Never does nature say one thing and wisdom another- Juvenal
Nature, in its most raw form, provides a test for our patience, skill, and wit. We are taught critical life lessons from our encounters on the land and in the rivers. The wilderness is life’s perfect classroom where every experience, intensely personal, is also a lesson on how we are all interconnected with the land, water, and air. Nature exposes us to our own vulnerabilities and how we rely on each other to thrive. She also gently teaches us that there is never an action without a downstream impact.
As Albertans, we are privileged to be able to enjoy the pristine waters of the North Saskatchewan, a river that originates in the glaciers, mountains, and foothills of Bighorn Country between Banff and Jasper National Parks. This river flows over a thousand kilometers through Clearwater County, Edmonton and beyond, providing one in four Albertans with clean and ample drinking water. The Bighorn has long been recognized for its abundance by First Nations and has a proud history of drawing explorers like David Thompson and Mary Schaffer to the area. As one of the last foothill and front-range regions to succumb to extensive linear disturbance and industrial development, it remains a place where modern day adventurers connect to stunning vistas and find the natural challenges that contribute to our Albertan culture and identity.
Many who have experienced the bounty of this river and the beauty of the area know that the Bighorn is one of the best areas for engaging bull trout. The cold, clean rivers of the Bighorn provide perfect conditions, including ideal temperatures, for their spawning and rearing. Traditionally, the remoteness of the Bighorn’s mountain lakes and cold rivers reduced the threats of hybridization, competition, and predation by lake trout. However, while bull trout persist in the major watersheds of the Eastern Slopes, scientists have noted a 33% decline in their range and number. Multiple factors have influenced this decline, including climate change, industrial development, motorized recreational activities and, to a lesser degree, a combination of overfishing and catch-and-release mortality. Changes in climate, the most significant issue the region will face in the future, have an impact on Alberta’s bull trout, now listed as a species of special concern.
The Bighorn is well positioned to mitigate the impacts of climate change as long as its vital waterways are protected. In his May 2017 report for WCS Canada on the Bighorn region, Dr. John Weaver makes a strong case that the protection of clean, cold, complex, and connected habitat should be the principle conservation strategy for bull trout. Indeed, connected habitat that ensures high topographic and environmental diversity from river valleys to mountain peaks is our best bet for protecting all of Alberta’s iconic species and to secure clean water for more than a million users downstream. When we protect watersheds, we tap into our existing natural capital to mitigate the risks associated with a warming climate - risks like increasing frequency of drought, flood, wildfire, and the spread of invasive species.
Currently, the Bighorn is in good shape. In addition to bull trout, its relatively intact forests, meadows, and streams provide high quality habitat for grizzlies, wolverine, and bighorn sheep. There is little industrial activity west of Nordegg and there are few roads beyond the David Thompson Highway. But how much longer will these spaces continue to exist?
Beyond the National Parks, only 5% of the critical North Saskatchewan River watershed is presently protected against industrial uses like oil, gas, and metallurgical coal extraction. The foothills are already subject to considerable forestry activity. In some areas, the cumulative pressure from extractive and recreational activities is beginning to fragment the forest, significantly affecting wildlife, water, and wilderness. We need to act now to protect clean water and the rivers that function as temperature ramps allowing species to adapt to changing environments.
Water is our most precious commodity. It must be safeguarded today if we want our children to use it as we do now: for sustainable recreation activities with our friends and families and drinking from one of the millions of taps downstream. It is imperative that the North Saskatchewan River headwaters be formally protected.
I urge you to check out the Love Your Headwaters campaign at www.loveyourheadwaters.ca and tell the Alberta government that you want your water, wilderness, and wildlife protected through the creation of a wildland park in the Bighorn. The waters of the North Saskatchewan are too important to too many people for too many reasons to leave them vulnerable.
Marla Zapach
Images: Dena Browning Miller