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Current Projects
We are working with Foothills Research Instuite on a stream crossing Project The Hinton Fish Habitat Coalition (HFHC) was formed in January 2009 to address high priority fish barriers affecting streams in the Hinton area. It is a multi-stakeholder, locally driven initiative with objectives of increasing fish habitat and public awareness of Hinton area fish habitat concerns. The first remediation project(changed to ) on Hardisty Creek, removing a hanging culvert fish barrier and installing a new open-bottom stream crossing technology. HFHC relies on heavily on local groups for support. Volunteers will be required to help with the construction of the new stream crossing, and assist in habitat restoration strategies such as willow planting and rock placing. Immediate benefits of Hardisty Project 10.5 km of fish habitat will be made accessible by eliminating the current barrier to movement of fish and other aquatic organisms Stream bedload continuity will be re-established Local materials will be used primarily, thus reducing GHG emissions associated with trucking Life cycle costs are expected to be significantly less than the standard alternatives, and participants will be provided with reliable, detailed cost data Participants will learn first-hand how a soil based crossing is constructed Further erosion will be eliminated at this particular crossing  Thanks Ngaio Baril nice work... Hinton Fish & Game
Hardisty Creek Restoration Project June 2009 UPDATE
The Hardisty Creek Restoration Project was initiated in 2002, and has now completed 3 of the 4 phases of restoration effort. With the help of the HCRP project partnership and many volunteers, the project has become a conservation and watershed stewardship success story for the Town of Hinton. The HCRP will be wrapping up Phase 4 in 2010 – effectively completing a multi-staged multi-partnership project – then we will CELEBRATE! A Fish’s Journey up Hardisty Creek Starting at the Athabasca River and working upstream of Hardisty Creek, a bull trout, rainbow trout and mountain whitefish can now make its way through the West Fraser mill-site (culvert barrier is now replaced with a new bridge), find resting places with 9 new in-stream fish habitat pools throughout Kinsman Park, make its way through the Hardisty Avenue culvert (culvert backwatered with a big pool), and when there is enough water running in the creek, fish can make it up and through the big CN railroad cement culvert. Through the HCRP, we have effectively created connectivity for fish in 2-3 kilometers of the lower reaches of Hardisty Creek. Further to fish passage, we have been working on the riparian areas of Hardisty Creek within Kinsmen Park, with innovative re-vegetation solutions tested along the creek edges. Many volunteers, including Grade 8 High School students, have contributed to planting willow-wands and grass-seed along the banks of the creek. What’s next? Phase 4 of the HCRP will be starting this year with the restoration of fish passage at two culverts in the Thompson Subdivision, and riparian restoration in the creek reach below Switzer Drive bridge. After these projects are completed, we will then address the Robb Road crossing, and the Highway 16 crossing…. after that – connectivity for fish will have been restored to the entire Hardisty Creek watershed! This is good news for fish and for watershed stewards! Community Watershed Stewardship Thanks to the commitment of many community volunteers and the HCRP project partnership, community watershed stewardship has become a part of the Town of Hinton story. We can be proud of our restoration efforts and raising awareness about watershed health, but we still have a long road ahead in the bigger picture of watershed stewardship. Hardisty Creek is our community creek – but is just one small part of the larger Athabasca Watershed, that extends from high in the Rocky Mountains all the way north to Lake Athabasca. The water from the Athabasca River Watershed eventually makes it way north to the Mackenzie River and the Arctic Ocean. The Athabasca is facing a lot of issues, from climate change and a trend to lower overall river flows, to impacts from pulp mills and Alberta Oilsands development. To clean up our river and ensure long term health and sustainability, Albertans of all walks of life need to learn more about our watershed, and how we can all make a positive difference. Stay involved! Join our HCRP Gumboot Volunteers! Call us: 780-816-0654 – we would greatly appreciate hearing from you.
What’s happening on the big screen? The Government of Alberta has initiated two major processes that address what is happening in the Athabasca River Basin. Alberta’s Land Use Framework is now underway, backed up by new legislation – the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA). ALSA intends to address cumulative impacts on large regional landscapes throughout the province to ensure a more sustainable way of utilizing Alberta’s resources while protecting values important to environmental health and the people of Alberta. The Lower Athabasca Regional Plan process is now underway (Wood Buffalo Region – northeast Alberta), and the Upper Athabasca Regional Planning Process in our local area will start in 2010. Public input to these processes is critical – take the time to be informed and ensure the Government of Alberta hears of your concerns about land-use and effects on the Athabasca Watershed in the Upper Athabasca Region – together, we can make a positive difference for the long term health of our watershed and communities that depend upon it. The second Government of Alberta initiative is the creation of an Athabasca Watershed Planning and Advisory Council (Athabasca WPAC). The WPAC will be a multi-stakeholder council that directly addresses issues related to the Athabasca Watershed in its entirety. The WPAC is currently being set up through the Athabasca WPAC Initiators Group, which will host the first Annual General Meeting on October 24, 2009 in the town of Athabasca. If you have any interest in the formation and future work of the Athabasca WPAC, please local representatives who are sitting on the Athabasca WPAC Initiators Group: Connie Bresnahan (780-816-0654); Lavone Olson, Yellowhead County Councillor, (780-865-4417); or Tom Archibald, Foothills Research Institute (780-865-8330). As the complexities of land-use and watershed management become more apparent, Albertans will need to become more engaged in knowing what the trade-offs are, and to ensure the Government of Alberta hears their concerns and potential solutions to issues facing Alberta’s land and water. HCRP Project Partnership – working for ‘Our Community Creek’ !
Athabasca Bioregional Society Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Alberta Transportation Canadian National Railways Foothills Research Institute Fisheries and Oceans Canada HCRP Gumboot Volunteers Hinton Fish and Game Association Town of Hinton West Fraser Mills Inc.
For more information please contact the HCRP Steering Committee: 780-816-0654 (cell) or 780-865-2081. |
