Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in the Rocky Mountains in 1885. Located 180 km (80 miles) west of Calgary, in the province of Alberta, It encompasses 6,641 square kilometers (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forests, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway runs along Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park to the north. The Provincial Forests and Yoho National Park are neighbors to the west, while Kootenay National Park is situated to the south and the Kananaskis Countryside to the southeast. The main commercial center of the park is in the city of Banff, in the valley of the Bow River. It is part of the natural complex called Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984.
The Canadian Pacific Railways were used in Banff some years ago, building the Hotel and Château Lake Louise, and attracting tourists through extensive advertising. In the early 20th century, rails were built in Banff, occasionally by war internees, and throughout the era depression of public projects. Since 1930, park amenities have been open year-round, with tourist visits increasing to over five million in 1990. Millions more pass through the park via the Trans-Canada Highway. As Banff is one of the most visited national parks in the world, the health of its ecosystem has been threatened. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada responded by initiating a two-year study, which led to management recommendations, and new policies aimed at preserving ecological integrity.
History
Throughout its history, Banff National Park has been shaped by the tension between conservation and development interests. The park was established in 1885 in response to conflicting claims by whoever had discovered hot springs there and who had the right to develop them with commercial interests. Instead, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald set the hot springs aside as a small ecological preserve, which was later expanded to include Lake Louise and other areas north of the Columbia Icefield.
Early history
Archaeological evidence found at Vermilion Lakes radiocarbon dates the first human activity in Banff to around 10,300 B.C. Before contact with Europeans, aborigines including the Stoney, Kootenay, Tsuu T'ina, Kainai, Peigans and Siksika were common in the region where they hunted bison and other game.
With the admission of British Columbia to Canada on July 20, 1871, Canada agreed to the construction of a transcontinental railroad, which began in 1875, with Kicking Horse Pass, over Yellowhead Pass, as the route through the Canadian Rockies. Ten years later the final destination was reached: Craigellachie, British Columbia.
Rocky Mountain Park Establishment
With conflicting claims over the discovery of hot springs in Banff, Prime Minister John A. MacDonald decided to create a small 10-square-mile preserve around the hot springs in the Cave and Basin as a public park in 1885. Under the Rocky Mountain Park Act enacted on June 23, 1887, the park was extended to 400 miles and named Rocky Mountain Park. This was the first national park in Canada, and the second established in North America, after Yellowstone National Park. The Pacific Railway of Canada built the Banff Springs Hotel and the Chateau Lake Louise to attract tourists and increase the number of passengers on the railway.
The Assiniboine Indians were removed from Banff National Park during 1890-1920. The park was designed to attract athletes and tourists. Officials blamed the depletion of wildlife in the park on Indians hunting for subsistence. The policy of exclusion was linked to the goals of sport hunting, tourism and game conservation, as well as those trying to "civilize" to the Indians.
From the beginning, Banff was popular with wealthy European tourists, who arrived in Canada via transatlantic luxury cruise liners and continued west by rail, as well as upper-class American and English tourists. Some visitors participated in the mountaineering activities, often hiring local guides. Tom Wilson, along with Jim and Bill Brewster, was one of the first outfitters in Banff. The Canadian Mountaineering Club, established in 1906 by Arthur Oliver Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker, organized the climbs and camping in the park.
In 1911, Banff was accessible by car from Calgary. Starting in 1916, the Brewsters offered motorcoach tours of Banff. By 1920, access to Lake Louise by road was available, and the Banff-Windermere road opened in 1923 to connect Banff with British Columbia.
In 1902, the park was expanded to cover 4,400 square miles (11,400 km²), including areas around Lake Louise, the Bow River, Red Deer, Kananaskis, and Spray Rivers. Yielding to pressure from grazing and logging interests, the park's size was reduced in 1911 to 1,800 sq mi (4,663 km), removing many hilly areas from the park. The park's boundaries changed several more times until 1930, when Banff's size was set at 2,586 sq mi (6,697 km), with the passage of the National Parks Act. The act also renamed the park the Banff National Park, named for the Canadian Pacific Railway station, itself named after the Banffshire region of Scotland. With the construction of a new eastern gate in 1933, Alberta transferred 0, 84 km² (0.32 sq mi) to the park. This, along with other minor changes to the park's boundaries in 1949, brought the park's area to 2,564 sq mi (6,641 km).
