Support for the Canmore Area Trails Strategy
The Government’s Canmore Area Trails Strategy (CATS) seeks to create a trail network in the Bow Valley that balances ecological values with quality outdoor recreation. Unmanaged human recreation on trails is as harmful as development when it comes to how wildlife use – or don’t use – this valley; and over two thirds of trails in the Bow Valley are unsanctioned. CATS is our best hope to balance recreation with environmental stewardship.
We are collaborating with recreational trail user groups to identify solutions for improving human-wildlife coexistence on the extensive trail networks within Canmore and Kananaskis Country.
The Bow Valley is one of the world’s largest hubs for outdoor recreation. Many local residents move to the area for its diverse outdoor opportunities, including hiking, mountain biking, climbing, trail running, skiing, horseback riding, and more. Outdoor recreation also draws millions of visitors annually from Calgary, Edmonton, and around the globe.
key learnings
As a first step in this process, we engaged trail users to understand their priorities when they are out recreating, their knowledge about wildlife management, and their perspectives on coexistence challenges and solutions.
We found that:
Trail user groups have limited knowledge about the impacts of recreation on wildlife, but they are interested in learning
Multiple avenues are available and needed for wildlife-related communication
Communications could be more effective if they focus on the “WHY” rather than simply the “what”
A comprehensive Trail Management Strategy is essential, and should be situated within a broader understanding of cumulative effects of all human activity on wildlife
Trail users want to be good stewards of the environment
Trusted Messengers
This project, funded by Alberta Ecotrust, addressed wildlife conservation by empowering Bow Valley community members to design, deliver, and evaluate tailored human-wildlife coexistence messages together with Biosphere Institute staff.
Biosphere staff worked with Trusted Messengers from community groups, mostly online due to COVID-19, to develop conservation messages tailored to their peer or recreational user group. Messages were delivered through conversations, video, social media, or a combination. We used surveys and interviews to evaluate the effectiveness of messages delivered. We assessed target audiences’ knowledge and behaviours before and after our communications efforts.
Select media created through the trusted messengers project:
This project was generously funded by:
