River Revival Breaks Ground

In preparation for the Riparian area project, Town and County councillors broke ground at the Vegreville Regional Museum

Emily Mailhot Reporter – Vegreville News Advertiser

For months, the Vermilion River Watershed Alliance, Town of Vegreville, Agroforestry Woodlot Extension Society (AWES), and the Vegreville Regional Museum board have been waiting for warmer weather for the purpose of getting one exciting new project off of-or into, rather – the ground. Where Highway 16A and the Vermilion River intersect at the museum, 10-12 species of native trees and shrubs will be planted this spring in order to restore the natural, healthy state of the riverbed.

The land used for the project, though on the same site as the Vegreville Regional Museum, is owned by the Town of Vegreville and designated for the project.

This was made possible through the watershed resilience and restoration program grants through the provincial government for the use of the VRWA. The site in Vegreville is what VRWA hopes will serve as an educational site for the general public so that they can see a healthy riparian area in action.

“A lot of the work we do at the Vermilion River Watershed Alliance is with farmers or landowners in rural areas,” explained Vegreville Town Councillor and VRWA President David Barry, “What we’re doing here is going to be a demonstration site of the kind of eco-buffer that would be built on a rural riverbank.”

As much of the work VRWA undertakes is on private land, Barry says that

the opportunity to see a riparian forest in action is not typically available to everyone. “We wanted to do this on public land so that people can see, and learn about the native species and what they can do to preserve the health of the landscape.”

River Revival, as the project has been titled, will take place in June with the help of any community volunteers who register.

“The event itself will promote river and watershed health while educating the public about how native plants can improve riverbank health and provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators,” explained Mara Erikson of VRWA, “As well, it’s part of a celebration of 3 years of stewardship projects in the watershed through the Vermilion River Watershed Restoration & Enhancement Project (VRWREP). There will be an opportunity for participants to plant trees, take part in family activities, and learn about riparian health.”

So far, LaRue Certified Arborists has donated the wood chip mulch, and museum board members donated their equipment and time as in-kind contributions on behalf of the museum. Darcy Lencewich did the initial plowing with his antique tractors and equipment to plow the site and add mulch to the site, and County Councilor Kevin Bentley provided his tractor and rototiller to work up the site. The trees were purchased using funds from the Resilience and Restoration Program Grant.

“Now, all we need is the trees!” said Councillor Barry.

On Thursday, May 23, Vegreville Town Councillor Dave Barry and County of Minburn Councillor Kevin Bentley spent the day out in the heat, tilling up dirt and marking planting spots at the Vegreville Regional Museum to prepare for the big day.