Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada
Restoring Disturbed Sites
Sign requesting people stay out of restored area.
© Parks Canada / Janice Smith / 2003
Waterton is committed to reducing impacts from its operational activities and facilities by restoring disturbed sites in the park. Disturbed sites, large or small, will be restored to a more natural state. Site restoration contributes to the ecological integrity of the park as a whole.
For example, in Crandell Campground some campsites were better defined with low fence rails. Trampled areas along those edges, and trail shortcuts between sites and facilities, were then revegetated with native plants. Restoration of these areas will help maintain the attractive natural setting of the campground and minimize the spread of non-native plants . Encouraging campers to stay on established trails is essential to the success of these restoration projects.
House removal
© Parks Canada / 2003
In recent years the park has reduced its ecological footprint in other areas by:
- removing several park residences located outside of the townsite;
- consolidating various operational functions into one park operations building;
- removing unnecessary buildings in the works compound;
- removing the rear portion of the Townsite office and replacing it with a native plant demonstration garden .
- consolidating park storage areas.
Projects to restore the Trade Waste Pit and Park Storage were more challenging. While each of these intrusions is relatively small, about the size of two city blocks, both are extremely important because they're located in the significant
Foothills Parkland ecoregion . The projects will restore native plants and wildlife habitat at the sites, and reduce the spread of invasive non-native plants. Restoring the Trade Waste Pit also provides an opportunity to advance our knowledge of techniques for restoring fescue grasslands.
In the Park Storage Area, road salt, necessary to keep a sand pile workable in freezing temperatures, attracted wildlife such as elk and deer and contaminated the ground in an area that floods, on average every 10 to 15 years. Additionally, vehicles, equipment and stored materials were a source of non-native plant seeds. In response, and consistent with its Management Plan, the park closed the Park Storage Area, and consolidated its storage requirements into the Upper and Lower Compound.
Park Storage Area in foreground, Blakiston Creek stream channels in background© Parks Canada / Cyndi Smith
Park Storage Area© Parks Canada / Janice Smith / 2004
Prior to moving the sand pile, an enclosed salt shed, designed to keep wildlife out and salt contained, was constructed in the Lower Compound where old buildings had previously been removed. After moving the stored items and the sand pile, contaminated soil was removed and the road closed. Natural processes are now free to re-shape the area. Groves of Trembling Aspen, which surround the site, aggressively reproduce by sending up shoots from their roots, so it is expected that native trees will soon reclaim this area.
Old salt shed© Parks Canada / Janice Smith / 2006
New salt shed© Parks Canada / Diane Rossetti / 2006
The Trade Waste Pit, similar in function but located on fescue grasslands in the Foothills Parkland, was for many years a dumping area for the inert building materials which every community generates. Vehicles, plus repeated disturbances caused when materials were covered over, left the area vulnerable to infestations of non-native plants. In keeping with the Park Management Plan the area was closed and is being restored.
Trade Waste Pit aerial© Parks Canada / Cyndi Smith / 2003
Trade Waste Pit© Parks Canada / Janice Smith / 2004
The first step was to drill monitoring wells to check for signs of possible groundwater contamination. Once it was confirmed that there was no water pollution, the area was covered with stockpiled local topsoil and the area contoured to match the surrounding landscape. Seeds were collected from the surrounding grasslands. The native plant nursery in Glacier National Park (U.S.A.) propagated the seeds and returned the seedlings for planting the next spring. Native grass seeds were also collected within the park and sown over the area.
Glacier National Park plant nursery© Joyce Lapp
Preparations for planting© Parks Canada, 2006
Planting within a grid pattern© Parks Canada / Cyndi Smith
Electric fence installation© Parks Canada / Cyndi Smith
This project also offered a perfect opportunity to advance the emerging science related to the very complex process of restoring native grasslands. To do this, the park is working with researchers, led by Dr. Anne Naeth, from the University of Alberta. The area was divided into 60 grid plots, with different combinations of plants, grasses, fertilizers and mulch assigned to each square. Temporary fencing was erected to prevent wildlife from destroying the delicate young plants. Over the next several years the plots will be monitored to see which plants survive and thrive, whether any one method or microhabitat produces better results, and to compare the success of fall seedings and plantings with spring ones. The results will be shared with others who are involved in restoring native grasslands, both within and outside of the park.
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