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Hanlon Creek Crowdfunding Campaign extended to save brook trout habitat

Campaign seeks to remove the Hanlon Creek weir which is affecting water quality for brook trout in the creek

The Hanlon Creek crowdfunding campaign has been extended until Aug. 7 to reach its goal of $10,000 to schedule a removal of the weir before Sept. 15.

The Hanlon Creek weir causes an increased surface area of upstream ponding that warms up in the heat, negatively affecting water quality and directly impacting brook trout that requires clear and cool waters below 24°C to survive. 

The weir has been a barrier to fish passageways and also interferes with sediment transport. 

To resolve these hurdles, the Ontario Rivers Alliance plans to remove the centre portion of the weir which blocks the water flow and serves as a barrier to the fish passageways. 

Removing the weir will lower the upstream level and narrow the channel which will result in cooler stream temperatures, improved sediment transport and the ability for fish to freely pass for an overall healthier and expanded brook trout habitat by 3.2 km.

“What is good for brook trout is also beneficial for a wide range of species, including humans, especially in a city like Guelph that gets most of its drinking water from groundwater sources,” said Ontario provincial biologist Alex Meeker from Trout Unlimited Canada in a press release. 

So far, the campaign has raised $4,525 and has a week to go. Details on the campaign can be viewed here

Senior conservation biologist Nick Lapointe at the Canadian Wildlife Federation said in a press release that barriers to fish movement exist across Canada and in cases like Hanlon Creek, the solution is obvious and easy. 

Partners of the Hanlon Creek crowdfunding campaign are the Ontario Rivers Alliance, Trout Unlimited Canada, Canadian Wildlife Federation, Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Grand River Conservation Authority, and the City of Guelph, in consultation with the Grand River Fisheries Management Plan Implementation Committee.

“Hanlon Creek is a little miracle, and an amazing opportunity to show how delicate ecosystems and urban development can coexist when we choose to make it a priority,” said Ontario Rivers Alliance board member Kent Schubert in a press release. 


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