IN THIS ISSUE
From BVN programs to ecosystem protection concerns and nature reading and watching suggestions, niceties and couch blanket entertainment, select a title and scroll to a topic that interests you.
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
NEWS & ISSUES
- Membership and Donations Update
- Lake Louise Parking
- E-Bikes in Banff
- Got Drought? Get a Bigger Sprinkler
- Has This Train Left the Station?
- Helicopters In CanmoreThree Sisters: A Second Opinion
OF WILD THINGS
- A More Challenging Count
- 46th Annual Christmas Bird Count
- They Showed Us Ecosystems
WHAT MEMBERS READ, WATCH, and LISTEN to
- Books
- Interesting Links
WHO DO YOU CALL
CONTACTS
RECENT & COMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
Programs are free so mark your calendar for 7:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of every month from October to April with the exception of December. You can find many of the past seasons’ recordings on our Public Programs web page.
Tuesday November 25, 2021
Noise in Our Parks: A Decade of Noise Pollution Research in U.S. National Parks – Dr. Jacob Job
During Dr. Job’s presentation last November a member of our audience asked how flights over Banff National Park are regulated. We promised to have an answer for the newsletter:
- Overflights of Banff National Park are regulated by Transport Canada. Other than requiring a minimum elevation to be maintained over built up areas, overflights are largely unregulated. Imbedded in this, however, is a need to understand that Transport Canada has long and complicated regulations to cover every possible condition.
- The national park regulations control the landing and takeoff of aircraft within national parks.
Dr. Job is a member of the Sound and Light Ecology Team at Colorado State University. Here are some interesting references from his recent presentation:
Tuesday January 25, 2022
Saving Threatened Trout: Westslope Cutthroat Trout in Banff National Park – Brad Stitt
This presentation provided an overview and update of the management actions that Parks Canada
has taken in portions of Banff National Park to help conserve and restore Westslope Cutthroat Trout in the Upper Bow River watershed. The actions implemented include removal of non-native fish stressors, reintroduction of threatened fish, and increasing public awareness.
Brad Stitt is the project manager of the Saving Threatened Trout Conservation and Restoration Project. After graduating with a M.Sc. in Ecology and Evolution from Trent University, Brad began working in environmental consulting throughout western Canada where he was primarily focused on fisheries assessments and water quality monitoring. In 2016, he joined Parks Canada as an environmental scientist. With a strong background in fisheries and environmental assessment Brad began working on conservation and restoration of Westslope Cutthroat Trout in 2017 and continues to strive for conservation gains presently.
Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m. On zoom.
Bow Valley Naturalists Society Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting of the Bow Valley Naturalists Society will take place online at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, February 22. If you would like to join our AGM please use the link below and join the February evening program early (at 7:00 pm instead of our usual 7:30pm) for a brief review of BVN activities over the past year followed by an election of directors.
Tuesday, February 22nd at 7:30 p.m.
Whitebark Pine and Limber Pine Restoration – Cyndi Smith and Brenda Shepherd
During this upcoming presentation Cyndi and Brenda will discuss these pines’ ecological role and threats, but also the monitoring and restoration activities that are being undertaken to keep these two iconic species on the landscape. Why talk about Whitebark (Pinus albicaulis ) and Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis)? Because they’re cool. And they have a fascinating life history. And they play an outsized ecological role in our mountains. Their large, nutritious seeds are food for many animals, from red squirrels to grizzly bears, and they have a mutual relationship with Clark’s nutcrackers. They retain snowpack at high elevations and thus lengthen the snowmelt period. They are kick-starter species after range-wide and local disturbances, such as forest fire, particularly at harsh treeline sites.
But both species are declining due to mortality from an introduced fungus, white pine blister rust, and from attack by native mountain pine beetle. Fire is both friend and foe to these trees. Fire kills off competing conifers, but Whitebark and Limber Pine can also be killed by large, stand-replacing wildfire. In addition, climate change interacts negatively with the other threats. Whitebark and Limber Pine are both legally listed as endangered in Alberta, and Whitebark Pine is legally listed federally under the Species at Risk Act, while the federal listing of limber pine has been pending for almost a decade.
