‘Important habitat’: Journey restriction alongside Bow Valley Parkway in place to reduce wildlife disturbances

Article content material

For the ninth yr in a row, Parks Canada is implementing a dusk-to-dawn seasonal closure for all site visitors in a piece of the Bow Valley Parkway to lower the consequences on animals within the space.

Article content material

Between 8 p.m. and eight a.m. from March 1 to June 25, the 17-kilometre part of street from the Trans-Canada Freeway/Bow Valley Parkway interchange to the Johnston Canyon Campground might be closed to motor autos, bicycles and pedestrians.

Daniella Rubeling, customer expertise supervisor with Parks Canada, stated preserving the realm away from site visitors within the evenings is significant to the success of the various species that frequent it.

“That stretch of the Bow Valley Parkway that makes up this journey restriction is essential habitat. It’s actually essential for wildlife because it’s the primary place within the spring to inexperienced up, so this restriction is to restrict night journey throughout a time of yr when animals use the valley bottoms to keep away from the deep snow,” she stated.

Article content material

Delicate species corresponding to grizzly bears and wolves are recognized to make use of the realm to feed and lift their younger, Rubeling stated, including black bears, cougars, foxes, coyotes, deer, elk and bighorn sheep additionally go by means of commonly.

“Spring will be actually variable right here within the mountains . . . and so it actually does exhibit the necessity for this space to be obtainable to them.”

The seasonal restriction will even apply to the Bow Valley Parkway biking expertise, which begins Could 1. With gates in place on each side, the street closure might be apparent to autos however Rubeling stated getting the message out to cyclists is essential.

“It’s a bit extra permeable for cyclists and that’s the place we’re simply desirous to ensure that that’s actually clear,” she stated. “I do know that anecdotally, over the previous couple of years, we’re not having points with car site visitors. It’s the biking site visitors that we actually wish to ensure stays out of these areas throughout that restriction, as a result of that’s grown over time.”

Through the closure, guests will nonetheless have the ability to entry Johnston Canyon and the westernmost part of the Bow Valley Parkway by way of Fort Junction off the Trans-Canada Freeway.

[email protected]