Bronte Creek will get 'CPR' to help breathe new life into it

[Spiel]

Bronte Creek will get 'CPR' to help breathe new life into it

 

Aug 18, 2010 / http://www.thespec.com/

A Bronte Creek restoration project in north Burlington is expected to be a model of how to rehabilitate precious waterways damaged by urban development.

 

"Presently, Bronte Creek is running a fever," said Trout Unlimited biologist Jack Imhof by way of explaining how development has warmed and polluted municipal creeks and streams. "We need to bring that fever down."

 

Calling Bronte Creek a jewel of the Niagara Escarpment, Imhof said like many jewels, it has become tarnished, physically ill and in need of help.

 

The Restoration of Bronte Creek in Lowville Park project will see more trees planted along the creek in the park and narrowing the waterway to encourage habitat for fish and other wildlife, said fellow biologist Mary Finch. It means the creek won't be as shallow as it is now in some areas of the park, but brook trout and Atlantic salmon, two species once natural to the area, can be re-introduced, she said.

 

The project is "CPR for the creek," and a model for restoration in areas of urban development, said Trout Unlimited executive director Len Yust. "When the fish come back as is hoped, it's a sign it's working ... If trout is present, there's clean water," he said. "A lot of people feel overwhelmed with global warming, but if we can get people engaged in this, there's hope."

 

Conservation Halton chairperson Brian Penman said the project is a smaller model of what landowners along the entire Bronte Creek watershed can do and is important to the region's drinking water as well as wildlife since the creek empties into Lake Ontario, the water source for 90 per cent of the people in the conservation authority's watershed.

 

The $300,000 project was highlighted by officials at Lowville Park during a federal government funding contribution announcement yesterday of $90,000. Other funding includes $100,000 from the city of Burlington and $20,000 from Trout Unlimited, the project proponent. This restoration is part of the larger five-year, $500,000 Bronte Creek Watershed Renewal Program started last year.

 

[atvaholic]

Finally. I had a freind that used to fish there and showed some great pics! Went a few times myself but with limited success.

[vinnimon]

Good to hear that spiel!

Years back a friends dad mentioned there was to be a down turn for the worse in bronte, thats if we didnt react promply,that was 22 yrs ago!I did my part!

He was in fustration at the time!

Kudos to him and all his hard work!Hes done a lot for all of us in these local gems!

 

 

[john from craa]

Bronte Creek has several issues. Dams are the biggest problem! Dams heat the cold spring water up to 26-28C, far too warm for trout, thus killing juvenile cold water species below them due to heat stress. Dams also prevent fish from reaching spawning grounds and mixing to maximize genetic variation. Brook trout are isolated in many tiny tribs and cannot mingle or migrate due to the dams. Dams also prevent the natural movement of bedload (rock/gravel/sand/sediment) and impact the rivers natural functions. Lowville, Dakota Mills and Progreston Dams are all serios problems!

 

Lower Bronte is actually fairly well forested, except for a few open sections such as Lowville, 3rd line and Camp Sidrabene. CRAA planted Lowville Park several times in the past decade. But lack of volunteers has prevented more work from being done lately.

 

Urban impacts and water taking round out the major threats.

 

Anglers need to get organized and unified to repair our rivers or we will have less and less to fish for i nthe future!

 

John

[waki5]

hopefully the done will see the impact it deserves

[Rod Caster]

Several refinery's leaking into the river don't help much either

[brifishrgy]

Several refinery's leaking into the river don't help much either

 

 

it was only one pipe. cleanup is moving along

 

cleanup update

[cuzza]

Trout Unlimited are holding work days on Bronte Creek on the following dates through this year - April 30th, May 7th, June 18th, July 16th, Aug 6th, Aug 13th, Sept 10th. I'll probably get out to few to lend a hand, more info on the project on their blog http://brontecreekrenewal.blogspot.com/