Jim Creek
Freshwater Conservation Canada Implementer
Project Goals and Objectives
The Porcupine Hills are a landform consisting of a montane ecoregion of outlying foothills located in southwestern Alberta. Historically the headwater streams originating from these hills provided valuable coldwater habitat for both Bull Trout, and Westslope Cutthroat Trout, both of which are listed as threatened under the federal species at risk act within Alberta. Located at Waldron Ranch, Jim Creek is one of these streams which originates on the western flank and flows west into Heath Creek, which historically contained populations of Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout. Unfortunately historic land uses such as timber harvesting, OHV use, livestock grazing and the construction of an earth embankment dam, paired with periods of both extreme high and low flows have resulted in Jim Creek becoming disconnected from its floodplain and becoming an incised, single-threaded channel, which experiences prolonged periods without surface flow, and contains significant barriers for the movement of fish. Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) began planning habitat restoration for Jim Creek in 2022, and was granted permission to begin work on some portions of the site in 2023. TUC was granted the opportunity to access regions of the Waldron Ranch in the Porcupine hills. The ranch was eager and willing to provide access to locations for restoration activities, one of which was Jim creek, the ranchers fenced off the riparian zones with electric fencing to stop cattle from grazing and to limit access to the creek while still providing users easy access. The Activities that took place throughout April to September 2023 were mainly the construction of BDA’s and the collection of woody debris for BDA’s. The available materials in the area that TUC used was aspen and white spruce. Untreated pine posts were brought in and used as the posts for the BDA construction.
Structure Construction Elements
TUC Staff Constructed 35 Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAS) within a 2100 meter section of Jim Creek. BDA structures were built using low-tech processed-based restoration (LTPBR) techniques. Untreated wooden posts were driven into the creek bed to serve as structural reinforcement for the BDAs and catch additional debris during periods of high flow.
Project Photos
Cover Photo
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2023-06-15
Newly constructed BDA at Jim Creek in June 2023
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2023-06-21
BDA Construction at Jim Creek in June 2023
2024-05-12
Jim Creek BDA in spring 2024