crowsnest meander/title> </head> <body> <table width="680" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td><strong><em><font size="5" color="#009966" face="Trebuchet MS, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif">Infinite Outdoors</font></em></strong></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="left"><strong><em><font size="5" color="#990000" face="Trebuchet MS, Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, SunSans-Regular, sans-serif">Support for Crowsnest River meander project</font></em></strong></td> </tr> </table> <table width="500" border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="0"> <tr> <td align="left" valign="top"> <p><em>Jan. 23, 2010</em></p> <p>A proposal first floated in the ‘90s to redirect the Crowsnest River between Coleman and Blairmore back to its historic channel has found new legs.</p> <p>What’s called the Crowsnest Meander plan was revived by Paul Harper, a local fisheries habitat biologist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and subsequently picked up by Trout Unlimited Canada.</p> <p>TUC provincial biologist Brian Meagher, who’s spearheading the project, says it will greatly improve fish habitat in one of the few stretches of river not known for its fishing excellence. Otherwise, the river, which flows 40 km from Crowsnest Lake to the Oldman Dam reservoir, is a blue-ribbon trout stream favored by Albertans and second only to the Bow as a destination for anglers from around the world.</p> <p>Daryl Wig, fisheries biologist in Blairmore, agrees with Meager that “it’s a great project.</p> <p>“We promoted it 15 or 20 years ago as part of the Oldman Dam mitigation efforts, but landowners near the river feared the change would increase the risk of flooding.”</p> <p>In the early part of the 20<sup>th</sup> Century, a new, straight channel was bulldozed out in the belief it would ease flooding in the flats.</p> <p>Says Meager: “The current channel has high, bermed-up banks, is straight and has very little vegetation or boulders for fish habitat. The historic channel would have low banks, slower and cooler water and willows and other vegetation, all good for fish habitat structure.</p> <p>“You end up with a longer river and because of its winding nature, you don’t have scouring” of structure from high, fast water. The historic channel is 2,100 metres long, the current one 1,100 metres.</p> <p>But, he emphasizes, the current channel won’t be closed – the river will flow down both channels.</p> <p>That the project holds real potential for the community has Pass area residents now supporting what should transform the area into an attraction for hikers, walkers, cyclists and anglers.</p> <p>“The plan is to develop a trail system and interpretive and awareness signage there as well,” says Meager, providing a link other than the Crowsnest Highway between Coleman and Blairmore.</p> <p>The Crowsnest Conservation Society is among groups planning to pitch in on the project. In fact, says board member Rick Cooke, the society can carry the ball advocating for the plan in the community, providing for public information and discussion and volunteers for some of the groundwork.</p> <p>“It’s a win-win project,” he says.</p> <p>Meager says TUC has budgeted $51,000 for preliminary engineering design work this year involving an Edmonton consulting firm. The bulk of the work would be done in 2011.</p> <p>As well, Alberta Conservation Association expects to conduct a fish survey along the stretch this summer as a baseline to determine the long-term effect on fish.</p> <p>Potential players in the project Meager expects at a meeting next week in Blairmore include representatives of the Crowsnest Conservation Society, Alberta Conservation Association, Alberta Environment, DFO and the Nature Conservancy of Canada, which owns land holding the historic channel.</p> <p>Meager says University of Lethbridge masters students in environmental science programs may also be involved.</p> <p> </p> </td> </tr> </table> <p><a href="../index.html"><font size="3">Crows</font></a><a href="../index.html"><font size="3">nest River Flyfishing Home Page|</font></a><font size="3"><a href="../oldmanTU.html">Oldman TU page</a></font></p> </body> </html>