Tuesday March 22, 2022
Leroy Little Bear at the inaugural Bob and Mary Smith Evening Program – Sponsored by the Eleanor Luxton Foundation
We are pleased to announce that Leroy Little Bear will be our launch of this special five-year series. Leroy was born and raised on the Blood Indian Reserve (Kainai First Nation). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1971 and continued his education at the College of Law, University of Utah, in Salt Lake City, completing a Juris Doctor Degree in 1975.
Following his graduation, Little Bear returned to the University of Lethbridge as a founding member of Canada’s first Native American Studies department. He remained at the University of Lethbridge as a researcher, faculty member and department chair until his official retirement in 1997.
Along with his wife, Amethyst First Rider, Little Bear brought about the historic Buffalo Treaty between First Nations on both sides of the USA-Canada border in 2014. Little Bear was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Order of Canada in 2016 and 2019, respectively. He continues to pursue new research interests including North American Indian science and western physics, and the exploration of Blackfoot knowledge through songs, stories and landscape.
We will host Leroy online Tuesday, March 22th, at 7:30 pm. More details to follow in BVN updates.
Tuesday April 26, 2022
TBA – Watch for our BVN Updates for details of the final program in our 2021- 2022 program series.
News & Issues
Membership, Updates, Subscriptions and Donations
BVN has established a new approach to member commitment and sign-on. If you are already a member you will have recently received a notice that there is no longer any need to renew memberships. If you are new to following BVN, please complete the Updates Subscription and Membership form at the bottom of any of our website pages and your wishes will be registered accordingly.
BVN continues to appreciate any donations kindly offered through our donation buttons on the web site. Many thanks to those who have supported us over the last year.
E-Bikes in Banff
The pilot project permitting e-bikes to operate in Banff National Park has been underway for several years, and we were aware that a more permanent Restricted Activity Order (RAO) was going to be released before the end of 2021. BVN has expressed our concern regarding the recent Restricted Activity Order pertaining to e-bikes in Banff National Park along with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and CPAWS Southern Alberta Chapter, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y), the Fraser Headwaters Alliance, and Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA). Upon reviewing the E-bike RAO, these groups have expressed several concerns and requested additional information from Parks Canada. We are requesting that the RAO be rescinded until the release of the final park management plan and public consultation can be conducted. Our concerns are categorized into three main areas including ecological impacts and management, monitoring and reporting, and public process and transparency.
A meeting with Parks Canada staff to discuss our concerns has been requested. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Parks Canada team to ensure e-biking does not harm the ecological integrity of Banff National Park and is fully addressed in the park management plan. Anyone wishing a copy of our submission to Parks Canada can send us a note.
National Park Planning – Lake Louise Parking
Parks Canada has decided to use the Lake Louise ski area parking lot, in Banff National Park, as the new visitor intercept parking. One of the things that angers us about this issue is that, prior to the approval of the ski hill long-range plan, it was an open secret that Parks Canada was in discussions with the ski area about the option of intercept parking. As this plan allowed for greatly increased summer use, BVN repeatedly raised this topic with both Parks Canada and the ski hill. Cumulative impacts are an important component of the environmental assessment process. It was, at best, disingenuous of Parks Canada to separate these issues and not include the impact of summer intercept parking as part of this process.
BVN is well aware that the use of the overflow camping area as an intercept parking lot for the Lake Louise area was untenable for many reasons. The use of the ski area parking lot will undoubtedly provide a safer and more convenient transit hub for visitors. But this improvement comes at the potential cost of further compromises to the wildlife corridor on the north side of the Trans-Canada Highway. The use of the term “intercept parking” by Parks Canada is also a misnomer as visitors will ultimately be driving a long distance to this doorstep at their final destination. But intercept sounds more efficient, greener and less congested than “overflow” or “expansion” parking lot.”
