Mitch Wincentaylo, Headwaters Project Coordinator
2025 was a busy year for the Athabasca Watershed Council, particularly in the headwaters region throughout Yellowhead County. As the first full year of our Healthy Headwaters initiative took off, our staff were busy with various initiatives throughout the region which included engaging with over 530 residents, visitors and organizations connected to the headwaters region, planting over 320 native plant species, and attending multiple site and property visits.
We conducted benthic invertebrate sampling as per our 5-year biomonitoring initiative in the Upper Athabasca sub-basin, assisted Yellowhead County with hosting a fish workshop at the Wildwood Pond Days, ran a booth and engaged with hundreds of visitors at the Alberta Outdoor Adventure Expo at the Medicine Lodge Rodeo Grounds, and liaised with various property owners throughout the county. In October, with the financial support of OceanWise and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, AWC hosted the first Treaty and Metis Nations symposium on the Health, Impacts and State of the Athabasca Watershed in Edmonton. This gathering included various First Nations and Metis communities, environmental non-profits and other community partners who came together to learn more about the watershed, and discuss collaborative solutions to maintaining the health of the lands and waters throughout the region.
The Athabasca Watershed Council would also like to highlight the Alberta Conservation Association, and thank them for their funding of various initiatives in the region last year. AWC was successfully awarded ACA’s community grant in early 2025 which allowed our organization to increase on-the-ground projects and engagement in the Hinton and Edson region. This included small riparian restoration plantings of native tree and shrub species along Hardisty Creek (a big thank you to Poseidon Environmental for their volunteer assistance) and on a property south of Wildwood, which helps protect these ecologically sensitive (and important) areas.
Hardisty Creek in particular is an important stream which supports local populations of Athabasca Rainbow Trout, which are currently listed as endangered under the federal Species at Risk Act since August 2019. Provincially, they are ranked as Threatened under the Wildlife Act. Due to habitat fragmentation, increased land use pressures, over-angling and other cumulative effects, it is paramount that waterbodies which support these species are restored and maintained to ensure long-term success of local fish populations. The Athabasca Watershed Council continues to look at ways we can continue supporting habitat restoration throughout the region to ensure the health and connectivity of these important streams.
With the ACA funding, AWC was also able to host an open house and community engagement event in Hinton, which saw various environmental non-profits and community members attend to learn about the work the watershed council does, and to gain better understandings of impacted watercourse crossings, invasive aquatic species, and benthic invertebrate sampling. Attendees were also able to participate in a Plant ID workshop (hosted by Cows & Fish) and try their hand at identifying benthic invertebrate species pulled from Hardisty Creek. A big thank you to Alberta Invasive Species Council, Cows and Fish, Poseidon Environmental, West Central Airshed Society and the Town of Hinton for all contributing to the success of this event (and many others throughout the year).
This coming year, AWC looks forward to growing our presence in the western reaches of the watershed through more engagements with landowners, community members, industry partners, and county staff.
