Trout Unlimited Canada’s National Newsletter 1

W hen we moved to Caledonia in

Haldimand County in 2002, my

wife, Helen and I took a break

from working on our Caledonia home to take

a drive in the country. Part of my plan was to

scope out local golf courses. I had heard ru-

mors of a challenging course near Fisherville,

called Coral Creek.

As we returned towards home we saw a con-

servation area sign. We decided to investigate.

We drove through the town of DeCewsville

and came to an opening in the trees. There it

was, a gurgling cold clear stream, watercress

crowding both banks.

We noticed several bird boxes during our

upstream and downstream walk. When we

reached Town Line Road, we came across a

neatly trimmed parking area. A large berm

blocked the stream view. Upon climbing the

berm were aghast at what we saw, a large shal-

low weed choked lake complete with a dam,

proudly proclaiming the establishment of

Taquanyah Lake. What had they done to this

lovely stream? Mill Creek had been a thriving

brook trout stream prior to the dam. The dam

was built in the 1960s to provide a water sup-

ply to the local farm community, augment low

stream flows, and for recreation.

I contacted friend and fellow Grand River

Tailwater Policy Committee member and

GRCA biologist, Warren Yerex to express my

anger and disappointment. Warren calmed me

down, informing me he was heading a com-

mittee established to remove the dam and re-

establish native brook trout. I was offered, and

accepted, an invitation to join the committee.

My next step involved asking for the support

of the Mid Grand Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Canada as Mill Creek fell within their terri-

tory. It turned out that the Mid Grand Chap-

ter’s interest was confined to Brant County. As

the first president of newly formed Ted Knott

Chapter I chose to embrace Mill Creek. Our

chapter’s territory now covered Halton, Ham-

ilton-Wentworth and Haldimand County.

Aligned with Trout Unlimited Canada’s

mission, my focus became the entire stream,

not just the Taquanyah property. I took it

upon myself to treat the entire watershed res-

toration as a personal project. Our grandchil-

dren deserve no less.

There was so much to learn regarding the

birds, plants, walking trails, excavations and

teaching programs, along with some substan-

tial fund raising. Severe erosion threatened

a new off-stream cattle watering site. Non-

native carp were also a huge obstacle. Carp

spawning in the beaver ponds caused heavy

sediment loads throughout the system. Beaver

dams raised water levels, drowning over 30

acres of precious hardwood trees and braided

the lower stream into five separate flows. We

had lots of work ahead!

Volume 17, No. 2 Spring 2011

Mill Creek:Anatomy of a Restorationby Bill Christmas

Phot

o co

urt

esy

Bil

l Ch

rist

mas

.

Currents: Volume 17, No. 2 • Spring 20112

MILL CREEK: ANATOMY OF A RESTORATION

continue monitoring all aspects of this steam

while enhancing spawning habitat and adding

overhead cover where needed.

Are we done? Not by a long shot, but we are

making excellent progress. We are meeting

the demands Mother Nature makes of us. We

can’t fix it overnight, but every little success is

Our first workday was an eye opener. The

32 volunteers made short work of an in-stream

diversion. Local media covered the even, re-

ceiving front page recognition including a

large color photo of our ‘Gang’.

The establishment of our 4H Fly Tying

and Casting Lesson Day drew the 4H group

into the fold, including many parents. The

local 4H group adopted Mill Creek, helping

us with stream clean-out days after the lift-

ing of large woody debris, leaners and fallen

trees had been done. Strategic placement of

‘beaver baffles’ handled the beavers. The first

beaver baffle unit was

donated, delivered and

installed by our Mid-

Grand chapter friends.

To date we have ex-

pended over 938 volun-

teer hours through 75

different individuals, rep-

resenting nine organiza-

tions, plus local residents.

Five separate enthusiastic

active landowners were

also involved. With the

support of TUC technical

staff, we have monitored

stream temperatures, water chemistry, insect

populations and electro-fished Mill Creek.

