OVERVIEW OF ELK RIVER ALLIANCE PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS
Elk River Alliance is a community-based water charity that connects people to the Elk River using science, education and community collaboration to ensure sustainable stewardship of the Elk River watershed.
ELK RIVER DISCOVERY CAMP
Check out this awesome week-long day camp for youth aged 7-14! The Elk River Discovery Camp gives kids the chance to make friends and develop outdoor skills throughout our mountain community. We have an emphasis on environmental stewardship and learning about the natural environment in which we live and play. BECOME A MEMBER FOR EARLYBIRD ACCESS TO 2024 CAMPS.
COTTONWOOD RESTORATION
Cottonwoods are beautiful deciduous trees native to North America, well known for releasing fluffy seeds that fall like snowflakes in the early summer. They provide shade and food for animals, stabilise river banks, and slow down floodwaters. Unfortunately, land-use such as urban development, agriculture, and infrastructure often competes for space with cottonwood forests. To address the loss of floodplain forest, the Elk River Alliance is running an ecosystem-scale cottonwood assessment and restoration project in the Elk Valley.
COMMUNITY BASED WATER MONITORING
The Elk River Alliance conducts an annual assessment of 5 Elk River tributary creeks (Boivin Creek, Alexander Creek, Coal Creek, Lizard Creek, and Morrissey Creek). We measure biological, chemical, and geophysical parameters associated with water health, and conduct an analysis to determine if these creeks are as healthy as creeks that are not impacted by humans.
WHIRLING DISEASE EDUCATION PROJECT
This 3-year project aims to educate local and out-of-province river users about whirling disease biology, risk of spread, and prevention methods. Additionally, we will engage volunteers in tests of tributary streams for DNA evidence of one of the key hosts of whirling disease Tubifex tubifex. This will serve as a stewardship opportunity for locals, and inform ERA about the potential risk of spread of Myxobolus cerebralis into the Elk River Watershed.
HYDROMETRIC MONITORING
Having long term temperature data is essential for assessing the effects of climate change. ERA has deployed long term temperature loggers that record seasonal and annual changes in temperature. Over time, the data collected will be used by biologists, climate change researchers, land managers, and industry groups to better understand the effects of climate change on the Elk River and its tributaries.
ELK RIVER SHORELINE CLEANUP
For the last few years ERA has recruited volunteers around Elkford, Sparwood, and Fernie to get together and clean the shores of the Elk River. Car tires, metal, diapers, cans, cigarette butts, electronics, and countless other items have been retrieved from the river.
INTERPRETIVE SIGNAGE
In 2022 the Elk River Alliance has installed 5 new signs in the Fernie area, educating the public on stormwater pollution, fish and fish handling, and Ktunaxa land stewarship principles.
STORMWATER SOLUTIONS
Stormwater is any precipitation (rain, snowmelt, hail) that flows over and through the ground and ends up in the watershed. In urban areas or areas with human land development, stormwater picks up pollutants and carries them to nearby streams. Our stormwater solutions program aims to reduce the effects of stormwater pollution on nearby waterways through volunteer-based wetland construction and education and outreach campaigns.
WATERSHED MONITORING COLLABORATIVE
In 2021 ERA spearheaded an initiative to bring together representatives from groups with a vested interest in maintaining Elk River watershed health to start a collaborative monitoring program. The aim of this program is to create an independent, credible water quality, quantity and aquatic habitat monitoring program to build an understanding of the health of the watershed and inform management actions.
SEDIMENT INVESTIGATIONS
Sediment, although naturally present in water, can negatively affect organisms in high concentrations. Human activities, such as construction and land development, clearcut logging, and other catchment disturbances can lead to increased erosion, and thereby increase suspended sediment levels. ERA monitors sediment in local sediment levels to understand natural and anthropogenic causes of sediment increase.