West Bragg Creek Trail System -- Public Review

There's been a lot of chatter both off and online about the Bragg Creek Trail System and the changes proposed by Alberta Tourism Parks and Recreation.

The plan focuses on the area just west of Bragg Creek that is used primarily for cross-country skiing in winter. However the trails are also used by hikers, cyclists and equestrians throughout the summer, despite the fact there is no official maintenance on the trail system.

The province is looking to further develop this trail system in light of this use, to enhance the trails for summer recreation while protecting the delicate watershed.

The Herald has more: Public invites to review trail plan for Bragg Creek

No matter what your recreation of choice is, odds are you'll want to at least review this plan and make your feelings known to the government. There's only a 60-day review, so don't wait. You can submit feedback at http://www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/consult/braggCreek/default.aspx

There is also more coverage and information online at Greater Bragg Creek Trails Association.

Beyond just the West Bragg Creek plan, there are plenty of opportunities to stay on top of the planning, maintenance and redesign of Alberta's Recreational areas. Visit the Alberta Parks Consultation/Notification site often for information of what projects are currently in discussion.

Avalanche Danger Extremely High in Western Canada this weekend

While it seems to be cold all over the continent, here in Alberta we're sitting at a balmy 11 C/ 52 F today! (Going up to 13C/55F tomorrow). Even the mountains are enjoying above-freezing temps and I'm sure I'm not the only one planning an outdoor excursion this weekend.

However, while I know we're getting no sympathy from other parts of North America, there are plenty of dangers associated with heading out to our mountain playground in these warm temperatures. Avalanche experts are saying these are the worst avalanche conditions they've seen in 100 years:

From the Calgary Herald:

Klassen, who has 30 years' experience in the backcountry, said he does not recall such a dangerously unpredictable season for avalanche conditions.

The number of major slides released over the past two weeks is "unprecedented," he said Thursday.

Avalanches this season have wiped out trees that are more than a century old. Many slides have run farther and wider than ever witnessed, and some areas have seen more widespread avalanche cycles than ever before.

Full article here: Avalanche Risk Worst in 100 years.

Please be safe this weekend.

*Note: Since this article was written there are now reports of yet another avalanche death in BC. PLEASE be careful if you're heading into the backcountry this weekend.

Hangin' Tough

This post has become a victim of my own lack of proper research. I'm removing both the link and my original comments because I just don't enjoy stories of this type and don't want to pass it along -- there are enough wildlife stories with unhappy endings in the daily newspaper.

Thanks to Marvin for pointing out my mistake.

Alberta's Land Use Plan - How To Get Involved

With the provincial election ramping up and the overdue land use agreement still in the works, there is no better time for hikers, cyclists and other recreational enthusiasts to educate themselves on the issues surrounding the areas we love to play in.

The Calgary Sun has an excellent look at the logging that is running practically unchecked in the West Kananaskis area in their piece City's playground faces trying time. Calgary MLA Dr. David Swann makes some surprising and disturbing comments about the province's logging plan.

CPAWS Calgary has also put together an excellent resource for Alberta voters to help each Albertan research the environmental issues and vote as green as possible. Make sure to stop by My Vote Is For The Environment. There's a lot of information to wade through here, but it's a real eye-opener.

Outdoor activities on the decline

Found this fascinating article on Canoe.ca the other day: Video games replacing outdoor activity.

The Nature Conservatory funded a study on outdoor activity and found some startling numbers about camping, fishing, hiking and hunting in many countries around the world, not including Canada.

It was discovered - particularly in the US - that outdoor activities are in a sharp decline, most notable camping and fishing. Day hiking was up, but only because the study found many campers had switched to day hiking.

The decline appears to have started sometime in the 80s and 90s - as video games and the internet were rising in popularity and appeal.

The article also mentions that along with a decline in outdoor activities comes a lack of interest in environmental issues, nature conservation and preservation of public land space (something we might already be seeing in California?).

The reason why this is so interesting to me is that in Canada -- in my part of Canada anyway -- outdoor recreation seems to be skyrocketing. Sure, Alberta has had an influx of people over the past few years, but many of them seem to be adopting the outdoor lifestyle that is so popular here, leading to the need for new land use regulations.

I'd be curious to know if the rest of Canada follows this trend we see in Alberta.

Sir Edmund Hillary 1919-2008

I'm saddened to hear of the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first men to summit Mt. Everest, along with Tenzing Norgay.

The Times has a good piece on Hillary: Everest Conquerer Sir Edmund Hillary Dies.

Stuff.co.nz has a look at the tragedies in Hillary's life, and there were many: The Dark Shadow Over Sir Edmund's Life.

The New York Times sets the scene and displays why Everest seemed impossible and why Hillary's achievement was so grand: Sir Edmund Hillary.

TVNZ.co.uk shows why he was so revered among New Zealanders: Sir Edmund Hillary Passes Away.

What struck me in reading these articles was how humble Hillary was. He never repeated his summit. Instead he spent years working to improve the lives of the Nepalese. He answered to simply "Ed".

When he returned from the summit, his first words were "Well George, we finally knocked the bastard off."

Culling Coyotes in Canmore, updated

I posted about the 3 children nipped by coyotes in Canmore a few weeks ago. At the time I commented that it was unusual for coyotes to attack kids, especially one as old as 13.

Well a couple of articles from local Canmore papers shed a lot more light in the situation. From the Rocky Mountain Outlook:

Wittner said the coyotes were not attacking the children, instead, the animals were likely begging for food.

"It was probably a 'please feed me', trying to encourage this person to drop some food. It's so atypical for a coyote to approach a person in the first place. So if they are doing it, it's a learned behaviour," she said.

The normally shy and secretive coyote learns that behaviour from people who are actively or inadvertently feeding them. Wittner said she knows of at least one person in Canmore who is feeding coyotes and she believes there are likely more doing the same.

From the Canmore Leader:

Wittner said residents are also more likely to see coyotes if they’re out walking their dog, more incentive to keep dogs on-leash.

“Coyotes are attracted to dogs, and see them as an intruder. That’s why they’ll come and check them out. They’ll leave people alone, but you’re more likely to see one if you have your dog.”

All of this makes a lot more sense than coyotes outright attacking humans. It's clear the kids were scared (as they should be) and parents have a right to keep their children safe. However instead of hunting down coyotes and killing them or creating barriers in the coyotes natural environment, maybe humans need to look at how their behavior is attracting the coyotes in the first place.

It blows me away that people are actually feeding coyotes. As the article points out, dealing with coyotes is similar to dealing with bears. If you knew someone who was purposely feeding bears, or elk, or wolves or even foxes, wouldn't you be irate? Then why would it be any different with coyotes?