Winter 2021 Newsletter

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Tuesday April 27, 2021 7:30 pm

News & Issues

 Three Sisters Wildlife Corridors 

BVN has followed this issue since the early 1990s and we encourage readers to stay engaged in efforts to protect the threat to ecosystem integrity this and other developments in the Town of Canmore pose. Please continue to show your support for Bow Valley ecosystems by reviewing Y2Y’s concerns and sharing your own concerns with TSMVP and then share those concerns with the Town of Canmore’s elected officials. 

 We also draw our readers attention to Bow Valley Engage which is planning a virtual Town Hall meeting for Tuesday February 23 from 7 until 9 pm. This information night will help you learn more about the potential impacts of the Three Sister Mountain Village Development Proposal that is currently before Canmore Town Council. There will be short presentations from the panelists followed by an interactive question and answer session. BVN has moved our monthly program to Wednesday the 24^th to allow our followers to take in the Town Hall event.

Transportation, GHGs, Zero Growth and Ecological Integrity

Banff National Park Net Zero 2035 describes itself as a grass roots, bottoms-up initiative helping to transform Banff into North America’s first net-zero emissions community by 2035.The group’s website states:

 “Banff is Canada’s first national park. The nature of its existence is to show us all – the country, the world – what is possible.” 

This is not quite what the National Parks Act or its dedication clause says. However, it is a welcome and admirable goal to try to address transportation issues while reducing the GHG emissions of our local economy. After all, in the absence of the now overdue Banff National Park Management Plan, which might address environmental sustainability, it is important that the private sector address its climate change footprint without waiting for government to act. 

But the paradigm of continued growth remains the elephant in the sustainability room. Whether you get many people to a national park with traditional levels, or with reduced levels, of emissions is still transporting the same growing number of people to the same location. This past summer showed how continued growth and other social factors can spread crowding from traditionally busy spaces to new spaces. This includes, for example, the sensitive Fenlands portion of the Cascade wildlife corridor as more people are directed to use that part of the Banff townsite to stage new activities or to address the symptoms of a transportation system under stress.

While environmentally sustainable transportation is an important piece of the puzzle, one must wonder if we might just end up finding new ways to squeeze more people into this landscape. The science of ecological economics recognizes that addressing efficiency alone does not address all the environmental or social effects caused by unlimited growth. Low emissions or not, growth cannot continue in a protected ecosystem with real ecological and social limitations. A comprehensive visitor growth management strategy for Banff National Park and adjacent lands that addresses the assumptions of growing human presence in our mountain ecosystem is a prerequisite to plans for sustainable transportation networks.

It never hurts to remind ourselves of the actual National Park Act dedication clause:

“The national parks of Canada are hereby dedicated to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment, subject to this Act and the regulations, and the parks shall be maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”

This is followed by Section 8 of the National Parks Act which includes this interpretation of “unimpaired”:

 “Maintenance or restoration of ecological integrity, through the protection of natural resources and natural processes, shall be the first priority of the Minister when considering all aspects of the management of parks.”

 Three Sisters Wildlife Corridors 

BVN has followed this issue since the early 1990s and we encourage readers to stay engaged in efforts to protect the threat to ecosystem integrity this and other developments in the Town of Canmore pose. Please continue to show your support for Bow Valley ecosystems by reviewing Y2Y’s concerns and sharing your own concerns with TSMVP and then share those concerns with the Town of Canmore’s elected officials. 

 We also draw our readers attention to Bow Valley Engage which is planning a virtual Town Hall meeting for Tuesday February 23 from 7 until 9 pm. This information night will help you learn more about the potential impacts of the Three Sister Mountain Village Development Proposal that is currently before Canmore Town Council. There will be short presentations from the panelists followed by an interactive question and answer session. BVN has moved our monthly program to Wednesday the 24^th to allow our followers to take in the Town Hall event.

Transportation, GHGs, Zero Growth and Ecological Integrity

Banff National Park Net Zero 2035 describes itself as a grass roots, bottoms-up initiative helping to transform Banff into North America’s first net-zero emissions community by 2035.The group’s website states:

 “Banff is Canada’s first national park. The nature of its existence is to show us all – the country, the world – what is possible.” 

This is not quite what the National Parks Act or its dedication clause says. However, it is a welcome and admirable goal to try to address transportation issues while reducing the GHG emissions of our local economy. After all, in the absence of the now overdue Banff National Park Management Plan, which might address environmental sustainability, it is important that the private sector address its climate change footprint without waiting for government to act. 