Coal Mining
In 1887, local aboriginal tribes signed Treaty 7, which gave Canada rights to explore the land for resources. In the early 20th century, coal was mined near Lake Minnewanka in Banff. For a brief period, a mine operated in Anthracite, but it was closed in 1904. The Bankhead mine, in the Cascade Range, was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1903 to 1922. In 1926, the town was dismantled, with many constructions that moved to the city of Banff and elsewhere.
Internment camps
During World War I, immigrants from Germany, Austria, Hungary, and the Ukraine were sent to Banff to work in the internment camps. The main camp is located at Castle Mountain, and was moved to the Cave and the Basin during the winter. Most of the early infrastructure and road building was done by men of different Slavic origins although Ukrainians made up the majority of the inmates in Banff. Historical plaques and a statue erected by the Association of Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties commemorate internees at Castle Mountain, and the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, where an interpretive pavilion dealing with Canada's first domestic internment operations was scheduled to open in June 2013.
In 1931, the Government of Canada enacted the Unemployment and Farm Relief Act which provided for public works projects in national parks during the Great Depression. In Banff, workers built a new bathhouse and swimming pool in Upper Hot Springs, as a supplement to the cave and basin. Other projects involved construction of roads in the park, the tasks of the entire town of Banff, and the construction of a highway connecting Banff and Jasper. In 1934, the Public Works Construction Law was approved, providing continuous financing for public works projects. New projects include construction of a new registration floor at Banff's east gate, and construction of an administration building in Banff. By 1940, Icefields Avenue reached the Columbia Icefield area of Banff, connecting Banff and Jasper. Most of the infrastructure present in the national park dates back to the date of public works projects approved during the Great Depression.
Internment camps were reestablished in Banff during World War II, with camps stationed at Lake Louise, Stoney Creek, and Healy Creek. Prison camps were largely made up of Mennonites from Saskatchewan. The Japanese internment camps were not set up in Banff during World War II, but were located in Jasper National Park, where their inmates worked on the Yellowhead Highway and in other projects.
Winter tourism
Winter tourism in Banff began in February 1917, with the first Banff Winter Carnival. It was catered to a regional middle-class audience, and became the centerpiece of local reinforcements with the aim of attracting visitors, which in winter were a low priority for Canada Pacific Railways (CPR). The carnival It had a large ice palace, which was built in 1917 by the internees. Carnival events included cross-country skiing, ski jumping, curling, snowshoeing, and skijoring. In the 1930s, the first downhill ski resort, Sunshine Village, was developed by the Brewsters. Mount Norquay Ski Resort also developed during the 1930s, with the first chairlift installed there in 1948.
Since 1968, when the Banff Springs Hotel was decorated for winter, Banff has been a year-round destination. In the 1960s, the Trans-Canada Highway was built, providing another transportation corridor through the Bow Valley, as well as the Bow Valley Parkway, making the park more accessible. Also in the 1960s, the Calgary International Airport was built.
Canada launched several bids to host the Winter Olympics in Banff, with the first bid for the 1964 Winter Olympics eventually being awarded to Innsbruck, Austria. Canada narrowly lost a second bid, for the 1968 Winter Olympics, which was awarded to Grenoble, France. Once again, Banff launched a bid to host the 1972 Winter Olympics, with plans to hold the Olympics in Lake Louise. The 1972 bid was more controversial, as environmental lobbies were always strongly opposed to the bid, which was sponsored by Imperial Oil. Bowing to the pressure, Jean Chrétien, then Minister of the Environment, the government department The head of Parks Canada withdrew his support for the bid, which was ultimately lost to Sapporo, Japan. The cross-country events were held at the Canmore Nordic Center Provincial Park in Canmore, Alberta, located just outside the eastern gates of Banff National Park on the Trans-Canada Highway, when Calgary hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics..