The success of the Mill Creek

project is a story of how a group

of dedicated volunteers overcame

all obstacles and setbacks with

dogged determination. Our res-

toration team consisted of chap-

ter members, Hamilton Area Fly

Fishers and Tyers, Ontario Hunters

and Anglers Youth Conservation

Corps, Habitat Haldimand mem-

bers, Woodlot Owners Association,

4H members, as well as unaffiliated

residents and neighbors. We also had

support from Haldimand Stewardship Coun-

cil, through their Stewardship Rangers pro-

gram. Funding assistance was also provided

by the Izaak Walton Fly Fishing Club.

As we move toward repopulating Mill

Creek, we are looking at means of controlling

sediment loads from Taquanyah by creating

faster, deeper flows in critical areas. Stream

maintenance remains an ongoing task. We

a step toward that day when we can say, “We

have successfully wound the environmental

clock back over 40 years.” This community

deserves it.

For more about Bill Christmas, see our

Featured Member article in this issue.

Above, the Mill Creek “Gang”. Bill Christmas photo.

and installing a ‘beaver baffle’. The perforated pipe maintains stream flow despite beaver efforts to the contrary. Bill Christmas photos.

‘Before’ and ‘after’ of a chapter clean-up on a

section of Mill Creek . Bill Christmas photos.

Clearing a beaver dam...

Trout Unlimited Canada’s National Newsletter 3

TUC CONSERVATION IN ACTION

Nose Creek Rehabilitation: 2010 in Reviewby Erin McMahon

D espite snow in May and plenty of rain

in August and September, it was a

good year for the Nose Creek Reha-

bilitation Project. In cooperation with the Nose

Creek Watershed Partnership, Trout Unlimited

Canada (TUC) developed partnerships with

the Winston Heights Mountview Community

Association, Pepsi Beverages, Total E & P, Star-

bucks and Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada.

These new community and corporate partner-

ships enabled TUC to increase community par-

ticipation and engage hundreds of residents of

the local area through a variety of events.

2010 was the first full year of the new basin-

wide Nose Creek water quality monitoring

program. Ongoing water quality and quantity

monitoring will help us gauge the success of

our rehabilitation efforts on Nose Creek

Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada in Calgary

donated empty concentrate barrels to be used

as rain barrels and provided funding to enable

us to host a rain barrel sale and eco-fair. Com-

munity residents could purchase rain barrels at

a discounted cost by signing up to volunteer for

community projects. The event proved so suc-

The Nose Creek Watershed Partnership and

Trout Unlimited Canada would like to thank

Encana, RBC and Coca-Cola Bottling for their

continuing support of the Nose Creek Rehabili-

tation Project in 2011.

The program will continue into 2012 and

could possibly be extended if funding is avail-

able.

Erin McMahon, Nose Creek Watershed

Partnership Coordinator

cessful that we will be hosting

a second event in May of 2011.

Funds generated from the rain

barrel sales will be used to fuel

ongoing stewardship activities

in the Nose Creek Watershed.

Ongoing stewardship op-

portunities will continue

throughout 2011, and

will include native ripar-

ian shrub plantings, creek

clean-ups, invasive weed

removal and education

days. Building upon fisheries monitoring

conducted in 2010 — where brown trout were

observed higher up in the system than had ever

previously been recorded — TUC biologists

will sample for the presence of sportfish farther

upstream in Nose and West Nose Creeks in

2011 as part of Fish Rescue staff training.

The Nose Creek program was made possible

by financial contributions from the Nose Creek

Watershed Partnership, the Bow River Basin

Council and the Alberta Conservation Associa-

tion’s Grant Eligible Conservation Fund.

Jubilant Nose Creek volunteers celebrating another program workday success.

It’s a sucker, but it’s success! Volunteer children with a squirmy sign of life from

Nose Creek. TUC photo.

Currents: Volume 17, No. 2 • Spring 20114

TUC FOCUS ON PEOPLE

Featured Chapter: Prince Edward Island

T he Prince Edward Island Chapter

(TUCPEI) is located in Charlottetown

and was formed in 1998. The idea of

creating the TUCPEI chapter occurred when I

was working in Calgary.

