TICATS MAUL ESKIMOS FOR FIFTH STRAIGHT VICTORY
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Fisher Peak Sometimes you can accomplish your goals
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Red Deer Advocate WEEKEND EDITION SATURDAY, AUG. 22, 2015
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TOP: Damage caused by off-highway vehicles in Fall Creek, an important bull trout fish spawning creek. Bull trout need clear and cold water to successfully reproduce.
PEOPLE ILLEGALLY DRIVING THEIR OFF-HIGHWAY VEHICLES NEAR FALL CREEK ARE DAMAGING AN IMPORTANT BULL TROUT SPAWNING AREA
MIDDLE AND LEFT: These photos show erosion caused after offhighway vehicles (OHVs) stripped the ground of vegetation. The effect of OHV use and water created the large erosion ditches that go to Fall Creek. Government of Alberta employees did a survey of the Fall Creek trails a few years ago. The erosion is even worse now.
— “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone, they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” — Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi
F
all Creek, an important spawning water for the beleaguered bull trout — a protected native fish and Alberta’s provincial fish — is being damaged by people illegally driving their offhighway vehicles into it. As well, the surrounding area is suffering from increased OHV traffic, enabled when logging in the area southwest of Rocky Mountain House started a few years ago. Why should anyone care about the bull trout? After all, it’s just a fish and there are other kinds of fish. And there’s lots of wilderness for all users. Actually, it’s about caring for native species that are MARY-ANN part of our living heritage in BARR this beautiful province, and it’s about the big picture — protect and respect the environment, or lose it. Joni Mitchell recorded Big Yellow Taxi in 1970 but her song rings as true today as it did back then, considering the growing pressures on Alberta’s back country. Will it be there for future generations or will pressures — largely from more and bigger off-highway vehicles (OHVs) travelling over upper rugged West
BARRSIDE
WEATHER Sunny. High 17. Low 4.
FORECAST ON A2
INDEX Four sections Alberta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A3 Business. . . . . . . . . . . . . C6,C7 Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A4 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . D4-D7 Comics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D8 Entertainment . . . . . . . . C3,C4 Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B4-B8
Photos by WAYNE CROCKER/ Alberta Environment and Parks
Country trails — cause irreparable environmental damage? Fall Creek, for the record, is colloquially known as Falls Creek because of the waterfalls on it. It has cold, clear water, which bull trout must have for spawning. The creek flows into the Ram River, which then flows into the North Saskatchewan River. An Alberta Conservation study found that Fall Creek is a key spawning stream for bull trout, and provides habitat for young-of-the-year and juvenile fish. “Approximately 10,000 juvenile bull trout were estimated to inhabit the 7.5 km of Fall Creek below the falls. Bull trout implanted with radio-transmitters in Fall Creek were tracked to overwintering locations in the Ram, North Saskatchewan and Clear-
water rivers, travelling 71.8 stream km.” As many Central Albertans know, these rivers are important and precious systems in our West Country that provide considerable, sometimes spectacular, backdrop to wildlife, recreation and industry. Bull trout, once known as dolly varden, have been classified as both sensitive and threatened under provincial legislation. They grow slowly, prefer cold water and spawn later than other trout. Spawning bull trout are seen as vulnerable to capture by bear, osprey and humans. If you happen to catch one, you must release it.
Please see FALL CREEK on Page A2
Not cool: coffee stop vandalized A popular Red Deer coffee stop had to close its doors for one day on Friday due to vandalism. Story on PAGE A4
PLEASE
RECYCLE