Athabasca River Watershed Healthy Headwaters Initiative

"Working together to keep headwaters cool, clear, connected and biodiverse"

The Athabasca Watershed Council is focusing greater efforts on monitoring, education, outreach and riparian restoration within the Athabasca River Headwaters and various sub-basins of the northern Eastern Slopes.

The Natural Regions of Alberta, Nature Alberta

“Working together to keep headwaters cool, clear, connected and biodiverse”

This biodiverse region encompasses the Eastern Slopes, foothills, and boreal forest, and hosts a diverse mixture of land uses and pressures (insert map: https://share.google/vQeLkTRxlGkceDBq6) – from recreation, agriculture, forestry, mining and oil & gas. With many at-risk aquatic species calling these sub-basins home, it’s imperative that we maintain and improve habitat to ensure not only their success but the overall health of communities that rely on water sources in these regions. Through our Healthy Shorelines Initiative (https://athabascawatershed.ca/athabasca-watershed-shorelines-initiative/), we continually assess shorelines and prioritize restoration for impacted areas, which may include exclusion fencing, willow staking, tree planting and land use planning with property owners.

The Athabasca Watershed Council connects with property owners, industry proponents, Indigenous, Federal, Provincial and municipal governments, community members and local organizations that are active within these regions, to work together collaboratively and efficiently to identify:

Degraded riparian habitats which could be candidates for restoration activities,

Improvement of fish habitat and riparian habitat along fish bearing streams,

Identify potential fish barriers and degraded/obstructed watercourse crossings,

Provide greater education and engagement around watershed health, responsible recreation, responsible angling, and community involvement in watershed stewardship,

Coordinate greater communication and liaise between levels of governments, community organizations and industry partners

Ensure the health of the watershed as a whole is improved upon and maintained, and work within the Water for Life strategy

Provide educational opportunities, training, and workshops to ensure the health and vitality of the watershed is maintained and/or restored

Learn more about the Upper Athabasca surface water quality management framework

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1p5szCRF1Bn76W_IJCVphLAPRCxYLMFs5/view?usp=sharing

For more information on our partner organizations and other ENGOs working to conserve and protect the watershed, check out our resources page here (https://athabascawatershed.ca/resources-and-relevant-organizations/ )

If you or your organization would like to learn more about the headwaters initiative, would like to become involved in upcoming projects, or have potential restoration projects in the region, please contact the Headwaters Project Coordinator at mitch@athabascawatershed.ca

University of Guelph’s STREAM Report 2023 and 2022

2023 Report

2022 Report

AWC’s and ABI Environmental Taxonomy Reports:

National Biomonitoring Program: CABIN

CABIN is a national biomonitoring program by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) to assess freshwater ecosystems; primarily stream and river habitats. It was developed to provide a standardized sampling protocol and a recommended assessment for determining aquatic ecosystem conditions. CABIN training provides the tools necessary for users to conduct consistent comparable and scientifically credible assessments of streams. Results provide rationale to direct policy and planning efforts. It is the most widely used protocol in Canada applied by federal, provincial, and municipal governments, community groups, and industry. The STREAM project uses eDNA metabarcoding to analyze benthic samples collected by community-based water monitors faster, cheaper and more accurately. To learn more about CABIN, check out THIS RESOURCE from fRI.

Training and Financial Support

In September 2020, the AWC completed necessary CABIN training in the Oldman Watershed alongside Living Lakes Canada, Oldman Watershed Council, North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance, Blood Tribe Land Management, and Elbow River Watershed Partnership. Financial support was provided by Alberta Ecotrust Community Grant and Alberta Conservation Association Conservation, Community, and Education Grant. Following training, the AWC identified local study objectives for this project.

Watch training video here

The Upper Athabasca Watershed is in the eastern slopes of Alberta where an increase in pressures from human uses may impact water quality and aquatic ecosystems. An increase in comparable monitoring is needed to measure change throughout this region. Therefore, the AWC and its partners are working together to perform biomonitoring in the eastern slopes using the CABIN protocols to measure change in macroinvertebrate communities over time.

Photo: Athabasca Watershed Coordinator Sarah MacDonald

Monitoring Alberta’s Eastern Slopes

Alberta’s eastern slopes are the headwaters for the Athabasca, Peace, North, and South Saskatchewan Watersheds. These areas face increasing pressures from human activities such as forestry, mineral and energy extraction, rural communities, cattle grazing, motorized recreation, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, and camping. These activities may impact water quality and aquatic ecosystems. The AWC and its partners see an opportunity for local organizations and volunteers to develop a community-based water monitoring program to complement ongoing government monitoring efforts. Partners include WPACs, stewardship groups, First Nation land managers, research groups, NGOs, and volunteers, with support from ECCC and Living Lakes Canada.

Please find the factsheet about the project.

See projects here:

Beneath The Surface: Water Monitoring In The Ghost Watershed – Ghost Watershed Alliance
Eastern Slopes Aquatic Monitoring Collaborative – Living Lakes Canada
Upper Athabasca Community-Based Monitoring

Please contact SCIENCE@AWC-WPAC.CA or call (780) 213-4550 for additional information.

Athabasca River Watershed Healthy Headwaters Initiative

"Working together to keep headwaters cool, clear, connected and biodiverse"

University of Guelph’s STREAM Report 2023 and 2022

AWC’s and ABI Environmental Taxonomy Reports:

National Biomonitoring Program: CABIN

Training and Financial Support

Monitoring Alberta’s Eastern Slopes

This project is financially supported by

Athabasca Watershed Council

780.213.0343

info@athabascawatershed.ca