Conservation
Since the original Rocky Mountain Park Act, subsequent acts and policies placed greater emphasis on conservation. With public sentiment leaning toward ecology, Parks Canada issued a major new policy in 1979 that emphasized conservation. The National Parks Law was amended in 1988, making the preservation of ecological integrity the first priority in all park management decisions. The law also requires each park to have a management plan, with greater public participation.
In 1984, Banff was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the other national and provincial parks that make up the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks, for mountain landscapes containing mountain peaks, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons and limestone caves, as well as fossils found there. With this appointment came additional conservation obligations.
During the 1980s, Parks Canada moved to privatize many park services, such as golf courses, and added user fees for the use of other facilities and services to help deal with budget cuts. In 1990, the City of Banff incorporated, giving local residents more of a vote regarding any proposed development.
In the 1990s, development plans for the park, including expansion into Sunshine Village, were under fire with lawsuits brought by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). In the mid-1990s, the Banff-Bow Valley Study was started to find ways to better address environmental concerns, and related development issues in the park and in Canada.
Geography
Banff National Park is located in the Rocky Mountains on Alberta's western border with British Columbia. Banff is an hour and a half drive from Calgary, and four hours from Edmonton. Jasper National Park is located to the north, while Yoho National Park is to the west, and Kootenay National Park is to the south. Kananaskis Country, which includes Bow Valley Forest Provincial Park, Spray Valley Provincial Park and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, lies south and east of Banff.
The Trans-Canada Highway passes through Banff National Park, near the eastern border of Canmore, through the towns of Banff and Lake Louise, and into Yoho National Park in British Columbia. The Banff townsite is the main commercial center in the national park. The town of Lake Louise is located at the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Icefields Parkway, which runs north of the city of Jasper.
Banff
Banff, established in 1885, is the main commercial center in Banff National Park, as well as a center of cultural activities. Banff is home to several cultural institutions, including the Banff Centre, the Whyte Museum, the Buffalo Luxton Museum of Nations, Cave and Basin National Historic Site, and several art galleries. Throughout its history, Banff has hosted many annual events, including Banff Indian Days which began in 1889, and the Banff Winter Carnival. Since 1976, the Banff Center has organized the Banff Mountain Film Festival. In 1990, Banff was incorporated as an Alberta city, though still subject to the National Parks Act and federal authority in regards to planning and development. As of the 2005 census, the city of Banff has a population of of 8,352, of whom nearly 7,000 are permanent residents. The Bow River flows through the city of Banff, with Bow Falls located on the outskirts of the city.
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Lake Louise
Lake Louise, a hamlet located 54 kilometers northwest of the city of Banff, is home to the historic Chateau Lake Louise on the edge of Lake Louise.
Moraine Lake
Located 15 kilometers from Lake Louise, Moraine Lake offers a panoramic view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. This scene was photographed on the back of Bank of Canada $20 notes, in the 1969 to 1979 series ("Scenes from Canada"). The Lake Louise Mountain Resort is also located near the village.
Icefields Parkway
The Icefields Parkway stretches 230 kilometers, connecting Lake Louise with Jasper, Alberta. The Parkway originates at Lake Louise, and extends north into the Bow Valley, past Hector Lake, Bow Lake, and Peyto Lake. The Parkway then crosses a ridge, and follows the Mistaya River to the Saskatchewan Crossing, where it converges with the Howse and the North Saskatchewan River.
The North Saskatchewan River flows east of the Saskatchewan Crossing, outside of Banff, in what is known as David Thompson Country, and over Edmonton. The David Thompson Highway follows the North Saskatchewan River, past the man-made Abraham Lake, and through David Thompson Country. At Saskatchewan Crossing, basic services are available, including gasoline, a cafeteria, a gift shop, and a small motel.
North of the Saskatchewan Crossing, the Icefields Parkway follows the North Saskatchewan River to the Columbia Icefield. The Parkway crosses through Jasper National Park at Sunwapta Pass at 2,035 meters (6,677 ft), and continues from there to the town of Jasper.
