West Credit River Heritage Tour raises funds to protect brook trout ecosystem

Belfountain Heritage Society, Coalition for the West Credit River partner for event

By Zachary Roman

The hard work of many volunteers culminated in a one-of-a-kind tour that combined art, nature, and fundraising for a good cause earlier this month.

On October 15 and 16, the Belfountain Heritage Society (BHS) and Coalition for the West Credit River (CWCR) hosted the West Credit River Heritage Tour.

BHS president Sarah Bohan explained it took 40 volunteers and an authentic Ojibwe spirit horse named Legend to make the tour, which over 200 people took, a great success.

While walking the tour on a forest trail by the West Credit River's edge in Belfountain, guests were guided through a series of vignettes that were created along the river's edge to depict the area's geology, earliest human inhabitants, and brook trout ecosystem.

Guests got to learn about Belfountain's first grist mill and first murder, watch fly fishing demonstrations, see artists paint en plein air, learn about brook trout and much more. It was a truly diverse event and Bohan said the fall colours being at their peak only added to the amazing ambience of the tour guests took.

“It was a… fundraiser to raise money to help protect the brook trout, the native species that are under threat from the sewage treatment plant that's being built upstream in Erin… we have to pay for monitoring of that,” said Bohan. “It's paramount.”

Bohan explained the brook trout need cold and well-oxygenated water to survive. The upstream sewage treatment plant is not yet active, so the CWCR and BHS are fundraising to pay for monitoring of the river now — so there's a strong baseline of information about what the river is like at present to compare to what it's like when the plant is active.

“It's something that we have to have now so that we can say on average, ‘this is what the river was like… the fish were thriving',” said Bohan. 

Ann Seymour, media liaison for the CWCR, said the tour was a partnership that worked out very well to tell the story of the West Credit River. She said it was really fun and she loved how it gave families that attended time to be outdoors together and connect with nature.

Seymour said it was important for guests to see how clear the water of the West Credit River is, as it helps them understand why it's so important that it's protected.

All the money raised from the event will be used to support the BHS and CWCR's work to monitor the West Credit River and protect its rare cold-water ecosystem.

Bohan said for people who want to support the protection of the West Credit River, donations are gratefully received at belfountainheritage@hotmail.com.

She said she wanted to thank the following “incredible artists” who helped her in creating the tour: Wendy Mitchell of Treehouse Pottery in Belfountain; Kayla Jackson, a plein air artist from Alton; Michael Brennan, plein air artist; and Jefferson, an artist from Hillsburgh.