Elbow River Redd Count Education Project

This project was funded in part through a Watershed Stewardship Grant, a program of the Land Stewardship Centre financed by Alberta Environment and Parks.

Calgary River Valleys has been coordinating and sponsoring the counting of Brown Trout redds or spawning nests in the lower Elbow River 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. We also wanted to expand this project this year in order to incorporate additional outreach and education about the count and why it is important. This expanded project involves several components:

• Research and analysis on why the number of Brown Trout redds in the lower Elbow River are changing over time,
• Video project to document and explain what is involved in counting redds in the river and why it is important,
• Educational seminars to provide information on the project and present the results of the annual redd count, and
• the Redd Count itself in the lower Elbow River in November 2017.

Anne Naumann presenting “Redd Counts, Why They Count” at the Bow River Basin Council Quarterly Forum, September 13, 2017.

On September 13, 2017, a representative from Calgary River Valleys presented to the Bow River Basin Council’s Quarterly Forum information on the lower Elbow River redd count data since 2009, including the impacts from the 2013 flood.

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.

River Access Education Project

With funding from Alberta Conservation Association

Calgary River Valleys is partnering with the City of Calgary on a river access education project.  We gratefully acknowledge the generous grant from Alberta Conservation Association which helped fund this project.  This project involves several components:

• information signage boards on the shore at river access & egress points to provide safety tips, historical information, current advisories, river protection information, details on boat usage & approximate float times, and acceptable user behaviour,
• on-river directional signage to indicate the distance to and location of the next egress point,
• a river map posted online (and possibly also in brochure form), and an update to the Calgary Parks & Pathways map which will include river access sites,
• river information to be posted on the City of Calgary’s website regarding access & egress sites, estimated float times, safety information, and advice for how to protect the river environment.

The river information is already posted on the City of Calgary’s website, and will be updated going forward by the City.  The final wording & design of the shore information boards has been prepared and will be installed in major river access spots in August. This project has been a great partnership for us with the City of Calgary, and has had input from multiple stakeholders to ensure the excellent information is delivered to Calgarians and tourists alike.

 Calgary River Valleys (CRV) is an independent, not-for-profit, volunteer-led organization, dedicated to building a strong and effective voice for river valleys protection and water quality in Calgary.

Our principal purpose is to “champion and engage the public in the protection, appreciation and stewardship of Calgary’s rivers, creeks, wetlands and watershed resources.”