Geology
The Canadian Rockies consist of several northwest-southeast trending ranges. Following closely the Continental Divide, the main ranges form the backbone of the Canadian Rockies. The Front Ranges are located east of the Main Range Banff National Park extends east of the Continental Divide and includes the eastern slopes of the Main Range and much of the Front Range. The latter include the mountains around the town of Banff. The foothills lie to the east of the Park, between Calgary and Canmore. On the other side of the park, the western ranges run through Yoho and Kootenay National Parks. Still further west is the Rocky Mountain Trench, the western boundary of the Canadian Rocky Mountains region of British Columbia.
The Canadian Rockies are made up of sedimentary rock, including shale, sandstone, limestone, and quartz, that originated as deposits on a continental shelf, similar to the relatively shallow shelf off the US coast.. Oriental. Geologic formations in the Banff Range age from the Precambrian eon to the Jurassic period. Rocks as young as the late Cretaceous, formed from sediment spillage into the continental interior from the uplift of the ridges farther west, where they became caught up in mountain building as deformation progressed inland. However, most of these deposits—especially the Cretaceous sandstones exposed on the lower wall of the McConnell thrust fault on Yamnuska Mountain—lie outside the formal Banff park boundaries.
Although the rocks in Banff Park were established as sediments between 600 and 175 million years ago, the main period of the mountain's construction occurred between 80 and 120 million years ago, as a result of the shortening and deformation of the ancient continental shelf. as the exotic island terrains collided and grew larger on the fringe of the mainland. The shortening was accommodated by thrust faults and associated folds.
Erosion accompanied and survived the uplift of the Canadian Rockies, with likely rejuvenation and acceleration of erosion rates since the Pliocene, when Earth entered a period of extensive glaciation. Glacial landforms overwhelmingly dominate Banff's geomorphology, with examples of all classic glacial forms: cirques, arêtes, hanging valleys, moraines, U-shaped valleys et al. Pre-existing structure left over from mountain formation has driven strong glacial erosion: mountains in Banff include complex, irregular, anticline, synclines, castellate, dogtooth, and Sawback Mountains and many of the north-northeast trending ranges, with Sedimentary layers dip to the west at 40 - 60 degrees. This leads to submerged slope landforms, generally steeper on the Middle and North faces, and latticed drainage, where rivers and ancient glacial valleys follow the weakest layers of geologic succession.
Classic examples are found in the town of Banff: Mount Rundle is a classic deep slope of the mountain, and drainages from the Spray and Sulfur Rivers flow parallel to the geologic fall of the range. Just north of the town of Banff, Castle Mountain exemplifies a crenellated form, with steep slopes and cliffs. Castle Mountain is composed of Cambrian rocks from the Cathedral Formation (limestone), the Stephen Shale above it, and the Eldon Formation (limestone). The Dogtooth Mountains, like Mount Louis, exhibit, abrupt and sharp earrings. The Sawback Range, consisting of dipping nearly vertical sedimentary layers, has been eroded by cross-cutting gullies. Scree deposits are common toward the bottom of many mountains and cliffs.
Glaciers and ice fields
Banff National Park has numerous large glaciers and ice fields, many of which are easily accessible from the Icefields Parkway. Small cirque glaciers are quite common in the main ranges, located in depressions in the sides of many mountains. As with most mountain glaciers around the world, the glaciers are receding in Banff. Photographic evidence alone offers testimony to this retreat and the trend has become alarming enough that glaciologists have begun investigating the glaciers in the park more thoroughly, and have analyzed the impact that shrinking glacier ice may take in the water supply to streams and rivers. The largest glacial areas include the Waputik and Wapta Ice Fields, which both lie on the border with Banff National Park, Yoho. The Wapta Icefield covers approximately 80 km² (31 sq mi) in area. Outlets of the Wapta Icefield on the Banff side of the Continental Divide include Peyto, Bow, and Vulture Glaciers. Bow Glacier retreated an estimated 1,100 m (3,600 ft) between the years 1850 and 1953, and since that period, there has been further retreat that has left a newly formed lake at the terminal moraine. Peyto Glacier has receded approximately 2,000 m (6,600 ft) since 1880, and is at risk of disappearing completely in the next 30 to 40 years. Both Crowfoot and Hector Glaciers are also easily visible from Icefields Parkway, still standing They are singular glaciers and are not attached to any major ice sheet.