Parks Canada rightfully argues that between the village and the lake there is an urgent need to improve wildlife corridor connectivity, much of which has been compromised by wall-to-wall traffic during peak periods. Potential mitigations have been identified in the form of wildlife underpasses in both areas, but these are currently unfunded.
The area in and around the ski area has been identified as one of the most important areas in the Park for grizzly bear family units. Because of this, for the last 20 years, Parks Canada has been steadfast in trying to keep human use levels very low in and around the ski area. It’s unclear to us what has changed from a science perspective to allow this shift in policy.
With the approval of increased summer use at the ski hill, traffic on the access road will greatly increase and this will now be magnified by overflow parking traffic and shuttles, shifting the wall of steel from one side of the valley to the other. It’s vitally important to keep this wildlife corridor functioning and bear populations unhabituated. Parks Canada shouldn’t be in the business of further compromising one wildlife corridor to improve effectiveness in another. Without an accompanying human use strategy to manage overall numbers in the Lake Louise area and the potential of the larger ski hill lots to increase shuttle capacity, we fear further ecological degradation of this sensitive and much-loved area.
Got Drought? Get a Bigger Sprinkler
BVN is supporting efforts to ensure independent environmental assessment of tax payer funding for the largest expansion of irrigation infrastructure in Alberta’s history. It is astonishing that, in the heat of a climate warming emergency, this billion-dollar project is proceeding in the absence of sound environmental planning and public accountability.
The $814 million dollar project was initially supported by a Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) loan (50 %), a Government of Alberta (GoA) grant 30% and 20% provided by eight Irrigation Districts (ID). In a November 2021 press conference by Premier Jason Kenny and Agriculture, Food and Rural Economic Development Minister Nate Horner the project was expanded and is now projected to cost $932.7 million.
The project includes over 200 kilometers of new or converted pipelines and canals, over 1,850 hectares of new reservoir footprint, and over 93,000 hectares of newly irrigated land, with no public involvement, no consultation with Indigenous communities of which we are aware and no impact assessment, all within the South Saskatchewan River Basin which is closed to new allocations and is considered over-allocated already. The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) insists the project is many smaller projects that do not require environmental assessment under Canada’s Impact Assessment Act, in spite of the fact that the irrigation districts have formed a new corporation to be the recipient of this vast sum of money.
Climate scientist Dr. John Pomeroy has expressed concern for over-allocating the water flowing from the mountains to prairie rivers. Quoted in the Western Producer, Pomeroy said Canada’s prairie provinces
“could easily get into the trouble that the Americans have in the Colorado River right now where they over-allocated water years ago … and now they have vastly reduced snowpack in the mountains, and the reservoirs are dropping and not refilling them adequately every year.” Western Producer January 6, 2022
P. Duck Photo
BVN has joined with 8 other interested organizations and individuals requesting, through the environmental law firm EcoJustice, that IAAC should, as a minimum, require that the project proponent provide a detailed initial description of the project and other relevant information in order that the Agency can determine if any of the project activities require federal environmental impact assessment that can inform planning decisions and make that information available to the public.
There is no doubt that the farm economy will need water security in the coming years. But should that economy, and river ecosystems maintained by mountain water, be set up for failure by ignoring the need to bring environmental science to the planning table?
If you would like more details about this issue or to participate in efforts to ensure sound planning for water that originates in our mountain ecosystems, send us a note.
DID YOU KNOW? There are 27 species listed under the federal Species At Risk Act, Schedule 1 and under the provincial Wildlife Act’s Wildlife Regulation, Schedule 6 whose ranges overlap wholly or in part with irrigation districts in southern Alberta. The threats and threats identified in status reports for these species include loss, fragmentation and degradation of native prairie habitats by cultivation and other agricultural activities, pesticide use and/or water management including dams and diversions.
Has This Train Left The Station?
