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Ghost River Watershed is a 1,000-square- kilometre area that borders on the western edge of Rocky View County. The area is in danger thanks in part to Humvees and other recreational vehicles. Photo courtesy: Rocky View Weekly |
Ghost River watershed under threat: report
Rocky View Weekly
August 16 2011
The Ghost Watershed Alliance Society (GWAS) has released a report condemning current levels of usage in the 1,000-square kilometre Ghost River watershed.
The 79-page report was compiled over a 12-month span beginning last June and states the region’s water, forest, wildlife and fish are becoming increasingly threatened.
The watershed is located west of Rocky View County.
Findings were incorporated from A Landscape Cumulative Effects Simulator (ALCES) Landscape and Land-use Ltd. The alliance received a $30,000 grant from Alberta Ecotrust to complete the study.
“It was not unexpected, the outcome,” said Heinz Unger, GWAS president. “If anything, it looked a bit worse than we would have thought.”
Chief concerns include forests being clear cut too quickly, an overreaching trail network and mounting concern over the survival of the grizzly bears in the area. In Alberta, there are less than 1,000 grizzly bears.
In addition, sediment running off into the water is causing residue to pour in, killing younger trout fish populations, according to Unger.
“Sediment gets in and interferes with fish breeding,” he said. “The young will not survive in sediment-turbid water. The more use there is in the area, the worse it will become for fish.”
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