Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada

People, Planning and Protection

Managing what makes Waterton Lakes National Park special - a meeting place of plants, animals, climate, waterways, landforms and people - requires a unique balance of planning and partnerships.

People

With over 400,000 park visitors per year; a townsite with about 100 permanent residents which can grow seasonally to over 300 residents; a vital and viable mix of neighbouring ranches and rural communities; various resource industries close by; and recreational users frequenting the area's surrounding provincial and crown lands, the partnerships need to be far reaching.

Coexisting with wildlife is key to the park's efforts to integrate people, planning and protection. We can talk about living with wildlife, but can wildlife, such as cougars and bears, really coexist with people?

They can because we can all do many things to make it happen. Go to Keep the Wild In Wildlife to find out how.

Planning

As outlined in the Parks Canada Acts and Regulations and Parks Canada Guiding Principles and Operational Policies, planning is part of the active commitment of management to ensure our national parks remain places for nature and people, now, and for future generations.

The Waterton Lakes National Park of Canada Park Management Plan sets out to:

• Protect Waterton's unique and diverse physical, biological and cultural resources.
• Participate with international, national and regional agencies responsible for resource management and tourism.
• Be a model of regional cooperation and wise resource management.
• Preserve Waterton's protected status to serve as an important ecological benchmark.
• Provide high quality and educational opportunities and accessibility to wilderness.

The Waterton Community Plan sets out a comprehensive program of land-use policies and other planning and design proposals to help determine and guide the future of the Waterton community. If you would like to see a copy, please contact the park.

Protection

Maintaining the ecological integrity of the park is our highest priority.

Researching, recording and monitoring ecological indicators contributes to the long-term understanding and protection of the park and surrounding ecosystems.

Research and Collection Permit System

A variety of initiatives are aimed at reducing our impact on the park's natural environment. These include reducing the park's inventory of buildings and related infrastructure. We have already removed several buildings and houses from the government compound area, and have reduced the size of the Administration Office. Additional projects are underway.

Park staff are also actively engaged in restoring sites disturbed by human activity and the creation of demonstration gardens to promote use of native plants.

The park collaborates on a number of initiatives with Glacier National Park, the Blood Tribe, provincial agencies and with the faculty and students of numerous university departments. A key ongoing network that the park participates in is the Crown Managers Partnership.

Another key ongoing relationship is with the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Waterton Lakes National Park alone is not large enough to protect all its wildlife. Many species also depend on neighbouring ranchlands. In 2004, the Nature Conservancy of Canada and its partners announced the conservation of over 100 sq km (28,000 acres) of land along the eastern boundary of the park The Waterton Park Front Project.

Currently, there are plants and animals in the park which are considered to be Species At Risk. All are listed in the 'special concern' category. Research and monitoring will help us improve our understanding of these species. Strategies will then be developed to protect or restore them. Helping fish cross roads in the mountain national parks

Canada National Parks Act