Native Trout Critical Habitat Trip

November 27, 2021

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• Native Coldwater Fish
• Species at Risk
• WLA Archive

Wild Lands Advocate article by: Phillip Meintzer, AWA Conservation Specialist

Click here for a pdf version of the article.

Back in September, I had the unique opportunity to join Dave Mayhood – an aquatic ecologist and the president of Freshwater Research Ltd. – on a trip to visit critical habitat sites for threatened species of native trout along Alberta’s Eastern Slopes between Calgary and the Crowsnest Pass. From Calgary we drove to Longview and then west along Hwy 541 to its junction with the Forestry Trunk Road. We then took Highway 40 south to Coleman and then continued south through Blairmore into Castle Provincial Park. As we worked our way south, we stopped at numerous creeks and rivers and I was able to witness first-hand the impact industrial development is having on critical habitats that are crucial for the recovery of trout populations in Alberta.