Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council

The Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation (MHHC) is hoping to determine riparian health in agricultural watersheds through a study conducted along Joubert Creek in southeastern Manitoba.

With funding from the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council, MHHC has partnered with the Seine-Rat River Conservation District, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Manitoba Water Stewardship, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, to develop a new, cost effective method of assessing riparian health using aerial photography/satellite imagery, specialized computer software and field studies. 

Currently, the only methods available use coarse scale aerial satellite imagery or finely detailed, time intensive field work, says Marilena Kowalchuk, MHHC riparian program coordinator. The purpose of this project is to find a way to amalgamate the two, she notes.

Riparian zones are the flood prone areas located along waterways. These zones play an important ecological role in all watersheds. Healthy riparian areas reduce downstream flooding, control erosion, filter pollutants, recharge local groundwater and provide favourable habitat for wildlife.

Joubert Creek was chosen for the project because it’s an agricultural watershed and the Seine-Rat River Conservation District had the high resolution imagery available for the area.

The field team is conducting vegetation and habitat studies along the creek between St. Pierre-Jolys and Zhoda. The project will target as many sites along the creek as possible, says Kowalchuk.

“We go where it’s safe and accessible and where we have landowner permission,” she says, noting there are approximately 100 landowners along the creek.

The success of the project depends on the participation of the local landowners, says Kowalchuk, noting, in return, landowners receive a comprehensive report on their riparian area including maps, photos and information on agricultural beneficial management practices.

The long term goal of the project is to obtain more information on riparian health in the province, says Kowalchuk. This information will benefit conservation district managers, watershed planners, land use decision makers and the agricultural landowners along the creek, she adds.

This study began two years ago in the Upper Assiniboine Conservation District along the Snake Creek near Birtle, Man.

“The more diversity of areas you visit the better confidence you can have in the results you’re getting because you’re in a different area,” says Kowalchuk. “Ultimately we want to find something that’s able to function in all watersheds.”

This project could not proceed without the MRAC funding, says Kowalchuk.

“With assistance from MRAC, we are working towards providing sound riparian health information for all watersheds in Manitoba’s agricultural region,” she says.

For more information on the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation visit www.mhhc.mb.ca or the Seine-Rat River Conservation District visit www.srrcd.ca.

~ Teresa Falk, MRAC Communications Officer

Photo: Marilena Kowalchuk, Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation riparian program coordinator, stands near Joubert Creek in southeastern Manitoba. Photo by Teresa Falk.