2026

MacGregor Point Provincial Park is an Ontario park situated on the coast of Lake Huron, approximately 3 hours from Toronto. Established in 1975, the park is hailed for its impressive biodiversity, with its shoreline habitat, birch forests, dune systems, several wetlands and coldwater streams. It is enjoyed by campers, hikers, birders, and outdoor enthusiasts from across the province and from the local town of Port Elgin. Since 1993, it has hosted a volunteer group, the Friends of MacGregor Point Park, who cooperatively work with park staff to maintain the park, provide educational opportunities, and protect the park’s environment. Recently, park staff discovered that one of their coldwater creeks runs through a 3-foot-high hanging culvert (image included). Previous sampling has found this creek contains Brook Trout below the culvert but not above it (image included).

Brook Trout, Ontario’s only native, riverine trout species, was once widespread throughout the province, but habitat loss and degradation have greatly reduced its range. Their reliance on cold, clean water makes them particularly susceptible to declines in water quality and habitat fragmentation. When Brook Trout are unable to move freely throughout their watershed, they are no longer capable of responding to disturbances by moving to another part of the stream. Barriers to movement are especially critical in the face of rising global temperatures and climate change, which will increase the frequency Brook Trout will need to move to escape lethally warm water. In the unnamed MacGregor Point creek, the hanging culvert bisects the watershed, separating the trout from approximately 40% of their potential range.

To address this issue, Freshwater Conservation Canada, in partnership with the staff of MacGregor Point Provincial Park, proposes installing a fish ladder on the hanging culvert to allow Brook Trout to pass the barrier and utilise the upper portion of the watershed. The pre-built fish ladder will be fastened directly to the culvert, without the need to remove it or alter the roadway, creating a ramp down to the existing stream, incorporating raised bevels to simulate boulders, breaking up the flow and easing fish passage.

MacGregor Point Provincial Park has a long history of preserving its ecosystems, and both its staff and local volunteers are committed to identifying and addressing habitat threats. The exact site was determined by park staff who discovered the hanging culvert and voiced the issue to Freshwater Conservation Canada. Restoration work will focus on the specific, ineffective road crossing; however, the positive impacts will be noticed throughout the watershed. Data collection, aided by local volunteers, will occur along approximately 1km of the stream, extending several hundred metres above and below the culvert.

Project benefits:

The completion of this project not only benefits MacGregor’s Brook Trout population and the surrounding ecosystem, but also the community of Bruce County as they go through this process with us, as well as the thousands of visitors the park sees annually.

The successful implementation of the fish ladder increases the range and size of this population, as well as their resilience to disturbances such as climate change, temperature, predation, etc.

Reconnecting this section improves the area’s habitat and restores balance within the headwater ecosystem as Brook Trout return. Increasing biodiversity, re-establishing natural food webs and nutrient cycles, and benefiting the surrounding aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

This project takes an innovative approach to a widespread issue affecting the country. Hanging culverts greatly affect fish passage, and common solutions involve fully removing and replacing the road crossing, which is expensive and disruptive. Installing a fish ladder onto the culvert, using mostly hand tools, entails minimal risk with high reward. The successful implementation of this project will inspire other communities, conservation groups and municipalities to implement similar projects in other watersheds.

Brook Trout’s increased presence in the park will increase visitors’ appreciation and knowledge of Ontario’s only native riverine trout, as well as the restoration methods used to conserve them.

Paving the way for visitors to gain an appreciation, knowledge and a lasting interest in conservation, reaching the various communities that come together to enjoy MacGregor Point Park. This is amplified through planned community days with non-profit and government project partners throughout the installation process, as well as interactive signage that can be continuously enjoyed long after the project is completed. This project also supports the scientific research process by validating known insights into the species and their habitat, further qualifying the success of fish ladders using a before-and-after comparison of temperatures, presence, and spawning locations obtained through direct monitoring and observation.

KPls and quantitative outcomes include:

• Connecting approximately 1 km of additional habitat for native Brook Trout: installation of the fish ladder will allow Brook Trout on the downstream side of Lake Range Road to access an additional 1 km of quality habitat that is currently inaccessible due to the barrier caused by the road and culvert
• 2 community events in MacGregor Point Provincial Park, celebrating Brook Trout, with information and activities raising awareness of Brook Trout life cycle, habitat needs, stressors, and conservation actions
• 100 people engaged in community events and restoration activities
• At least 3 social media posts and 1 blog post highlighting the project, acknowledging partners, funders and supporters, and celebrating successes
  5000 impressions on social media and blog posts
• 1 fish sampling event to assess the presence/absence of Brook Trout on the upstream side of the culvert, to provide a baseline from which to compare sampling that would occur after restoration
• Installation of 4 stream temperature loggers to assess stream temperature and improve understanding of habitat conditions within the creek