Reducing Waste Impact
Paddle Alberta hopes that clubs, rafting companies and other paddlers will reduce their human waste impacts and ‘Adopt-A-Throne’ and place and maintain a throne at their heavily used remote riverside locations. To place and maintain a ‘Throne’ or ‘portable toilet’ in Alberta, please email Paddle Alberta. Paddle Alberta needs help from volunteers to place Thrones, and where commercial pumping has not been available for existing outhouses, to also dig new holes for these existing remote outhouses. Has your club or paddling group considered contributing to resolving this problem or adopting a throne for your favourite site? Our Thrones need monitoring. Please let us know how they are doing.
Outhouse locations:
Adopt-A-Throne!
The first goal of the David Thompson High School Wilderness Studies Program was to study the impact at several highly impacted campsites and put ins on rivers in the area west and south of Rocky Mountain House. Aquatic, riparian and terrestrial assessments were undertaken. Three years ago, with enough data to support some kind of action the students decided to implement several stewardship projects. The plans involved going to some of the highest use recreational sites on the North Saskatchewan and Red Deer Rivers and implementing strategies that would mitigate the amount of impact that occurs in these areas. With financial and logistical support from Paddle Alberta four “Garden Throne” outhouses were installed on the Red Deer and North Saskatchewan rivers. The “thrones” were secured on a platform when two canoes were lashed together with 4×4 posts and plywood that later served as the walls of the outhouse. Also, a bridge was built over Dutch Creek and two sets of stairs were installed into the campsite where erosion was becoming a major issue. Paddle Alberta hopes that paddling clubs, rafting companies and paddlers will reduce their human waste impacts and ‘Adopt-A-Throne and place and maintain a throne at their heavily used remote riverside locations. To place and maintain a ‘Throne’ or ‘portable toilet’ in Alberta, please email Paddle Alberta. Paddle Alberta appreciates help from volunteers to place Thrones, and where commerical pumping has not been available for existing outhouses, to also dig new holes for these existing remote outhouses. Has your club or paddling group considered contributing to resolving this problem or adopting a throne for your favourite site? Our Thrones need monitoring. Please download the Throne Status form and bring it with you on your next trip. The data you collect goes towards keeping our thrones in top-knotch condition.
North Saskatchewan River
- Dutch Creek
- Devil’s Elbow Rapid
- Old Stoney
- Burtonsville Island
- Big Island
Bow River
- Wildcat Island
- Island Below Cottonwood Golf Course and Upstream of Highwood Confluence
Kootenay River
- Cross River Confluence
Placement of a remote outhouse on the North Saskatchewan River by the students of Mike Horembala of the David Thompson High School
Placement of a remote outhouse on the North Saskatchewan River by the Girl Guides group 2nd Edmonton Trex
Placement of a remote outhouse on the Bow River by the Calgary Jr. Forest Wardens
"You can't cross the water merely by standing and staring at it."
– Rabindranath Tagore