The river that flows into the mighty Peace at Peace River has been called various names over time – Rivière le Coeur, Heart Brook, Hart River, Harmon River and finally, Heart River. It was known to early voyageurs, to Alexander Mackenzie and David Thompson. Native peoples traversed across the watershed for millennia.

Virtually untouched until the dawning of the 20th century, the landscape began to change, under the influence of early homesteaders and, accompanied by the railroad, increasing settlement. It was never an easy place to cross. The Grouard Trail was called a “98 mile mud hole”. Early settlers fought with too much water; the future may involve concerns over not enough.

The transformation of much of the watershed from thick aspen forest, willow jungles, wetlands and isolated grasslands to the uniformity of agricultural fields has provided many benefits and a few losses. Fish and wildlife populations- grayling, pike, moose, beaver- sustained people until relatively recent times. Many of these species have largely disappeared from the watershed signaling that changes have affected habitat, water flow and water quality. Because native fish are an integrator of all things that happen in a watershed, they are the “gold seal” of water quality.

Concerns about the trends in watershed health led to the development of the Heart River Watershed Restoration Plan, supported by organizations, agencies and local government. As part of the process, we want to know about the Heart River Watershed and what you think and feel about it.