Expanded Brown Trout
Redd Count 2018 Project
Friday November 9th is the date for our Lower Elbow Brown Trout Redd Count, and Sunday November 18th is the date set for our Upper Elbow Brown Trout Redd Count. This project was funded in part through a Watershed Stewardship Grant, a program of the Land Stewardship Centre, as well as funding from City of Calgary Water Resources. We appreciate the support provided by these partners which allows this important citizen science project to proceed.
Calgary River Valleys has been working with other groups to count Brown Trout redds or spawning nests in the lower Elbow River since 1994, and has been the main sponsor of this important project since 2009. We want to ensure this citizen science continues as an annual count in order to ensure the data collected is as accurate as it can be, that trends over time can be observed, and the location of redds can be used to ensure land use decisions don’t negatively impact Calgary’s blue-ribbon trout fishery. In 2018 we will be expanding this project to incorporate for the first time data collection on Brown Trout redds in the Upper Elbow on the western edge of Calgary to establish a baseline in that reach.
Keep an eye out for our volunteers who will be mostly walking, but sometimes floating in rafts, on the Elbow River below the dam on November 9th, and above the Weaselhead on November 18th. Below are some pictures from our 2017 count.
To view a short (3:15) video clip from our YouTube channel of our volunteer Biologist, Chris Bjornson, of Golder Associates, explaining how Brown Trout spawn each fall, what the citizen scientists doing the count should be looking for, and why this annual redd count is important, click here.
Pic of a redd
Spread out hunting for redds
Rafting to next suitable spawning location
Hunting for redds
Riverbank Makeover Project 2018
You’ve heard of Home Makeover shows, well in a similar fashion, this year Calgary River Valleys is doing a “Riverbank Makeover” project with a homeowner who backs onto the Elbow River, with funding support from the City of Calgary. This project is in alignment with the City’s recently adopted program, the Riparian Action Program, which is designed to improve and maintain the health of river-adjacent areas as well as the quality and quantity of water flowing through Calgary’s rivers and creeks.
Many people are unfamiliar with the term “riparian”. Its Latin root “ripa” means bank or shore, so riparian refers to the transition zone between the river and the surrounding lands or uplands. This is land where the vegetation and soils are strongly influenced by water. As a result, different types of plants can grow in the riparian zone as compared to the surrounding lands or uplands.
The project this year has 3 main components:
- Research about people’s knowledge of riparian issues,
- Field work to modify an Elbow River adjacent homeowner’s riparian zone with new vegetation and monitor its success over time, and
- Educate the public about the value and function of riparian zones in our ecosystem.
We completed our volunteer planting day on October 6th, and we will be holding a “garden tour” style event on October 20th from 1 pm to 3:30 pm, to see what was planted, where, and why. Contact us at CalgaryRiverValleys@outlook.com if you are interested in attending the “garden tour” style event. See below for some pictures of the transformation of the riverbank. Hover over each picture to see a short description of what is in the photo.
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- Riverbank Pre-Preparation
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- Riverbank Post-Snow
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- Riverbank Post-Shovelling
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- Riverbank Bed Prep 1
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- Riverbank Bed Prep 2
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- Riverbank Planting Crew
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- Riverbank Planting Action
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- Riverbank Post-Re-Planting
CRV on Twitter
The ten latest CRV Tweets on Twitter.
Here's the updated chart for the Brown #trout redds on the lower Elbow River (Glenmore Dam to confluence w Bow River). Incr from 231 in both 2016 & 2017 to 257 in 2018. Still below pre-2013 #flood avg of 303, and below overall avg of 272, but on the uptick. #citizenscience
Our 2018 Lower Elbow Redd Count was a success on Friday November 9th. Thanks to all our volunteers & especially to our expert biologist, Chris Bjornson of Golder Associates, who again showed our citizen... facebook.com/CalgaryRiverVa…
Our 2018 Lower Elbow Redd Count was a success on Friday November 9th. Thanks to all our volunteers & especially to our...
Posted by Calgary River Valleys on Sunday, November 11, 2018
And they’re off! The 2018 Lower Elbow Redd Count is underway - counting & locating Brown Trout spawning nest or reeds. Volunteers departed from the base Glenmore Dam this morning, will finish at Fort Calgary around 5.
Tomorrow (Friday Nov 9) is the date for our annual Brown Trout Redd (spawning nest) Count in the Lower Elbow River. If you are near the Elbow River, keep an eye out for our citizen scientists walking &... facebook.com/CalgaryRiverVa…
Tomorrow (Friday Nov 9) is the date for our annual Brown Trout Redd (spawning nest) Count in the Lower Elbow River. If...
Posted by Calgary River Valleys on Thursday, November 8, 2018
We were out doing some scouting for our Upper Elbow Redd count today. It was really quite pleasant, between the rain squalls. facebook.com/CalgaryRiverVa…
We were out doing some scouting for our Upper Elbow Redd count today. It was really quite pleasant, between the rain squalls.
Posted by Calgary River Valleys on Sunday, November 4, 2018
Did you catch Calgary naturalist Brian Keating talking about the spawning Brown Trout on CBC The Homestretch yesterday? You can listen to it here: cbc.ca/listen/shows/t… Our annual Redd count on the Elbow is... cbc.ca/listen/shows/t…
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