During my time

in Calgary I came

across a magazine

article on Trout

Unlimited Cana-

da (TUC) and the

work the organi-

zation was doing.

I was impressed

by the body of

work of TUC has

done across Can-

ada and in par-

ticular the dedi-

cation shown by

the TUC staff and

members. I was

convinced that

TUC was well-suited to improve and conserve

the fresh water resources of PEI.

The rivers and streams of PEI have over many

years been degraded due to a number of envi-

ronmental threats including poor farming prac-

tices, highway construction, woodlands loss and

a general disregard for the importance of rivers

and streams. In the early part of the 1900 till

mid-century, freighters and supply vessels plied

many of our rivers. Due to these environmen-

tal threats to our rivers and streams things have

Featured Member: Bill Christmas, Ted Knott ChapterHow long have you been a member of Trout Un-

limited Canada?

Since about 1971 or 1972, when we had al-

most all Izaak Walton fly fishing club as Trout

Unlimited Canada members as well. I moved

from Greg Clark chapter to the Whiteman’s

Creek Chapter, now the Middle Grand chapter.

I started as president of the newly formed Ted

Knott Chapter in 2005.

What inspired you to become a member?

Fly fishermen of all stripes recognize the need

for a healthy ecosystem as vital for good fish-

ing. I was no exception

What appeals to you the most in regards to the

work that TUC does?

Jack Imhof, Trout Unlimited Canada’s Nation-

al Biologist, was an inspirational leader and

teacher. When I adopted the Bronte Creek Jack

taught me how to do spawning surveys, and I

looked after that stream for the next 30 years,

with the support of the Izaak Walton fly fish-

ing club. It was satisfying to see what a small

group of people can accomplish at little cost.

What projects is your chapter currently working on?

Our current project, along with supporting

the Bronte Creek project, is the rescue of Mill

Creek in Cayuga. The support given by this

community has been exceptional. It bodes

well for the future, with so many young peo-

ple becoming active and dedicated. They now

own this stream for the rest of their lives!

TroutUnlimitedCanadaOUR MISSION: To conserve, protect and re-store Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and their cold water resources for current and future generation.

OUR GOALS:• to conserve and protect Canada’s freshwa-

ter fish and their ecosystems and restore their coldwater resources to a healthy and productive state;

• to develop and apply effective, science-based and measurable coldwater conser-vation solutions in the field;

• to inform the public about coldwater con-servation issues and educate communities about their watersheds;

• to build and sustain a healthy organiza-tion.

Help us help the trout! Visit tucanada.org

changed since those times. Now, due to massive

deposits of silt from runoff, a canoe cannot pass.

Over the past several years TUCPEI has been

working on the North River watershed, one of

three rivers that converge in Charlottetown Har-

bour. North River is of particular importance in

that it is one of the few, if not the only, Prince

Edward Island river that still has the only true

wild population of Atlantic salmon. The major-

ity of the chapter’s work has centered on the

main tributaries of the river, clearing blockages,

building brush mats, and tree planting. To help

us complete our restoration work the chapter

has on several occasions been able to hire stu-

dents during the summer months. Our field

days have also provided us with the perfect op-

portunity to educate local high school students

about our conservation message while provid-

ing them with practical restoration experience

such as the basics of tree planting. In addition

to our conservation efforts on the North River,

TUCPEI has collaborated with other conserva-

tion groups including Ducks Unlimited Canada

helping to restore local wetlands.

Rollie MacKinnon, President,

Prince Edward Island Chapter

TUCPEI chapter president, Rollie MacKinnon providing local high school students tree planting basics.

Trout Unlimited Canada’s National Newsletter 5

Crowsnest River Reactivation Project Update

T he Crowsnest River in south-western

Alberta is home to rainbow trout,

brown trout, and mountain whitefish.

It is also a popular year round destination for

fly-fishers.

