Wildhorse River Restoration

In October 2024, Cabin played a central role in a collaborative effort to restore fish habitat connectivity on the Wildhorse River near Fort Steele, BC. Decades of sediment buildup from historic hydraulic gold mining had disrupted the river’s flow, creating an ecological trap where fish were regularly stranded during low-water periods.

When the Ministry of Forests – Fisheries Guardian team initiated this project, we knew that collaboration would be key to its success. So we partnered with engineers from Applied Ecohydraulics and McElhanney, and biologists from Ktunaxa, Shuswap Band, DFO, and the Province.

The goal: redirect flow from the problematic “east channel” to a steeper, more suitable “west channel” to improve fish passage and reduce stranding events.

The solution, named Operation Flow-Split, involved designing and building a ~55m flow-split structure upstream to encourage west channel use during low flows. Cabin led construction efforts, re-grading the channel, backfilling with riprap and cobbles, and ensuring continuous downstream flow and fish protection. The work was completed in just five days.

This project highlights Cabin’s leadership in ecological restoration and the power of cross-sector collaboration in addressing complex environmental challenges.