This summer for the first time, a seasonal enforcement officer was assigned exclusively to patrol the upper Oldman River area looking for fish regulation violators. The effort, initiated by the Oldman River Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada, showed signs of success and was certainly an eye-opener for the Lethbridge College Conservation Enforcement grad that got the job.

Jeff Cox was hired using part of $42,000 raised by the local TU chapter.

“Stream Watch is a tremendous opportunity for students,” Jeff says of the experience. “It was very productive in the Blairmore district this year, but we really need a second one” to patrol the Castle River drainage.

Andrew Gustavson, one of three Fish and Wildlife Officers covering the Blairmore district, says before the Stream Watch program, fisheries patrols took a back seat to other duties that generally involved “problem people having problems with wildlife. When we were able to get out to the fisheries, we found regulations compliance quite weak.”

The numbers this year bear that out: 183 warnings or tickets were issued for violations such as using barbed hooks, no fishing licence, using bait, and catching and killing too many or too-small fish.

Success was also measured in the number of people Jeff was able to help educate about the regulations: many he talked to, for example, seemed unaware it was has been illegal for a number of years to use barbed hooks.

Stream Watch started in 2002 in Central Alberta by Trout Unlimited members concerned about illegal fishing and habitat damage caused by unregulated ATV use in trout streams.

The idea of a volunteer organization appealing for funds to pay for what is traditionally a government responsibility is a bit of a poser. Sort of like automobile drivers providing for their own enforcement of traffic laws, or citizens holding raffles to hire police to enforce the Criminal Code. It suggests that publicly-owned resources, in this case fish and their habitat, should be at least partly maintained by those with the most interest in them. It also hints that the government department through which the Stream Watch program payment runs agrees with the need for more enforcement but hasn’t devoted more public money to it.

Part of the underlying hope for taking on the program is that the government will ultimately see the wisdom in increased enforcement and include that in its annual budget. Al Caldwell, who led the local Stream Watch fund-raising effort, says Ted Morton, minister responsible for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, has been asked to consider having the province contribute $3 for every one the program raises and that “he didn’t say no.” However, there has been no indication yet that will happen.

In the meantime, Stream Watch is committed to at least two more years supporting 10 Seasonal Enforcement Officers in the province, likely all from Lethbridge College and at a cost of $400,000. The plan is to bump the number to two in the Blairmore District, which bodes well for the fishery.

We’re blessed in Southwestern Alberta with an abundance of spectacular, scenic spaces where we experience the outdoors in infinite ways. But, few can top the Castle-Crown wilderness for its beauty, biodiversity and recreational opportunities.

Problem is, there’s fear we’ll either love or exploit it to death.

Had it remained as part of Waterton Lakes National Park, its protection would have been assured. But in 1921, it was removed from park boundaries because two federal departments were playing politics. It has since gone through a number of changes that have fallen short of necessary control of human activity for the sake of its sensitive environment.

A grass-roots organization has been meeting in Pincher Creek since June trying to define how the Castle-Crown might be protected. The committee evolved from a meeting last fall at which the province outlined a process that would lead to greater protection.

 It’s tough to bring 20 or more people representing diverse interests together in a province that relishes minimal control or regulation. But most at the table are fairly certain more protection of this roughly 1,040 square kilometers in our backyard is needed and will ultimately be the result.

For one thing, the Castle River and its tributaries provide about 30 per cent of the drainage of the entire Eastern Slopes of the Rockies. That water keeps about a quarter-million people downstream from going thirsty. That is enough for provincial authorities to send up a flag. It’s the nature of control needed that’s not universally accepted.

Since 1998 called the Castle Special Place, its boundaries are Waterton Park, the B.C-Alberta border, the Castle-Crowsnest watershed divide, and the Forest Reserve east boundary. A West Castle Wetlands Ecological Reserve and a Castle Special Management Area Forest Land Use Zone have been established. That covers about 2 square km, leaving 1,038 square km under-protected.

It’s cherished for its skiing, hiking, angling, motorized recreational vehicle riding, camping – the list goes on. Add to that industrial development and you have the potential for conflict with the environment.

The discussions have been delicate. It’s tough to project just what might result, but some principles that got the nod this week generally focus on limiting activities that would harm the area’s ecological integrity while maintaining public ownership, access and traditional recreational and cultural uses. The target is to complete a proposal in six months that can be taken to the local MLA, Tourism, Parks & Recreation Minister and, ultimately, the public.

The province’s guidelines list as options Ecological Reserve, Wilderness Area, Wildland Park, Heritage Rangeland, Provincial Park, Provincial Recreation Area and Natural Area or a combination. The province has also set preservation, heritage appreciation, outdoor recreation and heritage tourism as goals for parks or protected areas.

The working group includes organizations such as the Crowsnest Conservation Society, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition Lethbridge Fish and Game Association, Southern Alberta Bowhunters Association, and Royal Dutch Shell Canada. Local governments and ATV users are not yet formally part of discussions.

Stay tuned.

Monday 3:44 p.m. GMT marks the Autumnal Equinox, the official beginning of fall. Summer’s end. We know it’s here because the sun shines lower in the southern sky. We wait for Indian summer to balance the chilly night air.

It means the sun’s rays beat directly on the equator and there’s as much daylight as darkness.

Seasonal changes come with their own traditions. The next-door neighbor celebrates the Spring Solstice with a garden get-together. A group of fly-fishers gathers on the Crowsnest River each year at the Winter Solstice. Harvest rituals come attached to the Autumnal Equinox.

According to Celtic lore, autumn’s beginning, called Mabon, signals a time to pay our respects to the impending dark and give thanks to the waning sunlight. The equinox honors The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering libations to trees, ciders, wines and herbs. Among autumn activities are gathering seed pods, walking in the woods, scattering offerings in harvested fields and adorning burial sites with leaves, acorns, and pine cones to honor those who have passed.

It’s also a time of balance, when we enjoy the fruits of our personal harvests, whether it’s gardening, working, raising families, or just coping with everyday life.

For some, like a core group of Henderson Lake golfers, autumn signals a move from the links to the rinks at The Lethbridge Curling Club. For others, it’s a time to change gear – in storage go the fishing pole, sailboard and garden shears, out come the rifle and rake. Hardcore cyclists, runners and hikers simply dress differently when the seasons change.

Clearly, the seasons relate to how we approach the outdoors. Something compels us to spend time outside. Open Air Magazine released a survey this month of 1,027 adults who were asked what they most look forward to outdoors. Exercise topped the list, followed by inspiration, solitude, forgetting about work and companionship.

For me it can be all those things. When I’m fishing on the river, it doesn’t matter if I catch a rainbow – it’s part of the pot of gold, the total package that leaves me in awe of what we have in Southern Alberta. Expect regular reflections on the wonders of the Prairies, the Porcupines, the unique ecosystems of Waterton and the Castle-Crown and upper Oldman drainages, the infinite natural phenomena they hold and the ways we enjoy them.

This weekend, for example, the TD Friends of The Environment Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up will focus on the Crowsnest River today and Oldman River in Lethbridge Sunday. The Crowsnest clean-up from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is organized by the Crowsnest Conservation Society. Meet at Sobey’s parking lot in Blairmore. The local effort by Helen Schuler Coulee Centre and Oldman Watershed Council staff starts at 2 p.m. in the Nature Centre parking lot.

Beyond that, watch for discussion of issues in our corner of the world.

To borrow from Celtic lore: may your Mabon be memorable, and your hearts and spirits be filled to overflowing.