I am an Alberta angler. I fish with determination, passion, and always a little spot of pride. In Alberta we are fortunate to have many diverse landscapes and ecosystems rolling between the prairies and the Rockies. We're a resource-rich province and we've certainly explored many of those. It's also this diversity that offers excellent fish habitat and we have plenty of good fishing.
We all have those spots, places, and memories on the river that bring personal joy and happiness - whether it's a record breaking fish, a new species, or just a simple calming affect of a shady bend of the stream with a sporadic riser, the only sound the trickling of the water or a slight breeze in the aspen and willows. One of Alberta's true gems of all the above is the spring water that bursts out of the ground to form Stauffer Creek.
There are many ways that environments and ecosystems can be affected by different resource companies. The industrial resource use issue I'm sharing is the excavating of wet gravel in and around riverbeds and freshwater streams. I became aware of this issue on the Alberta Conservation Association Facebook page. The video discusses Border Paving's application for permits to extract gravel dangerously close to the headwaters of the North Raven River - from two separate quarries. Surprised that this could happen, I was able to speak with Kevin Gardiner, manager of the ACA’s central region. “These springs are really invaluable to the (North Raven) river fisheries. They provide constant clean water year round, which can provide the perfect system for trout streams.” He then went on to tell me about some of the possible effects that could happen if excavation took place to close to these underground springs, “Well, any unknown number of things could happen. The in-stream water temperature could change, or possibly the P.H or conductivity levels. But the worst that could happen is that these operations could stop the headwater spring flow altogether- and then you have a dry channel.”
Trout require a very specific type of setting when spawning. For the brown and brook trout of Stauffer Creek, they need specific water flows, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and gravel substrate for their eggs to develop and hatch. At present, Stauffer has this in spades. Sedimentation loads from dual gravel pits could eliminate this.
Upon further reading I found different articles and documents that talked about similar extractions from spring creeks in different parts of the world. These were from North America, Europe and even Africa. The aftermath of many extractions left rivers and tributaries permanently altered. The effects ranged from reduced water quality, an increase of sediment and minerals that render dissolved oxygen unavailable to fish, while the more severe consequences include enhanced erosion, loss of vegetation and wildlife, and the cessation of flows altogether. Not all gravel extractions are bad and it is true they can have their place and benefit away from water bodies but it's always worth exploring that maybe someone has a less detrimental alternative to operations?
The trout in Stauffer have a long history: hundreds of members of trout-loving groups such as Trout Unlimited Canada, Alberta Conservation Association, and Alberta Fish and Game have put thousands of work and fund-raising hours into reclaiming the banks and in-stream habitat of Stauffer Creek after decades of agriculture use wore them down. But restoration truly was driven by anglers - there have been thousands of dedicated anglers and volunteers who have given countless hours of time and labor through the decades to help protect and preserve Stauffer's wonderful trout habitat. With upward of 2500 angler visits each year, it's an extremely important trout stream to Albertans.
As Alberta anglers, I think that we must keep working to maintain these rivers and tributaries and be more aware of the potential risks. I’m not saying get signs and pitchforks and scream your heads off - there are a few simpler things we can do. Ask questions of Clearwater County; contact your county office; contact your MLA; contact the organizations named here. If wet gravel or any other sort of resource is being extracted that could have potential effect on a body of water, see if there is anything you can do to help. You may be asked to write a letter to the county or government, or spread the word and encourage other anglers to get involved - it’s the masses that make the difference.
The best thing we can do is continue to enjoy and love the angling opportunities these places bring us and share it with others and do what we can to ensure their longevity. By continuing to purchase your hunting and fishing licenses a portion of that goes back into these ecosystems to help preserve and protect them. With continued efforts we can see a future where the only extractions out of Stauffer are the temporary removal of gold; those gorgeous browns that rise so wondrously each evening.
Extracting Stauffer's Gold
Barret Sturgeon