but also comes with challenges
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Linear disturbance can negatively affect species:
✦ bull trout at densities as low as 0.2 km/km2 ✦ at 1.25 km/km² black bears can be displaced ✦ at densities of 0.4 km/km² grizzly bears can be displaced ✦ at 0.62 km/km² elk are adversely affected
Photo credit: DFO
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Ghost PLUZ:
Many trails were not designed and engineered for recreational use
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Ghost PLUZ:
Many trails were based on seismic cutlines
Photo credit: Bob Spirko
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Ghost PLUZ:
Signage is poor. Off-trail use is prevalent.
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Many stream crossing sites on designated trails in the Ghost Public Land-Use Zone
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Erosion & stream crossing
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Trails channeling run-off
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Bridges alone often times do not solve the problem of stream sedimentation
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Same site with successful bio-engineering.
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Soil Compaction & Loss of Vegetation
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The Energy Sector and Linear Features
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Water Quality Study
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commissioned by AB Environment in 2006 Sediment loading coefficients in the lower regions of Waiparous Creek and Ghost River were much greater than would be expected in rivers draining a similarly forested environment in the upper foothills of Southern Alberta.
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Linear features:
✦ 250 km of documented
roads and designated motorized trails in the Ghost Watershed
✦ 1,650 km of documented
linear features, such as seismic lines, powerlines, pipelines, roads and trails in the Ghost Watershed 1.7 km/km2 3.0 km/km2
✦ Road and trail density
within 100 m of streams is high 0.5 km/km2
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Random Shooting & Vandalism
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Studies and reports commissioned by GWAS:
✦ Riparian Health Assessments by Cows & Fish ✦ Cumulative Effects Study Phase I and II by ALCES Landscape &
Land-use Ltd.
✦ Ecosystem-based management assessment by Forester and
Ecologist Herb Hammond
✦ Ghost River State of the Watershed report
First and foremost we must understand what we have!
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Beneficial management practices:
✦ Toilets in Ghost PLUZ ✦ Bridges instead of fords ✦ Improved trail system and signage ✦ Better enforcement ✦ Bio-engineering of eroded stream-banks
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Source Water Education and Protection Initiative & Bio-engineering project
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Educational signage:
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Collaborative work
✦
Westslope Cutthroat Trout is a threatened species that occurs in the Ghost Watershed
✦
Beginning of the year 2016 DFO issued a “critical habitat
- rder” that prohibits “damaging or destroying the residence of
individuals of a species listed endangered or threatened” Action needed to be taken in the Waiparous Creek sub- basin.
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Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2016
Generously funded by:
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Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2017
Generously funded by: BP Canada grant through the BP Retirees
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Bio-engineering of stream-banks in the Ghost undertaken in September 2017
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September 2017
- 330kg of
garbage were collected in less than 3 hours! Annual Campsite clean-up by BP Volunteers A big Thank You to the BP Retirees for their ongoing commitment and support!
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Outreach & Education
Hikes & Walks in the Watershed Top: Hike to Black Rock Mountain Right: Plant ID Walk with Gus Yaki
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Challenges for GWAS in 2018
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GoA’s new recreation management planning initiative in the Ghost
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Publish and promote Ghost River State of the Watershed report.
✦
Undertake more bio-engineering projects
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Expand Education & Outreach program
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Recruit more volunteers
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Fundraising for operations and projects (Casino, May 23-24)
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For more information please visit our website:
WWW.GHOSTWATERSHED.CA
Ghost Watershed Alliance Society P.O. Box 1461 Cochrane, AB T4C 1B4