A section of the river was channelized sev-

eral decades ago in response to local concerns

in the Crowsnest River valley. However, the 1.2

km channelized reach between Coleman and

Blairmore currently provides little functional

habitat for fish. Trout Unlimited Canada and

our partners, the Crowsnest Conservation Soci-

ety, Alberta Conservation Association through

their Grant Eligible Conservation Fund, Alber-

ta Environment, Alberta Sustainable Resource

Development, University of Lethbridge, Golder

Associates, Nature Conservancy, and the Alber-

ta Fish and Game Association are working with

the local community studying the feasibility

of reactivating a 2.1 km portion of the historic

channel to provide additional habitat for fish

and other aquatic species.

Fisheries, water chemistry, and soil chem-

istry data were collected during the 2010 field

season. Project partner, Golder Associates is

producing a report detailing these findings.

Coinciding with this project, the Alberta Con-

servation Association conducted an in-depth

fisheries inventory of a large area of the Crows-

nest River, both upstream and downstream of

the potential project area. Results from their

work will be used to make comparisons and to

measure change in this area of the river.

The feasibility study will continue in 2011

with additional soil and fisheries sampling

along the Crowsnest River upstream and

downstream of proposed channel reactiva-

tion site. As well, a consulting company will

produce an engineered design and plan for the

channel reactivation based on the informa-

tion gathered during the study. The feasibility

study is critical before moving forward with

the next phase of the project – re-introducing

flow into the historic meandering channel.

Educational signage has been developed

thanks to funding received through the Al-

berta Conservation Association Grant Eligible

Conservation Fund and with help from mem-

bers of the Crowsnest Conservation Society.

The signage will be installed in 2011 along the

new multi-use pathway that will connect the

two communities of Coleman and Blairmore

along this reach of Crowsnest River.

Lesley Petersen, TUC Biologist

Big Fish Once Again Lend Generous Support to the Little Fish!

O n Thursday March 24, 780 people

gathered at Calgary’s Hyatt Re-

gency Hotel for the 2011 Nation-

al Conservation Dinner and Auction. This

year’s event was a complete sell-out. Trout

Unlimited Canada’s annual Calgary dinner

and auction has evolved into North Amer-

ica’s premier fund raising event in support

of coldwater conservation. This year proved

no different as auction attendees rallied

to support TUC raising over $1M in total.

Over its history, the Calgary dinner has net-

ted in excess of $9M for coldwater conser-

vation programs across Canada.

This year’s event, our 27th, was chaired

by Sherri Brillon, Executive Vice-Presi-

dent and Chief Financial Officer of Encana

Corporation. Sherri and her colleagues

at Encana did an outstanding job and were

able to raise additional significant dona-

tions from the business community in support

of the Coldwater Conservation Fund. In partic-

ular Encana provided a $150,000 contribution

towards TUC’s Yellow Fish Road™. The Yellow

Fish Road™ is a critical component within

TUC’s coldwater conservation agenda. Ex NHL

and Calgary Flame’s player Jim Peplinski re-

turned once again as our Master of Ceremonies

— and doing a fantastic job!

TUC NEWS FROM NATIONAL

Channelized section of the Crowsnest River upstream of Blairmore, AB. Lesley Petersen photo.

Calgary Dinner Chair Sherri Brillon, with TUC’s CEO, Jeff Surtees (left) and ??? (right).

Currents: Volume 17, No. 2 • Spring 20116

TUC NEWS FROM NATIONAL

Trout Unlimited Welcomes its Newest Chapter!

T rout Unlimited Canada’s wishes

to welcome its newest chapter,

TUC Okanagan based in Kelow-

na.

The Okanagan Chapter is already

making a difference in their local

area with projects such as the Mission

Creek/Benvoulin Ditch Fish Rescue.

On Sunday September 19, 2010 the

Okanagan chapter joined forces with

Golder Associates, Ecoscape Environ-

mental Consultants Ltd and the Brit-

ish Columbia Ministry of the Environ-

ment to rescue over 300 trapped fish,

including kokanee and rainbow trout,

trapped in the Mission Creek/Benvou-

lin ditch.

In addition to the work on Mission

Creek the Chapter is looking at other

local conservation projects.