The Columbia Icefield, in the far north of Banff, located on the border of Banff and Jasper National Park and extends into British Columbia. Snow Dome, in the Columbia Icefields, forms a hydrologic apex of North America, with water flowing from this point to the Pacific via the Columbia, the Arctic Ocean via the Athabasca River, and into Hudson Bay and into ultimately into the Atlantic Ocean, via the North Saskatchewan River. The Saskatchewan Glacier, which is approximately 13 km (8.1 mi) long and 30 km² (12 sq mi) in area, is the main outlet from the Columbia Ice Field that empties into Banff. Between the years 1893 and 1953, the Saskatchewan Glacier had retreated a distance of 4,475 feet (1,364 m), with the rate of retreat between the years 1948 and 1953 averaging 180 feet (55 m) per year. Overall, Canadian Rocky Mountain glaciers lost 25 percent of their mass during the 20th century.
Climate
Under the Köppen climate classification, the park has a subarctic climate (CDF), with cold, snowy winters and mild summers. The climate is influenced by altitude with higher areas having lower temperatures. Located In the eastern part of the Continental Divide, Banff National Park receives 472 millimeters (18.6 in) of precipitation per year. This is considerably less than Yoho National Park on the western side of the Gap in British Columbia, with 884 mm (34.8 inches) of annual precipitation at Wapta Lake and 616 mm (24.3 inches). Being influenced by altitude, snowfall is greater at higher altitudes than at lower altitudes.
As such, 92 inches (234 cm) of snow falls on average each year in the town of Banff, while 120 inches (304 cm) falls on the higher-elevation Lake Louise.
During the winter months, temperatures in Banff are moderate compared to other areas of central and northern Alberta due to Chinook winds and other influences from British Columbia. The average low temperature during January is 5 °F (−15 °C) and the average high temperature is 23 °F (−5 °C) for the city of Banff. However, temperatures can drop below of -20 °C (-4.0 °C) with wind chill values dropping below -30 °C (-22.0 °F). Weather conditions during the summer months are warm, with high temperatures during July averaging 72 °F (22 °C), and daily average low temperatures of 45 °F (7 °C), leading to a wide diurnal range due to the relative dryness of the air.
Ecology
Ecoregions
Banff National Park encompasses three ecoregions, including montane, subalpine, and alpine. The subalpine ecoregion, which is composed primarily of dense forest, comprises 53 percent of Banff's area. Twenty-seven percent of the park is above the tree line, in the alpine ecoregion. The tree line in Banff is at approximately 7,500 ft (2,300 m), with open meadows in the alpine regions and some areas covered by glaciers. A small portion (3 percent) of the park, located at lower elevations, is in the montane ecoregion. Lodgepole pine forests dominate the Banff montane region, with Englemann fir, willow, aspen, occasionally Douglas-fir and a few Douglas maple interspersed. Englemann fir trees are most common in the subalpine regions of Banff, with some patches of lodgepole pine, and subalpine fir. Mountain areas, which tend to be preferred habitat for wildlife, have seen significant human development. in recent years.
Animal Life
The park has 56 recorded species of mammals. Grizzly bears and black bears inhabit forested regions. Cougar, bobcat, wolverine, weasel, North American river otters, and wolf are the primary predatory mammals. Elk, mule deer, and white-tailed deer are common in the valleys of the park, including around (and sometimes in) the town of Banff, while elk tend to be more difficult to reach, mostly found in the wetlands and areas near the streams. In alpine regions, the Rocky white goat, bighorn sheep, marmot, and pike are widespread. Other mammals such as beavers, porcupines, squirrels, chipmunks, and Columbian ground squirrels are more commonly seen among the smaller mammals. In 2005, a total of five caribou were recorded, making this one of the rarest mammal species. that are in the park.
Due to harsh winters, the park has few reptiles and amphibians with only one species of toad, three species of frog, one species of salamander, and two species of snakes having been identified. At least 280 species of birds can be found in Banff including bald and golden eagles, red-tailed buzzards, ospreys, and merlins, all of which are birds of prey. In addition, commonly seen species such as the gray jay, American woodpecker, mountain bluebird, Clark's nutcracker, mountain chickadee, and pipits are frequently found at lower elevations. The white-tailed ptarmigan is a ground bird often seen in alpine areas. The rivers and lakes are frequented by over a hundred different species, including grebes, herons and mallards that spend their summers in the park.
