There’s been a great deal of activity happening at the creek these days.  For starters the good people at Yukon College wanted to contribute some time for their professional development/volunteer day….they chose to fix the fence at McIntyre Creek.  They were not messing around and fixed it up super sturdy.

Secondly, the City of Whitehorse has been doing a great job of putting large rocks in place in front of the restoration site. These rocks have been put in place to reinforce the fence and to let motorized and other users know to not cross at the fjord but use the bridge instead.

Third, the Yukon Fish and Game Association, the Friends of McIntyre Creek and the community at large came out for the annual McIntyre Creek clean-up.  The Friends of McIntyre Creek did a great job and took some photos you can view here.

Perhaps the pendulum will swing the other way and combat the vandalism and senseless destruction. It is very obvious that McIntyre Creek is a special place and that people do care.

Sturdy work

New Fence at the Site

Bollard: definition – describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles.

There’s a whole bunch of bollards in place around McIntrye Creek. Thanks to the City of Whitehorse for getting out there and pushing these big rocks around.  With all the vandalism at the restoration site and the consistent off-trail motorized use in the area, it appears this is one tool for managing traffic.

Unfortunately, the bollards don’t tend to last too long. They either get moved by groups of people, winched out of the way, or pushed along by trucks or side by sides.  Every day there’s a constant add a bollard, move a bollard game being played. It’s almost like a strange version of shuffleboard being played out by different user groups.

The quads and motorcycles don’t tend to have a problem getting around the bollards…and that’s ok.  As long as the quads and motorcycles stay on the trail and are adhering to the new bylaws they are able to use a number of trails.  What is does well is keep the trucks and cars off the trails.  Yes, there are a surprising number of standard cars and trucks that go off road around McIntyre Creek and the new paved paths.

It’s quite remarkable all of the different groups that use the area. One has to think that the large majority of users, regardless of their preferred choice of transportation, would like to see the area intact and relatively pristine.  It’s those few knuckleheads that tend to cause the problem.

Hopefully a couple of well placed bollards might keep them at bay and away from the restoration site…for a while anyways.

Nature is only able to endure so much. The slow growth of willows and spruce are no match for the short-sighted, efficient and destructive powers of the human kind. With sadness, this is the case for the McIntyre Creek Restoration project.

Willow Stakes Being Pulled Out

Despite the support of many local organizations, on-going monitoring by volunteers and the best efforts by mother nature, there has been significant vandalism taking place at the McIntyre Creek Restoration site.

It started early in the spring, with the fence being knocked down on a couple of occasions.  After which, a number of motorized vehicles did their best to keep the fence down.  Fresh ATV and motorcycle tracks were seen throughout the site and continuing to track through the fjord.

This is not all about motorized vehicles. The Army Pumphouse is often the site for the odd bush party or “within the city tailgate rendezvous”. The broken bottles, garbage, and burnt pallets tell the tale well. There are also numerous walkers, bikers and dog owners that have utilized the area over the years.

Despite the many human induced obstacles throughout the summer, the restorations site was still looking good.  And then it happened…

Someone took it upon themselves to senselessly pull out every single willow stake on the south side of the restoration site. They went a step further and took a black marker and left a slanderous and downright vulgar note on the restoration sign (too many profanities to share here and has been taken down). It is unclear as to whether it was the same person(s), to then take a monster truck and “mow” through the site…taking with it some new growth, old growth and turning up a whole bunch of earth in the process.

I really appreciate the work that the Klondike Snowmobile Association did in putting up that new bridge. It is there for the community and motorized vehicles of all kinds to use. Unfortunately, it is just too much too ask that people stay on the trail or the bridge. I’m  not too sure on the logic of senseless destruction of nature and vandalism within our “Wilderness City”.

Monster Truck Mows Down the Vegetation

Tracks Over the Fence and Through the Fjord

The restoration site looking good.

Dropped by the restoration site at McIntyre Creek this evening to have a look.  Was very optimistic given all the rain we’ve been having.  One has to keep those spruce and willows hydrated in order to support that growth.

While a number of spruce have not made it, many willows are on their way to being teenagers.  Some have multiple branches and look very healthy.

The site is looking really good, especially on the south side.  The fence was knocked down a couple of times by motorized vehicles but the actual site has still not been messed with.  I think I’m done putting it back up again, as I am sure it brings some people satisfaction to keep knocking it down.  Now it acts as more of a road-block rather than a fence.

The City of Whitehorse has added a new bike trail in the area and perhaps the new traffic of law abiding and caring community members will keep the vandalism and senseless destruction down.

Willows and their new growth

Do your part and if you see someone doing something that doesn’t look legal (like burning pallets, off-roading with a truck, on a trail, public drinking, etc.) give by-law a call at 667-2111.

Volunteers Pounding in Willow Stakes

I have to admit that when those crafty biologists and volunteers were pounding down willow stakes, I thought to myself that this was not going to work. It’s just too simple.

After spending some time fixing the fence vandalized by knuckleheads (which by the way looks like its been propped up by other nature loving members of the community), I took a walk down to the site to have have a good look.  To my surprise, the simplicity of it all worked. There were fresh leaves sprouting nicely from the willow stakes.  Some more than others, however, buds are present everywhere. One can envision that it’s only a matter of time before these take hold and start to re-vegetate the area.

New Willow Growth - Foliage for McIntyre Creek

It’s an interesting position to be in.  Watching mother nature work wonders over years, and worrying about humans tracking through by foot or machine destroying it in minutes. Makes you think of the fragility of it all. I guess the hope is that there are more of these types of projects taking root than those either advertently or inadvertently destroying it.