For more information on the Okan-

agan chapter please visit the TUC web-

site, www.tucanada.org.

Stephen Bocking, Trent University), from a

European management approach (Alastair

The guest list featured a number of high

profile guests and dignitaries including John

Beck, Chairman and CEO of Aecon Group

Inc. and his wife Diane Francis, Editor at

Large for the National Post, and 2010 Din-

ner Chair Fred Green, President and CEO

of Canadian Pacific. Other honoured guests

in attendance included: Barb Cressman,

wife of the late Doug Cressman, past CEO of

Trout Unlimited Canada; Michael Meener,

Vice President, Development, Marketing and

Communications, and Terry Tebb, Vice Pres-

ident Operations, Pacific Salmon Foundation;

Todd Zimmerling, President and CEO of the

Alberta Conservation Association; past din-

ner chair Alex Pourbais; John Lounds, Pres-

ident and CEO of the Nature Conservancy

of Canada; Gord Edwards, CEO of the Al-

berta Water Council; and Gord Ritchie, Vice

Chairman, RBC Capital Investments.

Gord Ritchie accepted the inaugural Doug

Cressman Environmental Award on behalf

of the Royal Bank of Canada for their in-

credible environmental leadership and long-

standing financial support of TUC and its

programs – including the Toronto Conser-

vation Dinner and Auction, the Artist of the

Year and keystone sponsorship of our Nile

Creek Flagship Conversation Project located

on Vancouver Island through their Blue Wa-

ter Project.

The live auction featured 45 unique and

diverse donations — including a 2011 Lexus

CT 200h, the world’s first compact luxury

hybrid, two tickets to the 2011 World Junior

Hockey Championships and a trip for four

to the Kennedy Space Center. In addition to

the live auction event there were also over

115 silent auction items, various wine assort-

ments and a comprehensive number of items

in the bucket raffle. All told, this year’s auc-

tion grossed over $1 million. TUC sincerely

appreciates the generous contributions from

all those who attended and donated.

TUC also wishes to thank the dinner and

auction patrons who contributed in support

of coldwater conservation and the effort and

dedication the crew of volunteers puts forth

to make our annual Calgary dinner and auc-

tion a success.

Phil Rowley, Marketing & Communications, TUC

Driver, The Environment Agency, UK) and

from a policy perspective (Gord Miller, En-

vironment Commissioner of Ontario). Ryan

Ness from the Toronto and Region Conserva-

tion Authority and I spoke about the history

of the initiative in Ontario and how to move

the initiative forward.

2010 was the International Year of Biodiver-

sity. Dr. Reed Noss, a professor of conservation

biology considers biodiversity a combination

of the organisms living in specific ecosystems

and the physical attributes that they require for

their life cycle, stressing the important linkage

between organism and habitat. The way that

watersheds, their valleys, stream corridors and

channels create habitat constitutes part of the

natural infrastructure of a watershed that pro-

vides the opportunities for the organisms living

within the watershed. Recently, there has been

increased recognition that the natural environ-

ment and its structure and composition provide

critical functions that support the continuity

and growth of human society. These elements

of ‘natural infrastructure’ merit the same pri-

ority for investment and management as built

infrastructure.

TUC Supports4th International NaturalChannel SystemsConference: RestoringOur Natural Infrastructure

T rout Unlimited Canada (TUC) was a

proud supporter and active participant

in the organization and delivery of the

4th International Natural Channel Systems Con-

ference, September 27/28, 2010 in Mississauga,

Ontario.

The conference attracted approximately 250

participants from across North America and

the United Kingdom (UK). The theme of this

4th conference (others were held in 1994, 1999

and 2004) was, “Stream Corridors: Restoring

our Natural Infrastructure”. The conference

theme focused on restoring the biodiversity of

our streams and riparian corridors.

Ontario Natural Resources Minister, the

Hon. Linda Jeffrey opened the conference.

Several keynote speakers discussed the re-

lationship between healthy streams and

corridors from a biological and fisheries per-

spective (Dr. Kurt Fausch, Colorado State

University), from a historical perspective (Dr.