But the paradigm of continued growth remains the elephant in the sustainability room. Whether you get many people to a national park with traditional levels, or with reduced levels, of emissions is still transporting the same growing number of people to the same location. This past summer showed how continued growth and other social factors can spread crowding from traditionally busy spaces to new spaces. This includes, for example, the sensitive Fenlands portion of the Cascade wildlife corridor as more people are directed to use that part of the Banff townsite to stage new activities or to address the symptoms of a transportation system under stress.

While environmentally sustainable transportation is an important piece of the puzzle, one must wonder if we might just end up finding new ways to squeeze more people into this landscape. The science of ecological economics recognizes that addressing efficiency alone does not address all the environmental or social effects caused by unlimited growth. Low emissions or not, growth cannot continue in a protected ecosystem with real ecological and social limitations. A comprehensive visitor growth management strategy for Banff National Park and adjacent lands that addresses the assumptions of growing human presence in our mountain ecosystem is a prerequisite to plans for sustainable transportation networks.

It never hurts to remind ourselves of the actual National Park Act dedication clause:

“The national parks of Canada are hereby dedicated to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment, subject to this Act and the regulations, and the parks shall be maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”

This is followed by Section 8 of the National Parks Act which includes this interpretation of “unimpaired”:

 “Maintenance or restoration of ecological integrity, through the protection of natural resources and natural processes, shall be the first priority of the Minister when considering all aspects of the management of parks.”

There is no doubt that lower emissions can help. Let’s hope the Net Zero 2035 initiative can indeed show the world what it takes, what is possible, and what hard thoughtful planning needs to be done to understand the limits to growth that we need accept to maintain and restore Banff National Park, and other, ecosystems.

Train Horns in Banff 

There is a new campaign aimed at making the Banff area a little more hospitable to both people and wildlife. Jason Rogers, who coordinates the Banff Community Bird Walks, indicates that the walks are almost always interrupted by train horn noise. Jason explains it is a nuisance but say’s it’s also a community health issue and, as a growing body of research is showing, such noise has measurable effects on birds and other wildlife. This is small wonder, Jason explains, given that horns are used as bird deterrents in some places. 

BVN is concerned about the long-term integrity of the wildlife corridor between the south side of the Trans-Canada Highway fence, up to and including the railway lands and those lands on the north side of the Town of Banff boundary.  This is an important east-west wildlife movement corridor, which is slowly having its integrity whittled away by development (dog park, bus storage, expanded parking lots and increased human presence, proposals for a new gondola and transportation infrastructure). While we cannot turn the clock back, we feel it is important to continue to attempt to improve the effectiveness of this corridor.

Please consider signing the petition to quiet the trains by contacting silentnightbanff@gmail.com.

 Special Events in Banff – A Thankyou

The Town of Banff is in the process of revising its special events policy. This review has been on the Town’s work agenda for some time. In the fall BVN wrote a letter to Council asking for some more time to consider the proposal that was presented to Council. Council granted more time and Town administration subsequently invited BVN to meet and discuss our concerns. Following, and better informed by that meeting, BVN submitted a second letter articulating our concerns and offering a few recommendations that could be applied to special events in the townsite and to special events with impacts extending beyond the town’s jurisdiction. 

We thank the Town of Banff Council and Administration for their patience in delaying approval of the policy to consider BVN’s concerns. Please contact BVN if you would like hear more about our perspective on special events.

Grassy Mountain Mine And The Eastern Slopes Policy 

Many Alberta environmental advocacy organizations believe that the Grassy Mountain Mine proposal, and others enabled by the current government’s misdirected policy, threaten the ecological integrity of Alberta’s Eastern Slopes and ecosystem connectivity in the Yellowstone to Yukon corridor that we have worked so hard to protect in Banff National Park and beyond over the last few decades. After submitting a letter to the provincial and federal government, BVN supports the Alberta government’s recent token decision to stall some new coal extraction leases. However, it will be essential to keep speaking up to prevent the sale of our descendant’s health and ecological heritage. You can get informed and find ways to support ecosystem protection from new coal development.  The proceedings of the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada are a good place to start. Also visit the  Alberta Environmental Network, Alberta Wilderness Association , and the Alberta Government. The Tyee has an article on the credibility of provincial government information about this topic. Please take every opportunity to tell decision makers you want ecosystems protected.

