Editor:
The passenger railway proposed between Calgary and Banff does little to support wildlife that move through the Bow Valley – movements already challenged by increasing human activity. The region between Morley (Mînî Thnî) and Banff is continentally significant for wildlife connectivity, including elk, grizzly bears and wolves. Railways cut across their habitat, impacting the connectivity that enables animals to thrive. The proposal does not speak about how to sustain connectivity, let alone enhance it. Adding another rail line without increasing the opportunities for wildlife to move safely through the Bow Valley, such as additional overpasses, underpasses, and fencing, will only increase the frequencies of tragedies such as the deaths of these five elk – as written in the March 15 Outlook article "Five elk killed after being hit by train in Banff", whose herd was already in decline.
Josh Welsh,
Canmore
