Westslope Cutthroat Trout –Annual Stakeholder Workshop March 15

An important meeting for those concerned about the southwest and its environment as it pertains to the area’s water

The 8th annual Westslope Cutthroat Trout Annual Stakeholder Workshop will take place March 15 at the MD of Ranchland’s Admin Building from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

“The purpose of the workshop is to engage and educate stakeholders, the public and land users on Westslope Cutthroat Trout related topics,” said Norine Ambrose, Executive Director of Cows and Fish and the Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Sociey.

Ambrose says that Westslope Cutthroat Trout is a native cold-water fish that is considered prized by anglers and is an important part of a healthy aquatic ecosystem in the southwest part of Alberta.

That aquatic ecosystem, Ambrose adds, used to range as far east as Calgary and Lethbridge, but now has a much-reduced range, with remnant populations scattered and disconnected in the headwaters of the Rocky Mountains and Porcupine Hills.

The workshop, Ambrose says, will touch upon topics including natural history, implementation of habitat and other recovery related efforts, as Westslope Cutthroat Trout are a federally and provincially listed species at risk and have formal Recovery Plans. Other topics that the workshop will address are updates on the status of initiatives including provincial recreation management planning,

“The goal is to get input from those attending on priorities for habitat restoration or improvement efforts of various land use types and to most effectively implement activities that will succeed in improving habitat for them,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose says that the workshop came to be because Cows and Fish recognized the need to bring together land users, managers and owners, the broader community and government and non-government groups together because there was a lack of understanding and knowledge about this species and the work being done to benefit it.

The organization’s aim, Ambrose says, was to increase knowledge and improve collaboration to benefit habitat and land use management decisions that are relevant to riparian areas and particularly those with Westslope Cutthroat Trout.

Cows and Fish secured funding almost over nine years ago from the Habitat Stewardship Program and have continued to secure similar funding from HSP and other sources, including the Alberta Conservation Association.

Ambrose says that the workshop, which usually has about 60 to 75 people in attendance each year, is open to anyone who wishes to become more educated about the species and what the organization does. Past shows have provided excellent response and feedback, and the repeated success and many returning attendees show the value that people get in attending.

“This year, even before we put the announcement out of the date, we had many people from a diversity of stakeholders ask when it was going to be, since they didn’t want to miss it,” Ambrose noted.

The cost of the workshop is free and features contributions from Cows and Fish and other partners, including Oldman Watershed Council, Alberta Environment and Parks and others.

“The emphasis on learning and sharing and well as treating input from the diversity of participants as valuable gives people an opportunity to learn, hear and be heard,” Ambrose said. “It is always a very positive opportunity to work with so many partners, really understand where people are coming from in terms of their interest, concerns and questions, and give people that opportunity to ask questions.”

For more information on Cows and Fish, or to register for the workshop, visit: http://cowsandfish.org/.