Livingstone-Porcupine Hills Draft Management Plans, share your thoughts and by participating in Alberta Environment and Parks’ online surveys.
The government of Alberta recently released two important draft plans that will set the direction for public lands management in southwestern Alberta. Part of sub-regional planning under the
South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (approved in July 2014), the Land Footprint Management Plan and the Recreation Management Plan for the Livingstone – Porcupine Hills were developed with input from a range of stakeholders including First Nations, rural municipalities, the forestry and oil and gas industry, cattle ranchers, local residents, motorized and non-motorized recreationists, hunters and anglers, outfitters and equestrian groups, stewardship organizations, and nature enthusiasts.
The region covered by the Livingstone-Porcupine area includes the mountains and foothills of southwestern Alberta south of Kananaskis Country and north of the Castle Parks. This includes the upper Oldman and Dutch Creek, the Livingstone Range, Porcupine Hills, and Crowsnest Pass. These areas include the headwaters of the Oldman River and Crowsnest River and support a variety of wildlife species and plant communities as well as native fish species at risk including Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout. The area is also home to some of the most spectacular and iconic landscapes of southern Alberta, provides drinking water to downstream communities, supports ranching and industrial activity, and a place for Albertans to connect with and enjoy nature.
Regional plans (e.g. South Saskatchewan Regional Plan) are meant to provide the big-picture plans to set the direction for land use for the next 50 years. Sub-regional plans then provide more specific direction within localized areas. Regional and sub-regional plans provide an opportunity to manage cumulative effects on the landscape.
Increasing population and recreational and industrial use have led to increasing damage to watersheds and wildlife and conflicts among users. These Linear Footprint and Recreation Management Plans are extremely important as they will incorporate thresholds for development and provide consistent and clear direction for managers and users. Two Public Land Use Zones (PLUZ) will be established which will provide the regulatory tools and enforcement authority necessary to implement these plans.
These plans include a recognition of the need to set limits on the human footprint on the landscape (e.g. roads, trails, and stream crossings) while providing provisions for trails that are properly designed, built, and maintained. With thousands of unbridged stream crossings with no sediment control and over 4000 km of roads and trails, conditions and land use are not sustainable. The new plans set thresholds on road and trail density of between 0.4 km/km2 and 0.6 km/km2 depending on the ecological value of the area. Motorized access near streams will be limited to 0.04 km/km2 and bridges will be installed at stream crossings on designated trails. These thresholds are based on an extensive review of relevant scientific studies into the impacts of roads and trails on fish and wildlife species.
Trout Unlimited Canada is supportive of the draft Linear Footprint and Recreation Management Plans for the Livingstone – Porcupine Hills. The plans are underpinned by sound science and demonstrate the positive direction the province is taking in its approach to recreation management on public lands. The creation of two Public Land Use Zones are essential and allow for designation of well-designed trails, camping nodes, and access points rather than the free-for-all status quo. The plans balance the need for headwaters protection and ecosystem function, species at risk recovery, and a variety of recreational activities. The plans also acknowledge the need for deactivating and restoring trails and stream crossings and reducing recreational infrastructure in sensitive areas (e.g. along creeks that support threatened trout).
While the tone and intent of the plans are positive, TUC believes a clear strategy will be required to implement the plan and timelines will need to be developed to relocate and reclaim trails, install appropriate stream crossings, and restore habitat. Successful implementation of the plan will also require education and enforcement as well as cooperation among partners and stakeholders.
TUC supports the commitments made in these draft plans and sees this as an important step to achieving a functional and healthy landscape while balancing and accepting the trade-offs required to manage increasing demand on our public lands and watersheds and the features that make these lands and waters so valuable.
The public comment period on the draft plans is open until 4:00 on April 26, 2018. Please take some time to share your thoughts and by participating in Alberta Environment and Parks’ online surveys.
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