Endangered species in Banff include the Banff Springs snail (Physella johnsoni) found in Banff's hot springs. The woodland caribou, found in Banff, it is listed as a threatened species.[citation needed]
Mountain Pine Beetles
Mountain pine beetles have caused a number of large-scale infestations in Banff National Park, feeding on the phloem of mature lodgepole pines. The first known outbreak from Alberta occurred in 1940, infecting 17 square miles (43 km) of forest in Banff. A second major outbreak occurred in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Banff and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region..
Tourism
Banff National Park is the most visited tourist destination in Alberta and one of the most visited national parks in North America, with 3,927,557 visitors in 2004/2005. During the summer, 51 percent of visitors Visitors to the park are from Canada (30 percent from Alberta), while 31 percent are from the United States and 14 percent from Europe. Tourism in Banff contributes approximately $6 billion annually to the economy.
A park pass is required to stop in the park and permit checks are common during the summer months, especially at Lake Louise and the start of the Icefields Parkway. A permit is not required if you are traveling directly through the park without stopping. Approximately 5 million people pass through Banff annually on the non-stop Trans-Canada Highway.
Attractions in Banff include Upper Hot Springs, and a 27-hole golf course at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, and three ski resorts, including Sunshine Village, Lake Louise Mountain Resort, and Mount Norquay Ski Resort. The Banff Lodging Co is a hospitality company in the park. Day trips, such as the Cory Pass Loop, are popular with visitors. Other activities include downhill and cross-country skiing, and horseback riding.
Backcountry activities in Banff include hiking, camping, rock climbing and skiing. Parks Canada requires those using backcountry camping, Huts Alpine Club of Canada or other backcountry facilities to purchase a wilderness pass. It is also necessary to make a reservation for the use of the camps.
In 2009, Banff Lake Louise tourism expected the appearance of the "Crasher Squirrel" Internet meme that would stimulate interest in the park. The meme is based on a photograph of a Minnesota couple visiting the park on the shore of Lake Minnewanka and a Columbian ground squirrel that 'snapped': the photograph was published in major news sources around the world. the world and the image of the squirrel was digitally manipulated into humorous photos.
Park management
Banff National Park is administered by Parks Canada, under the National Parks Act which was passed in 1930. Over time, park management policies have increasingly emphasized environmental protection over development. In 1964, a policy statement was issued that reiterated conservation ideals laid out in the 1930 act. With the controversial bid for the 1972 Winter Olympics, environmental groups became more influential, leading Parks Canada to withdraw your support for the candidacy. The 1979 Beaver Book was a major new policy, which emphasized conservation. In 1988, the National Parks Law was modified, making the maintenance of ecological integrity a top priority. The amendment also paved the way for non-governmental organizations to challenge Parks Canada in court for failure to adhere to the law. In 1994, Parks Canada established its revised 'Guiding Principles and Operating Policies', which included a mandate for the Banff-Bow Valley Study to write management recommendations. As with other national parks, Banff is required to have a Park Management Plan. At the provincial level, the park area and included communities (except for the City of Banff, which is an incorporated municipality) are administered by Alberta Municipal Affairs as Improvement District No. 9 (Banff).
Human impact
Environment
Since the 19th century, humans have affected Banff's environment through the introduction of non-native species, controls on other species and development in the Bow Valley, among other human activities. Bison once lived in the valleys of Banff, but were hunted by indigenous people and the last bison were killed in 1858. The introduction of elk to Banff, in combination with coyote and wolf controls by Parks Canada beginning in the 1930s, it has caused an imbalance in the ecosystem. Other species that have been displaced from the Bow Valley include grizzly bears, cougars, bobcats, wolverines, otter, and elk. Beginning in 1985, gray wolves were recolonizing areas in the Bow Valley. However, the wolf population has declined, with 32 wolf deaths along the Trans-Canada Highway between 1987 and 2000, leaving only 31 wolves in the zone.
