Here’s a good news story to start the year off with. Cascade Creek which had been reduced to a trickle and seen its river bed filled with fine sediment because of flow manipulated by the Minnewanka dam has now been restored.

With the increase in flow, the 9km stretch of the creek has been fully reconnected with the Bow River.

Work began back in 2010 to rehabilitate the creek and the project received a big helping hand as the great flood of 2013 helped to scour away decades of the accumulated sediment in just a few days. 2500 native trees and shrubs have been planted, pipes and culverts have been replaced to handle the increased flows, the physical structure of the creek has been restored and a barrier has been put in place to keep out non-native fish species.

It was hoped that by restoring flows and by repairing stream habitat the creek would once again become a home for native fish species and it now looks like a reintroduction of native Westslope Cutthroat Trout is in the cards.