BVN is very concerned that the Banff railway lands redevelopment with connected plans for a gondola and Banff-Calgary passenger rail, are coupled trains that have already left station. These are three inter-related and complex projects that demand careful public scrutiny before personal, corporate and government buy-in is too far down the track, before unacceptable impacts on our community and ecosystems are inevitable.
There has been no public consultation on these intimately linked development proposals other than those held by proponents with a clear business interest. It would seem the Town of Banff has committed significant time in considering the railway lands redevelopment plan and have asked Parks Canada to consider the proposal. This referral to a higher level of governance has occurred before the Town independently asked its own citizens for their thoughts. The Town of Canmore and other communities seem to have been left standing at the planning platform waiting to see what development proposals will be dropped into their lap as a result of these plans.
These projects seem to have a myopic obsession with operations-level energy efficiency while accepting only one version of how extremely rare land in the Bow Valley should be used. The current fad of selling of new developments by attaching them to someone’s version of sustainability is troubling. Community and environmental sustainability is a very complicated interaction of sometimes competing benefits and negative effects. BVN is not convinced the governments considering these projects behind closed doors have objective, publicly vetted, criteria for assessing those effects.
Rather than addressing the climate warming emergency by placing a moratorium on new developments and their legacies of embedded carbon, considering these big projects displays a commitment to “more”. That is, more visitors in the Valley, more embedded carbon emissions and more ecosystem impacts traded against the over-sold glitter of operational energy efficiency. Unfortunately, this track to new development seems consistent with our culture of having our climate emergency cake and eating it too. In other words, a commitment to “fairy tales of eternal economic growth”1 in a mountain valley with clear limits to growth.
A climate emergency means governments should now be making hard decisions relating to limiting new growth. We need alternative planning decisions that are consistent with declarations of climate “emergency” and that have meaningful impact on addressing our community responsibility for limiting growth-associated global warming in order to maintain and restore already stressed ecosystems.
BVN, and several other environmental planning and advocacy groups, have serious concerns about these projects. We have issued a media release outlining some initial concerns. We hope our followers will ask some hard questions when the government planners come out from behind closed planning doors.
1Greta Thunberg, United Nations Climate Actions Summit, September 23, 2019.
Helicopters In Canmore
Is relocating the Canmore Heliport addressing the fundamental challenges of heliport activity, no matter where the heliport is located, or simply displacing the questions of its function for others to address?
The activities of the heliport can be situated within two arenas:
- Functionally useful: research, maintenance, rescue.
- Economically gainful: tourism overflights, social events (e.g.: weddings, family reunions, picnics), recreational access (e.g.: yoga, hiking, skiing)
The concerns devolving from helicopter activities can be clustered within four categories, each of which overlaps with some, or all, of the others:
- Climate Change
- Environmental Impact
- Noise
- Air Quality
In 2016, Canmore adopted the Climate Change Adaptation Background Report And Resilience Plan. That plan implies determination to take climate change seriously.
Under Strategic goals, of the plan we find:
“Increase community awareness of projected climate changes and potential impacts on the economy and local businesses; the natural environment; property, infrastructure and services; and the health and lifestyles of residents; ……”
With this in mind, is it not time to scrutinize the use of helicopters for “recreational” pleasure? Should we not encourage those engaged with events (weddings, yoga, picnics, family reunions) that are helicopter supported to re-think their business plans and search for alternatives to flying to a “remote” mountain shoulder or meadow somewhere within an “efficient flight time” from the Canmore heliport? Consider the displacement of wildlife, the possible overuse of some small habitat patches by humans, the noise of the helicopters in the flight path, the emissions and use of petroleum products that may become rare and precious in the future and the potential for some drama such as an accident or a sudden weather event. Let’s work to get the community of businesses in the Bow Valley to support a better future for all in the region that includes clean air, quieter skies, responsible and meaningful tourism and recreation.
