DANIEL KATZ, POSTMEDIA NETWORK
Banff National Park wardens weren’t happy campers last year.
New numbers show officers there handed out 471 illegal camping violations and 105 citations for messy campsites in 2016— more than double what they saw in 2015.
Supervisor Terry Willis said it’s a new highwater mark for a department that began operating in 2009.
Willis said it’s due in large part to increased vigilance for offenders in an effort to limit the habituation of the Bow Valley wolf pack.
“We spent a lot of extra time and efforts, we used a dog quite a bit which is very effective in finding those campers. As well, we had an extra staff member last year and we’ll have that extra staff member again this year, so there’s more of us out there,” he said.
“Also, more people are aware of this, so we’re getting more people reporting it and more people know how to get a hold of Banff Dispatch or to get a hold of wardens … and we get there sooner so there’s more of a chance of us finding the illegal campers, or the people with food left out.”
Offenders face large fines in Banff National Park — ranging from $300 to $700 — and the more serious incidents, which usually entail wildlife getting into human food, are brought before the court.
In June, two pack wolves including the alpha female were destroyed after boldly approaching campers at the Tunnel Mountain and Two Jack Lake campgrounds.
Another member of the pack, a grey yearling, raised concerns in September after he was spotted several times in the townsite of Banff.
Rooting out illegal campers isn’t a walk in the national park — campers often hide or run from wardens and searching such a vast area at night isn’t easy.
“It’s a big area to search,” he said. “It’s time-consuming to get out and ‘push the bush’ as we call it or look for where these folks might be hiding or where they might have inadvertently, unknowingly camped.”
Willis says the “hotspots” for illegal camping are on roadsides or around the Banff townsite.
Reg Bunyan, vice-president of the conservation group Bow Valley Naturalists, said illegal camping and messy campsites not only impact the wolf pack, but are “also a recipe for bear habituation and subsequent destruction.”
“We’re very concerned about the high number of documented incidents but given the small number of staff and the summer workload, it’s likely only a fraction of what is actually occurring,” said Bunyan. “Having staffing levels for wardens, wildlife conflict and front-line information staff keep pace with visitation numbers would help, but it’s also our belief that Banff National Park is reaching a peak visitation tipping point where it becomes progressively harder to reach visitors with appropriate messaging. Long lineups at the park gate and campgrounds limit the amount of time for messages and even roving interpreters can only reach so many visitors when venues become overcrowded.”
Bunyan added that there is no easy solution to reducing the number of violations in the park, but traditional methods by which messaging is passed along to visitors likely needs to change.
Meanwhile, Alberta Environment and Parks is reporting a decrease in violations in Kananaskis West, which includes the Bow Valley, Peter Lougheed and Spray Valley provincial parks. Andy Rees, Alberta Parks conservation officer, said officers issued 150 violations last year to individuals who fail to keep provincial parklands in a satisfactory condition, meaning wildlife attractants have been left out in a campsite or day use area.
Rees said their success is due in part to increased signage and efforts to educate visitors.
“In basically all of our campground and day use areas we have picnic table signage that talks about wildlife attractants, what they are and what we expect when you’re in the park,” he said. “By the incorporation of signage, we’ve seen the numbers come down.”
Conservation officers are putting together new signage as the demographics shift to more new Canadians and international visitors, and are reaching out to their digital audience and younger generations.