Background

The southern Canadian Rocky Mountains serve to connect the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (centered about Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) with the Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho mountain parks complex to the north.

Maintaining landscape connectivity is crucial for the well being of the many native wildlife species that currently thrive in the region. One area that has been identified as a major challenge to maintaining connectivity is the Highway 3 transportation corridor, a major pinch point for wildlife movement at the northern edge of the Crown of the Continent region.

The Highway 3 transportation corridor runs east-west over the Continental Divide at Crowsnest Pass in the Canadian Rockies. Highway 3 is a 2-lane highway supporting 6,000-9,000 vehicles per day, depending on the season and section of road. It serves local commuters from the communities of Coleman, Blairmore, Frank, Hillcrest and Bellevue in Alberta as well as Sparwood and Fernie in British Columbia. Local transportation use is compounded by the increased recreational needs of Calgary and transcontinental trucking. A railway parallels the road and runs the entire length of the corridor. Both modes of transportation are experiencing an increase in traffic volume. The implications to wildlife include direct mortality from collisions with vehicles and trains, fragmentation of the landscape, and avoidance behavior by wildlife due to the increased activity and presence of humans.

Understanding wildlife use, behavior and habitat integrity along this transportation corridor is imperative for developing mitigation strategies to reduce transportation-wildlife conflicts and maintain habitat connectivity. Fortunately, there have been a number of research projects in the past decade that allow us to better understand how a variety of different wildlife use these landscapes (i.e., bighorn sheep, elk, grizzly bears). These include the identification of key linkages for several carnivores, including grizzly bears, which cross Highway 3 and the railroad. However, the studies were not developed to focus solely on the transportation corridor and its increasing use. Nor have all of the studies been synthesized to summarize their findings to inform local decision making. Lastly, most conservationists, community leaders and decision makers are unaware of the various findings and their implications for their local landscape and the Highway 3 transportation system. Therefore, a gathering of scientists and conservationists to share and synthesize these studies would greatly enhance the ability of the scientific findings to inform local communities, shape decisions and direct future actions.





	Background The southern Canadian Rocky Mountains serve to connect the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (centered about Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) with the Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho mountain parks complex to the north. Maintaining landscape connectivity is crucial for the well being of the many native wildlife species that currently thrive in the region. One area that has been identified as a major challenge to maintaining connectivity is the Highway 3 transportation corridor, a major pinch point for wildlife movement at the northern edge of the Crown of the Continent region. The Highway 3 transportation corridor runs east-west over the Continental Divide at Crowsnest Pass in the Canadian Rockies. Highway 3 is a 2-lane highway supporting 6,000-9,000 vehicles per day, depending on the season and section of road. It serves local commuters from the communities of Coleman, Blairmore, Frank, Hillcrest and Bellevue in Alberta as well as Sparwood and Fernie in British Columbia. Local transportation use is compounded by the increased recreational needs of Calgary and transcontinental trucking. A railway parallels the road and runs the entire length of the corridor. Both modes of transportation are experiencing an increase in traffic volume. The implications to wildlife include direct mortality from collisions with vehicles and trains, fragmentation of the landscape, and avoidance behavior by wildlife due to the increased activity and presence of humans. Understanding wildlife use, behavior and habitat integrity along this transportation corridor is imperative for developing mitigation strategies to reduce transportation-wildlife conflicts and maintain habitat connectivity. Fortunately, there have been a number of research projects in the past decade that allow us to better understand how a variety of different wildlife use these landscapes (i.e., bighorn sheep, elk, grizzly bears). These include the identification of key linkages for several carnivores, including grizzly bears, which cross Highway 3 and the railroad. However, the studies were not developed to focus solely on the transportation corridor and its increasing use. Nor have all of the studies been synthesized to summarize their findings to inform local decision making. Lastly, most conservationists, community leaders and decision makers are unaware of the various findings and their implications for their local landscape and the Highway 3 transportation system. Therefore, a gathering of scientists and conservationists to share and synthesize these studies would greatly enhance the ability of the scientific findings to inform local communities, shape decisions and direct future actions.		Hosted By

Background

The southern Canadian Rocky Mountains serve to connect the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem (centered about Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park) with the Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho mountain parks complex to the north.

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