The Town of Canmore has recently completed an investigation into tourism guided by this introductory statement of challenge:
“There needs to be a purposeful and deliberate effort on the part of the community and businesses to find common ground and work toward a shared vision for tourism. Failure to take action and work collaboratively could result in over tourism and degradation of the core value proposition of the community. The impacts of this could include decreased quality of life for residents, negative environmental impacts and reduced viability for tourism businesses. If the region chooses to act proactively, it has an immense opportunity to become an iconic, internationally known destination and a leader in sustainable tourism development.”
While one can prevaricate about the term “sustainable”, the use of the heliport for tourist overflights is in contradiction to many other comments in this statement.
In the summary document the capstone for Canmore’s Regenerative Tourism Framework suggests:
“The two defining truths of our time are that Truth and Reconciliation and climate change must be addressed. Not with words but with sincere and meaningful actions. These are at the heart of the tourism framework.” And
“Our climate change approach will align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals:
- Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters.
- Integrate climate change measures into policies, strategies and planning.
- Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management.
- Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.”
By linking climate change with tourism, Canmore can take action to encourage change within the tourism sector. All engaged in tourism should be encouraged to offer meaningful experiences that do not rely on negative effects that are inappropriate in a time of climate crisis. But it seems relocation of the heliport appears to presuppose that all the uses will continue without revisiting their impacts on the community and the environment. A thorough assessment of the uses of the heliport should precede searching for a new site, any of which will probably perpetuate some or all of challenges that currently exist. This will involve serious conversations with both business interests and with the community at large.
Perhaps it is time to look at the functions of the heliport “in situ” and to encourage a business plan that accounts for impacts on the four points outlined at the beginning of this note. Are the real costs of some activities (rescue, back-county supply and work, research support) being subsidized by tourism? Are we sacrificing attention to climate change, air quality, noise and environmental disturbance because they are over-ridden by economic benefits elsewhere?
If moving the heliport only displaces the problems, is there any gain? Does relocating solve any big questions? Does it do so without introducing new and counteracting problems? Is it possible that the idea of relocating the heliport is addressing a “problem of location” and not a problem relating to appropriateness of activities? These are important questions, no matter where the heliport is located.
Perhaps it is the activities performed through the heliport that first ought to be assessed. It is time for us (the Town of Canmore and all of us in the Bow Valley) to be bold in our actions about climate change. Perhaps together, Canmore and tourism operators can set examples for other communities with changes that address heli-tourism’s relationship with meaningful climate change action.
Three Sisters: A Second Opinion
Three Sisters Mountain Village Properties Limited has undertaken court action against the Town of Canmore claiming the Town has resisted development from multiple ownership groups. We would like to direct readers to a second opinion on this perspective that is supported history. Please take a moment to read Steve de Keijzer’s note on page A15 of the January 13, 2022 edition of the Rocky Mountain Outlook.
OF WILD THINGS
A Challenging Christmas Bird Count
Bow Valley birders take some pride in whining about the harsh weather during our annual Christmas bird counts. Perhaps the locals should take a moment and find out what a bird count 800 kilometers north of 60 is like.
BVN’s 46th Annual Christmas Bird Count
The conditions on Saturday, December 18, 2021 were less than ideal. This year, strong winds, deep snow and wind chill all made it difficult for participants and their subjects to venture far. That said, a total of 43 different species and 2663 individual birds were counted by 93 participants between Banff & Canmore. Collectively, they spent 136 hours out in the field, covering almost 295 km including 247 km on foot. Even with the bad weather it was still a great way to spend a wintery day.
Details
There were very few waterfowl on the river and open water. A total count of 113 Mallards is low; 8 were at the Cave & Basin marsh and the rest at Policeman’s Creek. Ethan Denton went looking for them on their roosts after dark! Three Common Mergansers and a pair of Common Goldeneye were on the Bow River.
One merlin and two adult Bald Eagles were spotted by Canmore counters. Most local woodpecker species were found, no owls and we had the usual abundance of corvids (jays, nutcrackers, magpies and ravens) We had a decent round up of dippers in various wetlands. There were fewer species and individuals of songbirds and finches. The lone Spruce grouse was seen in Canmore by a cross-country skier. The Red-winged Blackbird was seen in a Banff neighbourhood during Count Week.
