Site Name: Clyde Fen

Site Type: Natural Area

Status: Protective Notation (PNT)

Subtype: TPR - Conservation

PASite ID (Map Ref #): 559

O.C. No. (Land Ref. Manual): N/A

Site # (Parks Website): N/A

Reserved Area: 118.68 ha. (293.26 ac.)

Designated Area: 0.00 ha. (0.00 ac.)

Total Area: 118.68 ha. (293.26 ac.)

Additional Protected Areas: none

Lat/Long Co-ordinates: 54 11.70 N, 113 31.55 W

Natural Region: Boreal

Natural Subregion(s): Dry Mixedwood

IUCN Classification:

Operated By:

Info Phone:

Steward(s) Aug2002: Volunteer(s) 1

Steward(s) Aug2003: Volunteer(s) 1

Steward(s) Dec2011: yes

Petroleum & Natural Gas Surface Access Aug2002: Conditional

Day Use Site(s):

Recreation Activities:

Access:

Notes: The Alberta Native Plant Council has posted more information about this area on their website at http://www.anpc.ab.ca/content/clyde_fen.php.

Clyde Fen Faces New Challenges Clyde Fen Natural Area is a Protective Notation

site (PNT, not yet designated under Order-in-Council) that has the Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC) as its official Steward. This year, the fen was seriously impacted by development, and no government authority knew anything about it until Derek Johnson, representing the ANPC, alerted them.

Clyde Fen NA is classified as a conservation natural area. It occupies about 120 hectares in Sections 15, 16 and 27 of Twp 60, R 24, W4M, northeast of Clyde in Westlock County. Part of the NA contains black spruce-tamarack-bog birch fen with populations of pitcher plants and other herbaceous fen species. There are also smaller areas of jack pine forest on sandy soils; these stands are regenerating thickly after a devastating fire in 2001.

Carnivorous pitcher plants in Clyde Fen

In late June, Derek discovered that a gravel road had been constructed on a road allowance (formerly a drainage area with fen vegetation) adjacent to the fen. Culverts were not installed, and this resulted in flooding of the fen. Derek sent pictures to Alberta Parks, who contacted Westlock County and asked that a culvert be installed promptly, with which the County complied. The County had granted a permit to a contractor to build the road to haul gravel from nearby land, apparently without knowledge of the existence of the fen and the possible impacts.

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (ASRD) is responsible for the Natural Area under the Public Lands Act, but was not familiar with Clyde Fen, and staff stated that they couldn’t do anything, unless the road allowance encroached on the Crown land. The road development had, in fact, caused erosion and silting in adjacent parts of the fen. (As a

PNT site, Clyde Fen is a Natural Area in name only; it is Crown Land without legislated protection, so it is not under the jurisdiction of Alberta Parks.)

Fortunately, the culvert installed in July appears to have drawn down the water levels in the fen to more or less normal by late summer. However, to the Steward’s knowledge, neither ASRD nor Parks has shown any interest in monitoring the NA to determine whether there have been permanent or seasonal effects. Westlock County plans to have a biologist look at the site next year, but hiring a professional hydrogeologist to advise on drainage issues seems to be too much of a budget challenge.

Surprise! A new road!

There are lessons to be learned here for Stewards. First, if you’re a Steward of a PNT site, don’t expect much help from the provincial government in protecting your site. The Public Lands Act and the Municipal Government Act just don’t allow for it, and as someone pointed out in the course of this sad story, authorities tend to do the minimum required by legislation. Second, endeavor to strike up and maintain a friendly liaison with the municipality for your site. This will allow you to promote your natural area both to the municipality and to local residents, and to be more informed of impending developments in sufficient time for you to have some influence.

Something to bear in mind is that Parks has indicated that the new conservation legislation will give them greater powers to manage natural areas. As Stewards we need to put this to the test. Of course, this begs two further questions: what natural areas will remain after LUF negotiations, and if natural areas are retained, will they have sufficient conservation status to protect them? Patsy Cotterill (SAPAA Newsletter Oct 2010

Field Trip to Clyde Fen On July 4

th and July 23

rd, 2011, the Clyde Fen

Natural Area was visited by volunteers from SAPAA and Adopt-a-Plant Alberta (APA). APA was established in 2005 to address the need for ongoing data collection on Alberta’s rare species. The Clyde Fen field trips proved successful, as two species of rare orchids were found.

Clyde Fen is a unique wetland system that is important for regional biodiversity, groundwater recharge and discharge, wildlife habitat, and educational opportunities. Despite recent disturbances (a wildfire in 2001; a gravel road through the wetland in 2010), the Clyde Fen Natural Area remains one of the most unique and ecologically significant peatlands within an hour drive of Edmonton.

View over Clyde Fen from the recent gravel road

The Clyde Fen Natural Area is home to several orchid species, a host of other wildflowers, and many species of grasses, sedges, and rushes. One could spend an entire summer studying the diverse flora and not become bored. Great success awaited us this summer, with the discovery of bog adder's-mouth (Malaxis paludosa) on July 4

th and Loesel's twayblade

(Liparis loeselli) July 23rd

.

Bog adder's-mouth was found in two locations, each a single plant on a hummock in a stand of regenerating black spruce. This is the 4

th time this

plant had been identified in the Clyde Fen. Unfortunately, the first 3 plants probably no longer exist; the first 2 disappeared with the fire in 2001 and the 3

rd with clearing for the road in 2010.

Loesel's twayblade was found for the 1st

time 3 years ago. A group of 6 plants was discovered in an area dominated by sedges and forbs with scattered clusters or swamp birch and hoary willow.

Tiny (2 mm) flowers of Pale yellow seed capsules of

bog adder's-mouth Loesel's twayblade

The fen was saturated to the surface during the July 4

th visit, and had several centimeters of standing

water during the July 23rd

visit. Pitcher plants were found throughout the fen, 1 of 6 carnivorous plant species known from this site. Despite natural and man-made disturbances, this year was good news for Clyde Fen, good news for Alberta’s biodiversity, and Clyde Fen remains a wetland worth visiting. Kristen Andersen (SAPAA Newsletter Sep 2011)

Images:

Photo – Kristen Andersen

Photo – Kristen Andersen

Photo – Kristen Andersen

Photo – Kristen Andersen