Okanagan Chapter fish rescue efforts. TUC photo.

Trout Unlimited Canada’s National Newsletter 7

The conference explored the concept and

application of natural channel system design

to stream corridors as part of the continuum

of development of this initiative in Ontario

and elsewhere and to explore the importance

of streams and their corridors to the biodiver-

sity of watersheds. Stream corridors include

the active channel, its riparian zone and

floodplain and defined valley. This system is

a critical component of a healthy watershed

and constitutes a major part of a watersheds

natural infrastructure.

TUC considers the Natural Channel Sys-

tems approach to be a cornerstone in our

management approach for streams and their

corridors. More information and resources

on Natural Channel Systems can be found

at www.naturalchannels.ca and reports on

Stream Corridors and Integrated Watershed

Management at: www.conservation-ontario.

on.ca/resources/reports/index.html

Jack Imhof, National Biologist, TUC.

Trout Unlimited Canada Assumes Leading Role Towards Arctic Grayling Conservation

I n June 2011 Grande Prairie, AB will play

host to fisheries managers and research-

ers participating in a symposium and

workshop on the conservation of arctic gray-

ling. Attendees will consider three important

issues facing Arctic grayling conservation:

• How have we met the challenges of main-

taining grayling populations and their

habitats?

• What sampling and restoration techniques

have proven useful, or have been shown to

fail?

• What seem to be the most fruitful areas of

research and most effective management

approaches?

This joint scientific conference will be host-

ed by Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC), Golder

Associates, Alberta Sustainable Resource De-

velopment (Fish & Wildlife), in association

with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Depart-

ment of Renewable Resources (University of

Alberta), Alberta Conservation Association,

and the American Fisheries Society (Mid-

continued on Page 8

TUC NEWS FROM NATIONAL

W hen is water too hot or too cold?

It’s easy to tell if the water is com-

ing from a kitchen faucet is the

right temperature, it becomes much more dif-

ficult when it is stream water.

Stream water temperature is a critical mea-

surement to understanding a stream’s health.

Variations in water temperature can be an in-

dicator of changes in the watershed that may

affect fish and other aquatic organisms. Trout,

and other cold water fish, do best in streams

with a maximum temperature of 20˚ C.

To record and

track stream temp-

eratures Trout Un-

limited Canada

(TUC) biologists

rely on in-stream

temperature log-

gers. The water-

proof loggers, roughly

the size of a small flashlight, are a small but

powerful tool for monitoring stream health.

Each logger records the water temperature in

time intervals programmed by the biologist.

The time intervals can be set from 1 second to

18 hours and the loggers can gather and record

an amazing 42,000 measurements making log-

gers ideal for long-term deployment. TUC uses

more than 100 loggers each year.

Once the necessary data has been gathered

the loggers are removed from a stream and the

temperature information is downloaded and

analyzed by TUC biologists. Our biologists

assess and analyze a number of factors includ-

ing maximums, minimums, changes over dis-

tance, rate of temperature change, potential

groundwater sources, impacts of features like

dams and ponds and most importantly suit-

ability for native fish communities.

Stream Temperature Logger

Cost: $160/logger

(computer software not included)

THE TOOLS OF TUC: STREAM TEMPERATURE LOGGER

Currents: Volume 17, No. 2 • Spring 20118

TUC NEWS FROM NATIONAL

Help us help the trout — join today! Visit us at tucanada.org

Canada Chapter). This conference follows

up on two previous workshops held in Jack-

son, Montana (2005) and Prince George, B.C.

(2000).

Arctic grayling are vulnerable to human de-

velopment, over harvest, and the effects of cli-

mate change. Presentations at the conference

will focus on four primary themes; biology

and natural history, monitoring approaches,

threats to conservation, and management

strategies. The group will also visit nearby

grayling streams. Scientific professionals

wishing to attend or submit abstracts are

asked to visit the TUC website (www.tucan-

ada.org) or e-mail ARGR2011@tucanada.org

for additional information.