Wildlife signs included exceedingly fresh cougar tracks somewhere on the Minnewanka Loop, river otter “slide marks” at Bow Falls and the usual red squirrels, coyote, elk and deer seen throughout the area.
We had our second “new” tradition of a post-count virtual social gathering to share stories of the day and to see some fabulous photographs of birds presented by Mike Potter, local author and photographer.
Next year’s Count is on Saturday December 17th, 2022. The detailed list of observations from the BVN Banff-Canmore count are shown below.
BANFF-CANMORE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT OBSERVATIONS
| BANFF-CANMORE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT OBSERVATIONS: SPECIES | NUMBER | SPECIES | NUMBER |
| Mallard | 113 | Boreal Chickadee | 29 |
| Common Goldeneye | 2 | Chickadee sp. | 76 |
| Common Merganser | 3 | Red-breasted Nuthatch | 51 |
| Spruce Grouse | 1 | White-breasted Nuthatch | 9 |
| Northern Goshawk | 1 | Brown Creeper | 7 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | American Dipper | 16 |
| Rock Dove | 14 | Golden-crowned Kinglet | 5 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | Townsend’s Solitaire | 17 |
| Downy Woodpecker | 9 | American Robin | 2 |
| Hairy Woodpecker | 6 | Bohemian Waxwing | 481 |
| American Three-Toed Woodpecker | 9 | Dark-eyed Junco | 13 |
| Northern Flicker | 1 | White-throated Sparrow | 1 |
| Pileated Woodpecker | 1 | Song Sparrow | 2 |
| Woodpecker sp. | 1 | Sparrow sp. | 1 |
| Merlin | 1 | Red-winged Blackbird | Count Week |
| Falcon sp. | 1 | Gray-crowned Rosy Finch | 1 |
| Gray Jay | 37 | Pine Grosbeak | 25 |
| Steller’s Jay | 1 | Red Crossbill | 50 |
| Blue Jay | 12 | White-winged Crossbill | 139 |
| Black-billed Magpie | 114 | Common Redpoll | 100 |
| Clark’s Nutcracker | 106 | Pine Siskin | 1 |
| American Crow | 1 | House Sparrow | 509 |
| Common Raven | 260 | TOTAL BIRDS COUNTED | 2663 |
| Black-capped Chickadee | 99 | ||
| Mountain Chickadee | 332 |
BowKan Birders Christmas Bird Count
This count occurred on January 1, 2022 and includes a 12.5 kilometre circle centered on the north side of Mount McGillivary just south of Exshaw. Cliff Hansen tells us he was not expecting high bird numbers this year. This count of 545 birds was well below the 30-year average of 1290 birds. Although the first count in 1992 and the 2005 count only produced 470 and 476 birds respectively. The species count was more encouraging with 33 species reported, only slightly below the 30-year average of 35 (including count-week species). This number exceeds or equals the reports of the 12 past counts. It is encouraging to see that the eleven species on every previous count were again seen, albeit in lower numbers. The most prominent species missing this time included Pileated Woodpecker, Clarke’s Nutcracker, Snow Bunting, Dark-eyed Junco, Golden-crowned Kinglet and Gray-crowned Rosy-finch. But the species total was maintained by the appearance of Trumpeter Swan, Bufflehead, Northern Goshawk, Black-backed Woodpecker, Blue Jay, and Song Sparrow. The Bufflehead and Black-backed Woodpecker were especially noteworthy. They each have been seen on only three previous Christmas Counts (1998, 1999 & 2000 and 1998, 2013 & 2018 respectively).
Readers wishing to see more detailed information on the BowKan Birders CBC count can contact Cliff.