The population of bull trout and other native fish species in Banff lakes has also declined, with the introduction of non-native species such as brook trout, and rainbow trout. Lake trout, WestSlope cutthroat trout, and chiselmouth are rare native species while chinook salmon, white sturgeon, Pacific lamprey, and Banff rhinichthys cataractae are likely removed locally. The Banff rhinichthys cataractae, once found only in Banff, is now an extinct species.
The Trans-Canada Highway, which passes through Banff, has been problematic, posing risks to wildlife from vehicle traffic and as an impediment to wildlife migration. Brown bears are among the species affected by the highway, which, along with other developments in Banff, has caused the fragmentation of the landscape. Brown bears prefer montane habitat, which has been more affected by development. Wildlife crossings, including a series of lower crossings and two wildlife upper crossings, have been constructed at a number of points along the Trans-Canada Highway to help alleviate this problem. [citation required]
Fire Management
Parks Canada management practices, particularly fire suppression, since Banff National Park was established have affected the park's ecosystem. Since the early 1980s[citation needed], Parks Canada has adopted a strategy that employed prescribed burns, which helps mimic the effects of natural fires.
Transportation
Banff National Park is traversed by two highways that cross the Alberta/British Columbia border, while another provides a third access within Alberta. The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) bisects the park in an east-west direction, connecting it to Vancouver to the west and Calgary to the east. Highway 93 bisects the park in a north-south direction, connecting Cranbrook to the south and Jasper to the north. The portion of Highway 93 north of Lake Louise is known as the Icefields Parkway while the southwestern portion of Castle Junction is known as the Banff-Windermere Parkway. Highway 11 (the David Thompson Highway) connects the Icefields Parkway at the Saskatchewan River Crossing with Rocky Mountain House to the northeast. Within the park, Highway 1A, also known as the Bow Valley Parkway, parallels Highway 1 loosely between Banff and Lake Louise.
Other means of transportation within Banff National Park include a Canadian Pacific railway line, which generally parallels Highway 1, and an airport known as the Banff Park Heliport Compound.
Development
In 1978, the expansion of the Sunshine Village Ski Resort was approved, with added parking, hotel expansion, and development of Goat's Eye Mountain. Implementation of this development proposal was delayed through the 1980s while environmental assessments were carried out. In 1989, Sunshine Village withdrew its development proposal, in light of government reservations, and submitted a revised proposal in 1992. This plan was approved by the government, pending environmental review. Subsequently, Canadian Parks & The Wilderness Society (CPAWS) filed an injunction, which halted development. CPAWS also lobbied UNESCO to revoke Banff's World Heritage site status, due to concerns that the developments were damaging the park's ecological health.
Banff-Bow Valley Study
While the National Parks Act and the 1988 amendment emphasize ecological integrity, in practice Banff has suffered from inconsistent policy enforcement. In 1994, the Banff-Bow Valley Study was commissioned by Sheila Copps, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, to provide recommendations on how to best manage human use and development, and maintain ecological integrity. While the two-year Banff-Bow Valley Study was underway, the projects were halted. development, including the expansion of Sunshine Village, and the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway, between Castle Junction and Sunshine.
The panel issued more than 500 recommendations, including limiting the growth of the Banff town, capping the city's population at 10,000, setting fees for popular hiking trails, and restricting development in the park. Another recommendation was fence off the town to reduce fighting between people and moose. By enclosing the town, this measure was also intended to reduce access to this refuge for moose from predators such as wolves that tended to avoid the town. Upon the release of the report, Copps immediately moved to accept the proposal to limit the city's population. He also ordered the removal of a small airstrip, along with a buffalo paddock, and cadet camp, which inhibited wildlife movement.
In response to concerns and recommendations raised by the Banff-Bow Valley Study, a number of development plans were dropped in the 1990s. Plans to add nine holes at the Banff Springs Golf Resort were withdrawn in 1996.[citation required]
Canmore
With the limit on growth in the city of Banff, Canmore, located just outside the Banff limits, has been growing rapidly to serve the increasing demand of tourists. Major Canmore development proposals have included the Three Sisters Golf Resorts, proposed in 1992, which has been the subject of contentious debate, with environmental groups arguing that the development would fragment important wildlife corridors in the Bow Valley.
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