Editor:
Local newspapers reported recently that a wolf killed by a CPR train belonged to the Banff/Bow Valley pack.
Accurate enough, insofar as yet another beautiful animal is prematurely dead. But this wolf was not a member of “the Bows.” In fact, their reign ended exactly a year ago, Jan. 25, 2010, when their last member was killed on the TCH (Trans-Canada Highway).
That wildlife regularly gets killed on the roads and rails carving through the Bow Valley is nothing new. In fact – and sadly – it is a norm some people seem quite content to accept.
Since 1980, roads and railways have killed at least 9,800 animals the size of a coyote or larger in Yoho, Kootenay, Banff and Jasper national parks. And these are only the confirmed deaths. The true number is certainly much higher.
Admittedly, the TCH at Banff is fenced and wildlife highway-crossing structures are in place. But the problems are not solved. Between 2002 and 2010, roads were the main cause of the total collapse of the Banff/Bow Valley wolf pack. Many of the pack members died on fenced-in sections of the TCH.
While the numbers of road- and railway-killed animals are shocking, one should remember that the transportation industry is not the only major obstacle to creating a stronghold for wildlife in Canada’s mountain parks. Mass tourism and large-scale commercial enterprises such as golf courses and ski hills also play a role in the midst of these highly protected and sensitive ecosystems.
The federal government has a duty to look after these parks for the people of Canada. For 125 years, neither our government nor the privately owned transportation and tourism industry has shown serious commitment to stop the record loss of wildlife on protected land. Yet record profits continue to pour in. One has to ask: if we are not even seriously willing to reduce our huge negative effect on protected land, then where else?
The proposed installment of via ferrata at the ski hill of Mount Norquay in Banff National Park will just be the beginning. The beginning of still more pressure on the already overwhelmed and suffering wildlife in a place we thought we’d long ago set aside to preserve “unimpaired” for future generations.
The only hope for wildlife in our mountain national parks lies in a strong voice of concern by as many people as possible. One such occasion arises right now, today, with a federal government public consultation about potential changes to the summer use of ski hills within national parks. Citizens have until Feb. 11 to weigh in on this question at [email protected].
The death of this lone black wolf on the CPR track represents the continuing trend of the fading call of the wild while the noises of civilization continue to grow – even inside our national parks. There are only two questions left: Is anyone still listening? and Are there enough “listeners” left who dare to take on a seemingly lost battle?
As the first Parks commissioner, James B. Harkin, rightly pointed out a century ago: “The battle to establish parks may be won, but the battle to keep them inviolate is never won.”
I would argue that the many thousands of killed or displaced animals would agree.
Peter Dettling,
Canmore