They Showed Us Ecosystems
BVN notes the late 2021 passing of two great minds and contributors to ecosystem science. Many of our readers are familiar the work of E.O. Wilson and Thomas Lovejoy, whether we know it or not. In a tribute to these great conservationists Elizabeth Pennisi says “Wilson and Lovejoy were part of a cadre of scientists, now dwindling, who led and shaped biodiversity conservation and research priorities during the second half of the 20th century.” She notes that Wilson might be considered by many as the greatest naturalist of all time and Lovejoy is credited with coining the term “biological diversity”. Visit Pennisi’s article and the associated references. Then, go outside somewhere and admire the beauty and complexity of the natural world these two scientists did so much to help us understand.
What Members Read, Watch and Listen to
BOOKS
Thanks to Jess Harding who submitted this list of interesting readings…
Islands of Abandonment: Life in the Post-human Landscape Cal Flyn
An investigative journalist’s non-fiction exploration of some of the world’s most desolate, abandoned places, now being reclaimed by nature.
Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It Derrick Jensen and Lierre Keith
How much of the environmental movement has been transformed from being about saving wild places and wild nature into being about powering the industrial economy, turning it into a lobbying call for technologies.
Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World Emma Marris
This work covers the scientific complexities and moral dilemmas presented by a booming human population dominating a finite planet. Protecting wild animals and preserving the environment are two ideals so seemingly compatible as to be almost inseparable. Yet, between animal welfare and conservation science there exists a space of under-examined and unresolved tension: wildness itself. When is it right to capture or feed wild animals for the good of their species? How do we balance the rights of introduced species with those already established within an ecosystem? Are any animals truly wild on a planet that humans have so thoroughly changed?
The Future of Life Edward O. Wilson
A moving description of our biosphere and a guidebook for the protection of all its species, including humankind. A call for quick and decisive action to save Earth’s biological heritage, from one of the world’s most influential scientists.
The Weekender Effect: Hyperdevelopment in Mountain Towns R. W. Sandford
A local author examines the question “what happens to paradise when you carve it up into lots and sell it?” 13 years later, this short book remains worthwhile reading for those who live in or love these mountains.
Wild Roses Are Worth It: Reimagining the Alberta Advantage Kevin Van Tighem
A collection of thoughtful essays. Kevin Van Tighem offers the possibility of a more sustaining relationship with our place and with one another, reminding us that Alberta’s stories are about much more than oil.
INTERESTING LINKS
You can find interesting presentations on the BVN and Y2Y websites. For this issue Colleen Campbell organized an extensive list of interesting reading and watching opportunities for naturalists and environmental advocates. Scroll down and find what interests you or contact us for her complete list of interesting links.
The Zooniverse Citizen Science Platform
Interesting Re-purposing and Bats
When you look at mountains think pencils.
Andrew Nikiforuk: Southam Lecture at University of Victoria
Life on a Sandbar from Cornell Lab of Ornithology
A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching
Cougars and Highways in Washington State
Don’t Take Wildlife Over Passes For Granted
Canmore is Only One Place with an Urban Rabbit Challenge
BVN cautions all readers to not use publicly accessible social media style applications to post the locations of sensitive natural features, plants or wildlife that will attract people to that location. It’s good to know nature is out there but in these days of social media such sharing of sensitive information will put the nature we love at risk of being loved too much.
Who to Call
You may come across situations or observations that you want to tell the authorities about. We recommend you have these phone numbers handy. Remember, cell phone coverage is spotty in the mountains so take notes if you need to move on to make a call.
- Ambulance, Fire Department, Police (RCMP): 911
- Banff Dispatch: 403-762-4506 for Park-related emergency only (avalanche, forest fire, mountain rescue, etc.)
- Banff Dispatch: 403-762-1470 for Park non-emergency (e.g. bear or large carnivore sightings, human-wildlife conflicts, injured animal, illegal park activities such as fire, camping, drones)
- Kananaskis Emergency Services 403-591-7755 for emergencies, bear, cougar and problem wildlife sightings, illegal activities. This is also the number to report a poacher. If you wish to remain anonymous while reporting a crime, phone 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)