| | It’s a critical, but sometimes unnoticed, part of our Alberta landscape: the land adjacent to streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. In Alberta, approximately 80% of wildlife uses these areas – called riparian zones – for all or part of their life cycle requirements. It’s also an area that, in southern Alberta, falls primarily on private land.
“A riparian area is the ribbon of green around any water body. It's the transition zone between wet and dry habitats where water, soil and vegetation interact,” says Marco Fontana, biologist with the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA). “Riparian areas perform important ecological functions that are vital to the health of rivers and streams.”
According to Fontana, riparian areas are amazingly productive habitats that provide shelter, clean water and lush vegetation for fish, wildlife and livestock. These areas are also important to people because of their contribution to water quality and quantity, and the way they provide recreational and aesthetic value.
As part of ACA’s East Slopes Habitat Program, Fontana works with landowners along Dogpound Creek in the foothills corridor between Calgary and Red Deer. Together they’re finding ways to manage private property that borders rivers and streams to meet conservation goals.
It started under a provincial program called “Buck for Wildlife” (BFW) in the 1970s, where landowners in Alberta with riparian areas on their properties negotiated conservation agreements with the province to construct and maintain stream bank fencing and livestock crossings. The goal was to create riparian corridors protected from livestock grazing.
In the Dogpound area, the initiative started in 1985 and focused on conserving fish habitat and providing angler access. Today, along Dogpound Creek alone, more than 45 kilometers of riparian areas are fenced for conservation. When ACA was created in 1997, the management of BFW agreements was made the ACA’s responsibility.
“It’s been my pleasure to work with a group of landowners dedicated to this cause,” Fontana says. “When work on Dogpound Creek started twenty years ago, conservation wasn’t the household word it is today. These ranchers came on board before the benefits of conservation were thoroughly understood. They should be commended because even though these areas are on private land, they belong to everyone. The good work of these landowners benefits us all.”
Fontana says it can be a delicate balance between those who rely on the land to make a living, and the fish and wildlife that depend on these areas to live. Over the years, he has seen encouraging signs that conservation strategies can be developed to benefit everyone.
The benefits of healthy riparian zones are far reaching for both producers and society. By carefully managing riparian areas producers can achieve increased forage areas for livestock, and improved woody vegetation that provides shelter for calving, protection from winter storms and grazing alternatives. Development of an off-stream water supply increases the life span of farm dugouts and ponds, and can reduce maintenance costs for producers.
Society benefits from clean air, fresh water, and healthy soils. Healthy riparian zones also help moderate environmental fluctuations like floods and droughts because these areas act as buffers and water storage areas.
“2005 was a tough year for landowners with last year’s floods,” says Fontana. “Some landowners will need to replace fences to maintain a protected riparian corridor. But, many producers are eager to rebuild because they’ve seen the benefits first hand.”
Today, many of the formal BFW agreements between ACA and landowners have expired, so ACA is handing stewardship back to the landowners. In this new arrangement, landowners will be responsible for maintaining fences and stream crossings themselves. ACA will develop a monitoring program that measures both the social and biological impact of this program on riparian areas.
“ACA hopes these lands will continue to be well cared for the benefit of the whole watershed community,” Fontana says. “There are many stakeholders who have supported this program including local community groups, Trout Unlimited, Alberta Fish and Wildlife, and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans.”
Fontana says management decisions regarding the program’s future will involve all stakeholders to ensure common goals are maintained. “It takes many people to ensure riparian zones remain healthy for everyone. We all have a stake in having these areas stay vital for a very long time.”
For more information, contact:
Marco Fontana at (403) 851-2208 or email: marco.fontana@gov.ab.ca |
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