From record shoreline cleanups to a community-funded field truck, 2025 showed what the Elk Valley community can accomplish when it rallies around the Elk River.
The Elk River Alliance has released its Annual Report and 2025–2030 Strategic Plan, highlighting a year of community stewardship while setting the direction for the organization’s next five years.
The updated strategic plan builds on ERA’s growth over the past five years, with continued focus on education and outreach, community-based water monitoring, and streamside restoration. It also places renewed emphasis on strengthening community partnerships and shared stewardship with Yaq̓it ʔa·knuqⱡi’it First Nation, recognizing that diverse ways of knowing and collective action are central to meaningful watershed management.
Chad Hughes, ERA’s Executive Director, said the plan reflects both the organization’s evolution and the relationships built over the past 15 years.
“Our growth has always been community-informed and community-driven, and this exciting next chapter is no different,” said Hughes. “We want to continue strengthening our partnerships, knowledge, and stewardship work so the Elk River and all of us who live and depend on it continue to thrive for generations to come.”
ERA’s 2025 Annual Report shows the impact of that community-grounded approach. One standout achievement was the organization’s investment in a small-scale native plant nursery as part of its streamside restoration program.
“In year one, we were able to raise more than 2,500 native saplings and plant them on priority sites across the Elk Valley,” said Hughes. “This would not have been possible without the hundreds of dedicated volunteer hours from our local community. This success has encouraged us to triple our nursery size to 10,000 for 2026, increasing our capacity for positive environmental impact.”
Community support was also critical after ERA faced the possibility of not being able to complete watershed fieldwork in 2025. Supporters helped raise more than $40,000 to purchase a dedicated field truck, allowing the organization to continue its monitoring and restoration work across the watershed.
That same spirit carried into ERA’s 14th Annual Shoreline Cleanup, where 390 volunteers removed a record 11,261 pieces of trash from the Elk River watershed.
“Whether it’s planting trees, cleaning up the river, or helping us raise valuable funds to achieve our work, the Elk Valley community continues to believe in and support our mission,” said Hughes. “This is why we continue to do what we do. Knowing we have a community of support both behind us and working with us, we can steward our local watershed for years to come. We can’t thank our community enough.”
ERA marked the year’s achievements at its Annual General Meeting on July 7 at Three Sisters Garden Centre. Held at the 2026 cottonwood nursery, the AGM brought together members, volunteers and partners to reflect on the past year and look ahead to another season of shared stewardship on the Elk River.
ERA’s Annual Report and Strategic Plan are available at elkriveralliance.ca.
