Ranchers say reclamation of fish habitat near McLean Creek does more harm than good

Ranchers in an area of the foothills southwest of Calgary are frustrated after a road used to access grazing lease land was removed to restore fish habitat for westslope cutthroat trout, a threatened species in Alberta.

The road led to a valley that was level and seeded with grass. Culverts and bridges helped ranchers cross Silvester Creek, about 50 kilometres west of the city in the McLean Creek area.

For the last 15 summers, rancher David Ball has used the road to move cattle to his allotment area. 

But the reclamation process has left deep holes and piles of dirt along the route, making it impossible to move the cattle, Ball says.

He and his wife, Jody, own the UXL Ball Ranch. They say they are all for reclamation — but as stakeholders, they feel it may be doing more harm than good to Silvester Creek.

"As ranchers, one of the most important things to us is that we're good stewards of the land," Jody said. "I always thought that [reclamation] was putting the land back to its natural productivity. And when I look here, I see all this destruction." 

The Ball family used ATVs on the road to carry salt for the cows, luring them to the valley. The blocks weigh up to 400 pounds (181 kg). Now there's no safe access over the creek for the farmers or the cows, the family says.

"This isn't reclamation, this is more destruction," David said. 

Forestry, agriculture, energy and recreational use all took a toll on the land. 

The area was closed to the public in 2018.

Just past the main McLean Creek staging area, the Balls' daughter, Shanna Dunne, unlocks a green gate with a code and drives a meandering icy road owned by Husky. 

Over the one remaining bridge, her truck crosses Silvester Creek, heads up a hill and pulls over next to the rancher road — the only access the UXL Ball Ranch has to its lease land, a valley where cattle can graze. 

Instead of a clear path to the valley, it's littered with piles of dirt. Beside each pile is a hole — some deeper than eight feet (2.4 metres). 

Contractors left loose dirt and large metal pipes with jagged edges sticking out of the landscape.