Banff National Park of Canada
Park Management
11.0 Summary of the Environmental Assessment
11.1 Background
The existing management plan for Banff National Park was approved by the
Minister responsible for Parks Canada in 1988. This plan, and closely integrated
plans for Kootenay, Yoho and Jasper National Parks were subject to review
in 1993, pursuant to the National Parks Act obligation to update park plans
every five years. During the review it was determined a detailed -examination
of the Banff-Bow Valley was required.
The Banff-Bow Valley Task Force was established in 1994 to prepare recommendations
concerning the long-term management of the area that would maintain ecological
integrity while allowing appropriate levels of development and continued access
for visitors. The Task Force reported in October 1996 that the situation was
threatening for some components of Banff National Park, e.g. - the Montane
ecoregion of the Bow River Valley. The Minister of Canadian Heritage responsible
for Parks Canada responded immediately with actions and further commitments
to rectify the problems. The resulting management plan which outlines proposed
courses of action is an important public statement of Parks Canada’s
intention to restore and safeguard the ecological integrity of Banff National
Park and the commemorative integrity of cultural resources within its boundary.
This plan will be tabled in Parliament, and when approved by the Minister
of Canadian Heritage, becomes the guiding document for decision making in
Banff National Park. Parks Canada prepared an environmental assessment of
this plan to ensure the cumulative effects of policies, programs and proposed
actions are understood, and are not contradictory to the mandate of the National
Parks Act or ecological integrity.
11.2 The Problem
The first reservation of lands which lead to the creation of Canada's first
national park - Banff, occurred in 1885. Since that time Banff has become
a world renowned tourist destination, famous for its spectacular natural wonders.
Banff, and adjacent parklands were plaqued at Lake Louise by Prince Philip
as a World Heritage site on the 100th anniversary of the park in 1985. Development
to accommodate more than a 100 years of tourism and more than four million
visitors a year has stressed the ecosystem. At the same time wildlands which
surround Banff are diminishing as population growth and development increases.
Consequently, elements of Banff's ecosystem are changing in response to these
stresses. The main issues are:
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wildlife is under duress due to habitat fragmentation,
and conflict with human activity and facilities;
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aquatic and riparian systems are impacted by non-native
species, development and flow intervention;
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vegetation succession has been altered by wildfire
control and heavy herbivory; and
-
development on surrounding lands shrinks wildlands
and imperils wide ranging species.
11.3 The Proposal and Its Impact
On October 7, 1996 the Minister of Canadian Heritage announced several decisions
to initiate the process of reclaiming Banff’s ecological integrity.
These decisive moves established the tone for a comprehensive suite of actions
which now are outlined in the Banff National Park Management Plan.
Aquatic environments have been substantially altered by introduction of
non-native fish species in stocking programs, flow regulation, and stream
manipulation to protect transportation systems. The plan proposes actions
to reduce the presence of non-native species of fish, and to favour the resurgence
of native species, such as bull trout. This would be accomplished by modern
methods of fisheries management and angler control programs. Agencies which
control flow on the Cascade, Spray, Forty Mile Creek and Vermilion Lakes watersheds
will be elicited to cooperate in the restoration of flow regimes beneficial
to reclamation of aquatic ecosystems. Stringent sewage discharge limits and
tertiary treatment are key actions proposed for the Banff and Lake Louise
Wastewater Treatment Plants.
Fragmentation of wildlife habitat will be reduced by removing corridor obstacles
such as the buffalo paddock and airstrip, and by relocating the horse corrals
and cadet camp at the base of Cascade Mountain. Also, the Banff Springs golf
course will not be enlarged or fenced. A program to deal with human-elk conflicts
in the Town of Banff will be implemented following current research. A Fairholme-Carrot
Creek Protected Area will provide a secure Montane area where predator-prey
relationships can be normalized in the absence of frequent human activity.
Measures successfully employed to avoid wildlife mortality on the TransCanada
Highway will be continued and expanded. Cooperation of Canadian Pacific Railway
will be enlisted to deal with wildlife mortality from train collisions. Limitations
in timing and numbers of visitors entering carnivore management units will
be instituted to reduce disturbance events and increase habitat effectiveness.
Restoration of fire as a force in vegetation succession will serve to bring
vegetation resources in better balance with currently high ungulate browsing
pressures and the loss of grasslands and shrubby areas to mature forest. A
special focus on securing effective habitat for grizzly bears, wolves and
lynx - key indicator species - will serve to benefit about 98% of the other
terrestrial wildlife in the park as well.