Something Social to Ponder by Colleen Campbell

Social media is having a big impact on local trails. A few sites draw unofficial routes and post them and others crowd the parking lots and trail destinations. One hint that you should have “Plan B” is discovering that you must be creative to park your vehicle. That might be a good clue to go elsewhere. But where?

It is important to leave as little trace as possible in your wilderness travels: garbage (bag it), the crumbs of your lunch, random bits of a wrapper. Think of the wildlife who use the area. Everything – everything – you leave behind is an inarticulate language to wildlife and probably offensive to other people. 

Informal human trails provide travel routes for some predators that they might otherwise ignore, sometimes giving them access to vulnerable species. Packing of the snow in random ski and snowshoe trails disrupts subnivean populations of creatures by crushing their own travel routes, buried under the snow. Changing their winter habits may make it difficult to forage or to return to shelter. 

One of the wonderful lessons I learned while doing wildlife field work was that no matter how often I walk or drive the same route, there is always something new to experience. The greatest pleasure is actually being outside, enjoying the weather, the scenery, the effort of moving about in different conditions, and knowing how special it is, even in a local park, in one’s own garden. 

When someone posts their “play of the day” take pleasure in their enjoyment. But carefully consider whether following in their footsteps is what best for nature. Go someplace that attracts you because you know what it will demand of you and your companions and what demands you are adding to that place. Knowing you have made a caring decision about how to enjoy the views, the sounds and the smells will help warm your toes, and your heart, at the end of the day. 

Author Paul Salopek wrote these words, recently, after walking some 28,000 km around the world: 

“Tread lightly upon the Earth. Share what little you have with strangers. Scan the horizon for rain.” Humans are stressing the planet. We do not want to kill it with industry. Playing in wilderness is a privilege. Treat it with kindness.”

Of Wild Things

2020 Banff-Canmore Christmas Bird Count by Ethan Denton and Heather Dempsey

First of all, we want to congratulate everyone who came out for an impressive Count. We beat our previous participant record, and for the first time in our count history we had over 100 people come out, so great job! This is especially impressive given the circumstances we were operating under, and reflects a growing interest in bird-watching since the pandemic hit. 

In terms of birds, we were hampered by the heavy chinook winds which I’m sure all of you noticed on count day. Despite this, Canmore managed to add two species which had never been found on this count before – the celebrity Ring-necked Duck, and a Northern Saw-whet Owl found during count week. Other highlights include a late American Robin, Evening Grosbeaks, and a female Red-breasted Merganser in count week (December 16 – 22).

Banff highlights include the Virginia Rail, an immature Golden Eagle, Rusty Blackbird and 2 Hooded Mergansers. Counters also found Horned Grebes in count week, only the second time they have been found on the count.

It wasn’t all rosy though. We missed winter finches big time, with only 1 Pine Siskin, 100 Bohemian Waxwings, and very low numbers of crossbills and redpolls. Red Crossbill had to be added in count week. For reference, we have previously observed 1769 Bohemian Waxwings (2018), and hundreds of each of the other species. The only winter finches with good numbers were Pine Grosbeaks. Also, notably missing were raptors. Thank goodness Banff had 10 Dippers, or that would have been embarrassing!

Overall, however, a successful count. We did very well in count week to add 7 species to the list, including several Owls. With these added, the total species count comes to 55, an excellent number for the valley. 

The detailed species tally may be found at the end of this newsletter. And it appears there can be much more to a bird watcher than a fancy pair of binos.

‘Twas the day of the bird count,

…. and all through the Park
The birders were searching from dawn until dark.
We three walked the Hoodoos with wind in our hair
In hopes last year’s goshawk soon would be there.
But the birds were all huddled snug in their trees
And we searched in vain, while our toes they did freeze.
When what to our wondering eyes should appear
But two mountain chickadees — they filled us with cheer.
And shortly thereafter five ravens sailed past,
And the call of a magpie was heard at long last.
We tramped for three hours, many squirrels we did see,
But the birds they were scarce, it was not meant to be.
At the end of the day we admitted our fate
It was red squirrels 12, and birds a mere 8.

Debra Hornsby

What Members Read, Watch and Listen to

I Heard a Bird Sing

I heard a bird sing

In the dark of December

A magical thing

And sweet to remember,

“We are nearer to Spring

Than we were in September,”

I heard a bird sing

 In the dark of December.

Oliver Herford, from Welcome Christmas! A garland of  poems (Viking Press, 1955).