Interesting, isn’t it, that as the valley’s focus seems to be experiencing something of a shift from affordable housing to wildlife corridors, the importance of those corridors is being impressed upon us – by the users.
And by users we mean the ones that should be in said corridors – our wildlife – not off leash dog owners, hikers and bikers who insist on using them for their recreational pursuits.
For those wondering why, at times, there seems to be so many elk in Canmore, we now know. They’re being driven into town by wolves steathily using the wildlife corridors between Banff and Canmore (page 1) for travel.
The fact that elk are responding to the presence of the wolves, despite few or no humans being alerted to their presence, was alluded to by BNP biologist Jesse Whittington in his statement – “We’re pleasantly surprised to see how well the corridors still function, but it highlights the importance of these wildlife corridors for wolves and other large carnivores.”
And this is why so much care and attention must be paid, moving forward, when it comes to finalizing wildlife corridors in this valley.
Clearly, whether we humans realize it or not, corridors, as highlighted by these wolves, are critical to their movements.
This spring, as bears leave their dens, some with young in tow, they will also be moving into these critical corridors (hopefully off the train tracks) which allow them to move about our towns, without being drawn into them as ‘problem’ wildlife.
Actually, it’s no wonder there suddenly seems to be a great deal of angst arising in relation to wildlife corridors as everywhere, it seems, development is once again dominating many conversations.
From an out of the blue $1 billion project announcement at Silvertip, including a 300,000 square foot conference centre (a CFL field is about 88,000 square feet), gondola, multiple hotels, gaming (casino?), etc. to a Three Sisters resort centre and the possibility of Canmore’s population ballooning to 30,000-plus, it’s no wonder people are giving some thought to the possibility that there will no longer be room for wildlife.
That would be the same wildlife that drew so many people to the area in the first place …
Then there’s the issue of a Calgary Olympics bid that could again see spillover to the Canmore Nordic Centre and one can’t help but wonder if the former coal town could survive another post-Olympics boom (a la 1988).
One wonders where everything is headed. Developers like Silvertip and Three Sisters, of course, want to maximize profit from their properties, but regular citizens can’t help but wonder how further further boosts in properties values could negatively affect livability in Canmore.
And just as Banff and Canmore seem to be gaining some headway in creating much-needed affordable housing by taking on projects municipally, the idea of more resort-type development which would require even greater numbers of seasonal/hospitality staff is daunting.
It’s not hard to imagine a scenario where, just as some affordable housing is added to the mix in the valley, an ever increasing need for more would be created by the appearance of large resort centres.
In the end, not only wildlife might be pushed out of the valley, many who would love to call this area home might be pushed out as well – strictly on the basis of affordability.
What’s needed right now is an ability to take a deep breath and view what’s on the horizon.