Effective fire suppression for nearly a century has greatly skewed the normal
vegetation patterns of the park. Grasslands and shrubby areas have been replaced
with closed canopy forests. Buildup of dead and downed forest materials has
created a high flammable fuel load which could lead to larger than normal
wildfires. A program of prescribed burning to reduce fuels, open up continuous
forest and reduce wildfire conflagration potential is to be reinstituted.
This will serve to enhance wildlife habitat and reverse the loss of Montane
grasslands to continuous forest. Active control of non-native plant invaders,
such as Canada thistle, will be pursued.
Banff is part of a large regional Central Rockies Ecosystem (CRE). Many
jurisdictions are involved in managing these lands. Far ranging species such
as wolves and bears regularly travel outside of the park where they are vulnerable
to mortality. Parks Canada already works with numerous agencies to co-manage
shared species. These arrangements will be continued, and expanded to ensure
the best possible approach to regional management of transient natural resources
which require more space than Banff National Park. Improved access to previously
remote areas both inside and adjacent to the park as a result of development
outside the park is a point of particular attention.
Parks Canada has made commitments about management of visitor service developments,
appropriate use, and visitor numbers in Banff National Park. The Town of Banff
will be capped at an upper limit of less than 10,000 permanent residents,
the Hamlet of Lake Louise will be limited to a maximum overnight visitor capacity
of 3,500 guests. The existing boundaries of the communities will not be expanded.
Ski areas will be permitted to develop within the limits specified in the
existing approved plans. Use limits will be employed on both frontcountry
and backcountry trails and campsites where conflicts with environmental protection,
particularly carnivores arises. Mountain bike access to sensitive areas will
be controlled. Trails will not be maintained in the Fairholme-Carrot Creek
Protected Area, Baker Creek and Hillsdale Meadow areas. Temporal restrictions
for use of the Bow Valley Parkway will be instituted to safeguard seasonal
wildlife sensitivities. Vehicular access beyond the First Vermilion Lake will
be disallowed, and part of the Minnewanka loop road will be closed in the
winter season. The golf course loop road will be subject to travel restrictions.
The plan addresses a strategy for Heritage Tourism. The objective is to
make all visitors aware they are in a national park by fostering visitor appreciation
and understanding of nature, history and culture of the area. Banff National
Park has embarked on a collaborative partnership with the tourism industry
to develop a program to achieve that goal.
Open management will be achieved by a new Development Review Process which
facilitates a public role in project review.
The plan commits Parks Canada to be a leader in stewardship and environmentally
friendly practices. Environmental assessments will be of a superior quality,
and protective mitigations will be enforced.
The foregoing are groups of key actions proposed to confront the main concerns
of deteriorating ecological integrity. This environmental assessment is not
expected to address each of the individual actions proposed to achieve the
larger goals. Rather, the approach is to consider the additive impact of groups
of actions to determine if the cumulative effects are moving towards or away
from improved ecological integrity.
Cumulative environmental effects are the combined impact of past, current
and future projects and activities. Although an environment may be resilient
to the influences of a small number of projects spread over time and space,
the incremental effects of a large number of stresses arising from many projects
and activities may act to reduce the ecological integrity of landscapes, and
even large regions. In some cases the impacts may be so significant that permanent
changes are wrought. The environmental assessment of the Banff National Park
Management Plan focuses on the cumulative effects of the key actions proposed
therein.
The plan addresses diminished ecological and commemorative integrity, and
enhances heritage tourism. In most cases key actions address some aspect of
identified stress on a component of the park, and are fashioned to reduce
that stress or enhance visitors’ experiences. Some actions, such as
the Cascade wildlife corridor will have an immediate beneficial effect. Other
situations, such as reclamation of the ecological integrity of the aquatic
biome will take many years to accomplish. Restoration of some natural processes
such as vegetation succession will take decades to achieve.
Performance targets and thresholds are proposed, and others will be established
following more study. For example, it is a goal to reduce the human-caused
grizzly bear mortality to less than 1% per year; phosphate levels from sewage
treatment plants will be reduced to tertiary levels, (e.g. 0.5 mg/l). Monitoring
programs will be put in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies
and actions in meeting the set objectives and the targets and thresholds established.
A monitoring program is key to the success of the actions and identifying
any instances where change or redirection is required.
It is clear the cumulative effect of the proposals will move towards enhanced
ecological integrity. Fewer animals will die from conflicts with people and
vehicles. Habitat effectiveness will be improved and habitat fragmentation
will be decreased. A more normal balance of predator-prey interaction will
be possible. The incidence of non-native species of fish and plants will reduce.
