As part of a series of conservation projects in the Bow River Watershed, volunteers from the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) were busy planting hundreds of willows just north of the Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.
The projects are being funded from the Coca-Cola Foundation, the popular soft drink company’s philanthropy arm. The foundation’s mandate is focused on supporting sustainable community development through grants.
The shores of Skull Lake located in the 160-acre area known as the W. Hutchinson property saw teams of volunteers planting over 600 willows in efforts to encourage the growth of native vegetation and stabilize the soil to prevent erosion.
Two other projects involve 3,500 metres of riverside fencing projects covering 70 acres to protect against disturbance. Another project involves rebuilding a water retention berm to support the Bighill Creek as it flows into the provincial park. It increases the level of a 37-acre lake by approximately 45 centimetres upstream from the Park and before it flows towards the Bow River.
The Bow River Watershed provides drinking water to more than one million people living in Calgary. According to their press release, NCC’s projects will replenish over 80 million litres of water in the area.
