On Tuesday, October 25, Fernie Secondary School students from grades seven and 12 braved the fall weather and planted 600 trees on Morrissey Meadows conservation lands owned by Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC).

This effort was led by the Elk River Alliance (ERA), who planted 150 more plants a few weeks later, with the goal of stabilizing stream-side areas of the Elk River and improving wildlife habitat.

The plants included native seedlings like saskatoons, dogwood, wildrose, and snowberries. The planting was done in an area where cottonwood trees were planted previously by NCC, and will serve as an understory for the future cottonwood forest.

The plant roots will not only help stabilize the riverbanks and prevent erosion, but will provide a vital habitat that is ideal for mammals like elk and grizzly bears. Additionally, the plants can help slow high level flood waters, and decrease damaging effects of flooding events.

For the students this was a valuable opportunity to learn about riparian vegetation and get some hands-on experience in ecosystem restoration.

“The Grade 7 students are currently studying ecology and the interconnectedness of plants, animals, and humans with their local environment,” said the Grade 7 science teacher Dagny Lentz. “In addition to teaming up with the Grade 12 Leadership class, planting trees with the Evgeni (Matveev) and the Elk River Alliance was a fantastic opportunity for students to take classroom learning out to the land and discover their collective ability to contribute positive and lasting impacts on a local ecosystem.”

Grade 12 teacher Erin Webber also enjoyed the opportunity for her students to contribute to the protection of the environment.

“We are incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with ERA,” said Webber, “this was a great opportunity for the students to get outside and do something good for the environment while collaborating with our local community. They learned the value of stream-side vegetation and how ecosystem restoration work is done in a fun and engaging way!”

The 43-hectare property was previously a farm owned by the Fitzen family, but was acquired for conservation purposes by NCC in 2018. Since then, RDEK partnered with the NCC to install elk exclusion fencing, and planted cottonwood, willow, and dogwood live stakes.

“Situated within an identified regional wildlife corridor and straddling Highway 3, Morrissey Meadows Conservation Area enhances habitat security for wide-ranging mammals through the Elk Valley,” reads the NCC website, “The wetlands on Morrissey Meadows also support many important species. This habitat will be enhanced through restoration activities, such as planting native shrubs and trees to reduce erosion and improve bank stability.”

The Elk River Alliance is collaborating with NCC to continue restoring Morrissey Meadows as part of a broader Elk River Alliance Cottonwood Restoration project, which will see the planting of tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs over the next five years. To learn more about the project, please visit elkriveralliance.ca/cottonwood-restoration.

The Elk River Alliance would like to acknowledge the Nature Conservancy of Canada for funding and partnership, and the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation for funding the purchase of the trees.

Photo submitted

Elk River Alliance

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