EFFECTS OF TRANSPORTATION CORRIDORS ON LARGE CARNIVORES IN THE BOW RIVER VALLEY, ALBERTA

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are one of the last places in North America where an assemblage of 7 native large carnivores still exists. Within the Canadian Rockies however, the status of many large carnivores is becoming increasingly threatened by all types of human development, including transportation routes. This paper's area of focus is between 70-180 km west of Calgary, Alberta, where the Bow River Valley is confined by mountainous terrain. Within the Bow River Valley there are approximately 212 km of roads in addition to the Trans Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Between 1983-87, a 27 km section of the Trans Canada Highway was upgraded upon entering Banff National Park, from a 2-lane highway to a 4-lane divided highway. At the same time a 2.4 m high woven-wire fence with 15 cm square 9-gauge mesh was installed on both sides of the highway. In most cases the fencing is set back into the surrounding forest as far as 40 m to be less visually obtrusive. The median is sometimes as wide as 50 m and also contains tracts of natural forest to enhance aesthetics. Underpasses provide wildlife crossings at 10 locations. Traffic speed is limited to 90 km/hr. At the end of the divided and fenced section, the Trans Canada Highway reverts to 2 lanes although construction began in 1996 to upgrade the next 20 km to a 4-lane divided and fenced configuration. Wildlife mitigations will include two 50 m wide wildlife overpasses and a system of buried culvert-style underpasses. This review of the effects of transportation routes on large carnivores in the Bow River Valley is a collection of experiences and is put forward to provide information for others. Large carnivores for which information is provided include coyotes, black bear, grizzly bear, cougar, wolverine, and lynx. Wolves are addressed in a separate report.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: p. 67-79

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00745655
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-PD-96-041
  • Files: TRIS, USDOT, STATEDOT
  • Created Date: Jan 30 1998 12:00AM