A portion of the registration fees and fi-

nancial contributions will be donated to

Trout Unlimited Canada. This matching fund

donation will be used to support a study of

the genetic biodiversity of arctic grayling in

north-western North America.

Partnering Angling Skills with Research Expertise

T rout Unlimited Canada (TUC) is al-

ways looking for new and innovative

approaches to implement meaningful

science. Local volunteers often share and use

their extensive angling knowledge, especially

when it comes to their home waters. Further,

TUC often looks to volunteers for input to

better understand issues surrounding local

fisheries.

In Alberta, there are concerns about moun-

tain whitefish populations. Unlike many

other salmonid species, mountain whitefish

are broadcast spawners, meaning that when

it comes time to spawn they distribute eggs

and milt in deep runs and pools rather than

building redds (shallow depressions in the

river bottom created by fish to expose suit-

able substrate with properly sized spaces to

hold eggs over upwelling water).

One method to gauge the health of a lo-

cal fishery is to carry out redd counts. How-

ever, because this technique cannot be used

for mountain whitefish, an alternate option

is to monitor and count mountain whitefish

during the spawning migration and then col-

lect samples via angling to confirm maturity

levels. With simple training and proper han-

dling techniques, anglers can identify the sex

and confirm the state of maturity of captured

fish safely with a minimum of stress to the

fish. Conducting a snorkeling survey in the

area during the period of time when fish are

ready to spawn results in an estimate of the

size of the spawning population and con-

firm the location of critical spawning habitat

within a river or water body.

For some Alberta populations, TUC has

been working closely with volunteers who

conduct angling surveys in rivers where there

are concerns involving mountain whitefish

populations. After the volunteers have identi-

fied specific locations where spawning may

be taking place, biologists snorkel the sys-

tems and tally congregating individuals. The

survey is inexpensive and much less intru-

sive than other sampling techniques such as

electro-fishing.

This year TERA Environmental Consul-

tants and Golder Associates requested the

assistance of TUC to determine the status of

mountain whitefish populations on a pair of

local rivers. A variety of members from local

chapters helped confirm the state of maturity

of adult mountain whitefish and define the

respective spawning periods through their

angling efforts. This partnership reduced

project costs while providing an educational

opportunity for local chapter volunteers. In

exchange for the in-kind support of TUC

members, both consulting companies have

pledged cash donations to the TUC Coldwa-

ter Conservation Fund. TUC plans to contin-

ue these efforts in an attempt to better under-

stand mountain whitefish populations.

Brian Meagher, Alberta Provincial Biologist, TUC.

TROUT UNLIMITED CANADA

Currents layout: David Soltess Design dsdesign@telus.net

Jeff Surtees Chief Executive Officer jsurtees@tucanada.org

Kimberly Davidson Membership Coordinator membership@tucanada.org

Garson Chan Director, Finance and Administration gchan@tucanada.org

Jack Imhof National Biologist jimhof@tucanada.org

Don Pike Director, Special Events dpike@tucanada.org

Phil Rowley Marketing & Communications prowley@tucanada.org

Brian Meagher Alberta Provincial Biologist bmeagher@tucanada.org

Len Yust Executive Director, Ontario lyust@tucanada.org

Silvia D’Amelio Ontario Provincial Biologist sdamelio@tucanada.org

Lesley Peterson Project Biologist lpeterson@tucanada.org

Erin McMahon Nose Creek Project Coordinator erin.at.ncwp@gmail.com

Cliona Curran Calgary/Western Canada Yellow Fish Road™ Assistant yellowfish@yellowfishroad.org

Mary Finch Bronte Creek Watershed Stewardship Specialist mfinch@tucanada.org

National Office: Ste. 160, 6712 Fisher St. SE Calgary, AB T2H 2A7 Tel: 403-221-8360 Fax: 403-221-8368 1-800-909-6040

Ontario Office: Rm. 273, Axelrod Building, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Tel: 519-824-4120 ext. 56588 Fax: 519-780-1696

tuc@tucanada.org tucanada.org