Future wildlife mitigations proposed for the remaining undeveloped lands in Three Sisters Mountain Village include using wildlife exclusion fencing to separate developed areas for human use and wildlife corridors.
Future wildlife mitigations proposed for the remaining undeveloped lands in Three Sisters Mountain Village include using wildlife exclusion fencing to separate developed areas for human use and wildlife corridors.
The hard edge concept is a significant wildlife mitigation change for the developer, which has seen the development of Three Sisters lands until now proceed using a soft edge approach.
It was a topic of significant concern during the online community conversation hosted by Three Sisters Mountain Village and the Town of Canmore on wildlife mitigations and the future development of the Smith Creek area and resort core.
The change in direction, explained Golder senior biologist Kyle Knopff, has been the result of research over the past three years in examining how wildlife corridors in the region are being used by different species.
“There is quite a lot of human use in wildlife corridors,” he said. “It has probably reduced the efficacy of those corridors.
“We have this issue of people being in the corridor and we have these soft edges. On the edges of the corridors we have a lot of green spaces going into developed areas and high quality habitat on the edges.
“Animals in the Bow Valley have adapted to the presence of humans and continue to use these edges more than we would have expected in the past. What we are seeing in these soft edges are animals moving into development and having negative interactions with humans.”
Separating developed areas using wildlife exclusion fencing has, as a result, been proposed by Three Sisters Mountain Village as part of wildlife mitigations that form the development proposal.
But for Yellowstone to Yukon program director Stephen Legault, the issue of fencing is not as important as the conversation that the community and region as a whole should be having on the proposed wildlife corridor alignment.
TSMV has submitted a proposed corridor to the provincial government - as it is Alberta Environment and Parks' responsibility to establish wildlife corridors throughout the development area.
Legault said fencing is a secondary issue to what should be top of mind for Canmore residents and Albertans - the establishment of a functioning wildlife corridor.
“Once we settle on the width and functionality of the corridor, then we can focus on how to keep wildlife in it and people out of it,” he said. “The bigger issue at the end of the day is going to be whether or not we have a functioning, designated corridor that ensures wildlife can move along the southern Bow Valley.”
Connectivity throughout the Bow Valley and the greater region of the Canadian Rockies depends on the alignment and functioning of this final corridor to be established on TSMV lands, said Legault. The distance wildlife species have to travel from the Banff National Park border to the west is long and narrow and includes obstacles like the Canmore Nordic Centre, Rundle Forebay, Peaks of Grassi development, unfinished golf course and existing development before the lands under consideration for the corridor and Smith Creek subdivision are reached.
“For a corridor of that length to function effectively, conservation science would suggest at least 450 metres wide is needed,” Legault said. “That is the major question we are going to have to address first and foremost - are we going to have a corridor that functions? That is a decision the province of Alberta needs to rule on and a question the people of Alberta and Canmore need to have input into.”
However, other than the Natural Resource Conservation Board process of the early '90s that granted TSMV development rights on its property, the provincial government has not engaged in a public consultation process on wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley.
Given that final corridor alignment is critical to regional connectivity of wildlife in the Rocky Mountains and the greater Yellowstone to Yukon corridor, Legault said the impacts of this decision extend beyond this valley.
“If we get this wrong at this point, then the result could be we damage or destroy an internationally significant wildlife movement corridor,” he said. “Canmore has always prided itself on a leadership role ... in ensuring the Yellowstone to Yukon connectivity region is not threatened by development in this valley and now we are going to put that to the test.”
TSMV planning principal Jessica Karpat said for the wildlife corridor to function it is important to also have the conversation about human use because of what the developer is seeing occur within corridors currently.
Over the past three years since the development has been out of receivership, TSMV has been actively monitoring movement in the corridors that surround its development and their findings show that humans and off leash dogs represent two-thirds of the corridor use and wildlife only one-third.
Fencing as part of the overall mitigation plan, however, is likely to be an emotionally fraught decision. Knopff recognized it is a sensitive issue for people who want to own a home next to a wildlife corridor and have wildlife up close, “but that doesn't mean that is an effective solution for animals.”
Knopff said the issue in terms of mitigation is not movement, because Golder's research has indicated species are moving through the valley, the issue is negative human and wildlife interactions.
“We identify environmental risks and we work to identify solutions or mitigations and ultimately assess the residual effects,” said Knopff. “One of the key things we have to do to mitigate human use in wildlife corridors is a multi pronged approach and fencing is part of it, education is part of it and defining good fun trails that lead only to designated trails in wildlife corridors are part of the solution.”
A lot more was discussed regarding wildlife mitigations during the webinar - as it was scheduled to speak directly to that one issue as it relates to both Smith Creek and the resort core.
The webinar archive and other information about Smith Creek and the resort core are available at www.smithcreekcanmore.ca.
TSMV also expects to hold a webinar on undermining issues in the resort core in the near future.
A public open house and information session is planned for Oct. 18 on both the resort centre and Smith Creek area structure plans at the Coast Hotel from 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m.
There is also going to be an overall community conversation about connectivity through the Three Sisters lands hosted by Y2Y next Thursday (Sept. 29) at 7 p.m. at the Seniors Centre in Canmore.
A key factor driving the need for wildlife mitigation is the fact that TSMV represents the addition of thousands of more residents to Canmore, in addition to commercial development proposed, and a resort core expected to attract more and more visitors to the area.
“It will be an opportunity for people to have a conversation and learn about the importance of the Bow Valley from a regional perspective as a wildlife movement corridor and how the community can coexist with wildlife walking through our backyards,” Legault said.