Natural vegetation succession will be enhanced, and the threat of uncontrollable
wildfire will be reduced. Visitor stress on the park should be reduced by
improved spatial and temporal management of people’s activities. Development
limits are better defined than before; all stakeholders know what the future
holds for services and facilities in Banff, Lake Louise and the ski areas.
11.4 The Policy
As explained elsewhere in this document, ecological integrity “shall
be the first priority” in making decisions about the management of national
park lands. The recognition of the importance of ecological integrity is prominent
in the identification of concerns and the proposed courses of action described
in the 1997 Banff National Park Management Plan. The vision for Banff National
Park is consistent with the National Parks Act and Parks Canada’s stated
policies.
11.5 Public Input
The opportunity for public input and expert review has been extensive in
the preparation of the 1997 Banff National Park Management Plan. The existing
plan, approved in 1988, had a nation-wide public consultation program. The
1994 five-year update of the management plan had a nation-wide consultation
program. Since that time, numerous public surveys pertaining to future management
of the parks have been conducted. The Banff-Bow Valley Task Force conducted
their work between 1994 and 1996. They established a round table which represented
thousands of people in 14 sectors of topical interest. The Task Force elicited
the help of a multi-disciplinary team of environmental, social and economic
specialists. Parks Canada established an advisory group, chaired by the Assistant
Deputy Minister, to examine the Task Force’s 500 recommendations and
advise Parks Canada about their implementation. That advice and Parks Canada’s
January 24, 1997 proposed response to the Task Force recommendations represents
a large part of the basis of the 1997 Banff National Park Management Plan.
Parks Canada has analyzed public comments, considered the recommendations
of both the Task Force and the advisory group, and incorporated suggestions
as appropriate. Following Ministerial approval of the plan, many components
of the plan will be subject to environmental assessment and public review
on a project specific basis as they are brought forward for implementation
in the future.
11.6 Conclusion
The Banff National Park Management Plan responds to a situation of real
urgency. The plan is consistent with National Parks legislation and policies.
Satisfactory peer review and public input have been achieved and considered.
The proposed courses of action are feasible with existing technology. Further
research will be conducted before actions are initiated on some elements of
the plan (e.g. wildlife overpasses).
The environmental assessment finds the proposals not to cause significant
negative environmental impact. The cumulative effect of the plan will be to
move towards improved ecological integrity.
11. 7 Amendment to the Summary of Environmental Assessment
A five year review of the management plan was conducted in 2003. Most of
the management plan remains current. The following amendments resulted from
the review.
- Section 5.5 is replaced. The amendment reflects previous decisions to
limit the size of Outlying Commercial Accommodation facilities and to minimize
and mitigate the environmental impacts of existing resorts.
- Section 5.6 is replaced. The amendment incorporates new scientific knowledge
into a framework for managing grizzly bears. It also provides detailed direction
for human use management in the park’s landscape management units.
- Section 7.3 is replaced. The amendment summarizes the principles of the
approved community plan for Lake Louise, which establishes a limit on commercial
space and reduces the community’s boundaries.
- Section 8.6 is a new section. It provides a framework for monitoring
ecological, cultural, social and economic conditions.
- Section 9.3 is replaced. The amendment corrects an error in a target
for sewage treatment.
- Section 11.7 is a new section, providing the environmental assessment of this set of amendments
The amendments all conform with legislation and policy and are consistent
with the vision and principles of the management plan. They continue and strengthen
the direction towards improved ecological integrity, while still welcoming
appropriate visitor use.
All the actions are appropriate and achievable. No negative ecological consequences
are anticipated.
11.8 Amendment to the Summary of Environmental Assessment, for the LATB
Area Strategy (Section 5.6.4.3) NEW!
The Human Use Management Strategy for the Lands Adjacent to the Town of
Banff was developed through extensive collaboration with an external advisory
group and was strongly supported during public review. The amendment
conforms with legislation and policy and is consistent with the vision and
principles of the Management Plan. The amendment strengthens ecological
integrity by reducing the fragmentation of wildlife habitat by trails and by
redirecting human use away from wildlife crossing structures. Additional
protection is provided for the Valleyview wetlands. Where outcomes cannot be
predicted with certainty, the amendment requires monitoring and adaptive
management to protect ecological integrity. The amendment will result in
improved experiences for all visitors, as well as enhanced opportunities for
appreciation and understanding of the park’s natural and cultural heritage.
Stakeholders will continue to be involved as partners in implementing the
strategy. The amendment demonstrates Parks Canada’s principle of integration by
improving the delivery of the three pillars of the mandate in the most intensively
developed and visited area of the park.
All the actions are appropriate and achievable. Monitoring and adaptive
management will avoid negative ecological consequences.