The last couple of days I’ve noticed a number of anglers fishing different parts of McIntyre Creek. The area by the restoration site is popular, as is the second upper lake (not Stinky Lake).  Beavers have conveniently built some holding pools through McIntrye Creek when coupled with moving oxygenated water, create great habitat for small Grayling.  These feisty little fish like to feed on bugs.

There are plenty of bugs around the restoration site. Popular bugs that you might see in the water include: caddisflies.  These crawly little bugs are slow-moving and often cling to rocks, logs or other submerged objects. They are vulnerable to predation by birds and fish. If using flies try the Small Chunky Caddis Pupa.  Get it low, be patient and slowly strip it in.  Remember you are imitating a slow moving bug coming from out of the water. During the adult stage, the caddisfly will sit on the water and often hatch in large groups.  Fish key in on this and start “popping” the surface picking them off before they fly away.  A good fly choice here would be a Michaluk Sedge. This will sit on the surface. The odd twitch and you might entice a Grayling to strike.  These are small Grayling so use small, small flies (maybe a size 14-16).

Other bugs to think about are Chironomids, Mayflies, Terrestrials, Dragonflies, Scuds and Leeches. I could spend hours talking about each bug and how to fish them.  What’s important is not whether you can name them but if you can match your lure or fly to something you see in the creek.

By restoring the sides of the fjord, we are adding native vegetation which will in turn attract bugs, which will attract fish and which will attract anglers.  It’s all a beautiful connection.

I am almost at a loss for words with the recent destruction of the McIntryre Creek Restoration Site fence.  I guess a part of me knew that some knuckleheads would eventually do it…but I was still hoping that this would not be the case.

Some time this week the beautifully constructed fence was knocked down.  Fortunately the site itself was not tampered with.  Hopefully, the willows and spruce will take over and grow and there will no longer be a need for a fence.

With the new TransCanada Trail bridge there is no need for motorized vehicles to run through the fjord. Please use the bridge.

Needless vandalism

If you were a fish, where would you lie?  This time of year the water in streams start moving, rising and flowing into natural passageways, eddies, currents and riffles.  As an angler, I am constantly thinking of where those fish may lie.  If I figure this out, I’m halfway there to hooking into my dinner.

Some things that I look for are little nooks and crannies within runs where fish may lie.  Often they lie in the current, hidden in little indentations formed on the stream bottom. I watch for bugs floating or skittering over the surface and where they may congregate. Fish want to feed as much as they can while expending the least amount of energy.  A place where bugs congregate is like finding a 24 hour supermarket. Back eddies and physical barriers, like log jams create little whirling buffets for fish to “pop” up on and feast.

If you are lucky or the water is clear enough, you may see fish moving through the water or holding within a particular section of the stream. Now that you know they are there, the next step is figuring out the presentation.  Bugs of all kinds live in our Yukon water.  You may hear fly-fishers talking about terrestrials, chironomids, caddisflies, nymphs, and mayflies. These are all flies that imitate the natural food sources for fish.  A good start is to look at what kinds of bugs are out there floating, skittering around and try matching it by colour and shape with what you’ve got on hand.  Another approach is to pick up a rock and see what may be encased or crawling around it.  If flies are not your deal, try little spoons or spinners that are flashy and imitate fry or other little bait fish.

We are fortunate in Yukon to have Grayling that are aggressive for their size and stature. They tend to feed when they can as long the presentation is reasonable,  and the tackle makes sense. Find a little stream in Yukon and give it a try!

You can’t help but become personally attached or invested in a restoration project.  Alongside many like-minded volunteers, you’ve worked and sweated together all in an effort to give something back to McIntyre Creek.

Only a Few Casualties

You  took great effort in digging those holes for the willows stakes. You carefully unwrapped the burlap of the little spruce tree. You delicately watered the vegetation in hope that it may get the nourishment it needs.

With the blanket of snow covering the restoration site you hoped that the restoration site would remain intact.  Like most things in life, it is all very fragile in its infancy. You hoped that dogs wouldn’t go digging for play sticks. That snowmobiles would use the great little bridge to cross and wouldn’t dig through the snow-covered vegetation.

I am happy to report that after a long, snowy winter, the site has emerged and it looks great.  The fence is still intact and there are few human, dog or machine tracks in the area to speak of.

At a quick glance we only had a few casualties.  A couple of willow stakes became dislodged and are stranded without soil.

They will surely die, but they may as well be thrown now and make a dog really happy.

Happy Earth Day McIntyre Creek. We thank you for what you do for Whitehorse and Yukon, hopefully we can return the favour.

Creeks Bring People Together

What does a creek or river do for us?

River systems are diverse and complex ecosystems in their own right, sustaining diverse species of native plants, fish and animals, all of which play a vital part in maintaining environmental balance. They:

• move carbon (the product of decomposition of material buried or lying on the floodplain) between the river floodplain and wetlands
• have healthy river bank vegetation, which stabilises banks and slows erosion
• contain native fish, such as Murray cod, yellow belly and catfish, that move easily up river to the floodplain to feed and breed
• provide fresh water and food for estuarine and marine fish and shellfish, at the lower end of the catchment
• provide flows of sufficient depths and duration for waterbirds such as ibis, cormorants and night herons to build nests, breed, and raise chicks to fledging age
• replenish groundwater storages and dilute salty water left in wetlands and billabongs after dry periods
• have a diversity of habitats supporting a variety of plants and animals
• provide floodplain vegetation as food for native and domestic animals
• replenish the floodplains by depositing soil and nutrients on the floodplain.

Source:  http://www.water.vic.gov.au/environment/rivers/why-rivers-matter