The Lower Kananaskis River – a Case Study

MANAGEMENT OF A RIVER RECREATION RESOURCE: THE LOWER KANANASKIS RIVER – A CASE STUDY Kimberley Rae In the summer of 2000, Squires (2001a) undertook Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies a recreational use research project along the Lower University of Waterloo Kananaskis River to determine the social carrying Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L3G1 capacity of the area. The research resulted in numerous recommendations including: reviewing Paul F.J. Eagles policies pertaining to guiding and instructional University of Waterloo activities; more clearly defining the role of the Lower Kananaskis River Users’ Association in river planning and management; developing a comprehensive Abstract.—This study examined recreational use of management plan for the river; and developing the Lower Kananaskis River in Southwestern Alberta, management strategies that address multiple goals Canada. Surveys and participant observations helped (Squires, 2001b, pp. 18-23). develop a better understanding of current use levels and interviews with key policy leaders explored Since 2000, Alberta Parks’ staff members have noticed management issues and concerns. Users suggested increased recreational use of the river and increased the need for improvements to river infrastructure pressure on the river resources and day-use facilities both on and off the river. Policy leaders were more (Cockerton, 2005). The identified need for related critical of the current management structure of the management improvements led to this research; river than users; they indicated that park management the purpose of the research was to build on existing has shown low levels of understanding of – and has management frameworks found in the literature to been unresponsive to – the expressed needs of both develop an all encompassing outdoor recreation users and community leaders. With the continued management framework. Four research objectives growth of the area, new management demands can be guided the investigation of recreational use of the expected in the future. To assist in the development Lower Kananaskis River and its associated day use of management capability, the research developed an facilities: adaptive outdoor recreation management framework. • Review current river use to understand the timing and type of use. • Understand the experiences that visitors seek in 1.0 INTRODUCTION their activities on the Lower Kananaskis River The Lower Kananaskis River, located in Kananaskis and the ways in which varying uses impact these Country in southwestern Alberta, Canada, is experiences. recognized as a premiere whitewater paddling location • Determine whether or not the current permitting provincially and nationally. The Lower Kananaskis policy is appropriate. River provides recreational opportunities for • Develop management recommendations commercial guiding and instructional groups, outing for managing recreational use of the Lower clubs, and public recreation users. The river is also Kananaskis River in the future. a major source of hydroelectric power for TransAlta Utilities which manages its flow. All of these uses are governed under the corporate umbrella of various governmental, not-for-profit, and commercial groups. Proceedings of the 2007 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NRS-P-23 224 2.0 KANANASKIS Country 2.2 The Lower Kananaskis River BACKGROUND The Kananaskis River flows northward for 84 km Kananaskis Country is a 4,250 km2 multi-use from Upper Kananaskis Lake to the Bow River recreation area located in the Canadian Rocky (Bunt et al., 1999). This research occurred on the Mountains on the western border of Alberta (Alberta Lower Kananaskis, a 2-km stretch of the river in Parks, 2004). It is known for its wide variety of Bow Valley Provincial Park. TransAlta Utilities owns vegetation and wildlife, geological formations, and operates three hydroelectric dams along the diverse terrain and breath-taking mountain scenery Kananaskis (TransAlta, 2005), including the Barrier (Alberta Parks, 2004). The area has renewable and Dam which provides the majority of outflow on the nonrenewable resources including timber, fisheries, oil Lower Kananaskis. The controlled flow along the and gas development, cattle grazing, and hydroelectric river provides year-round recreation opportunities for development (Alberta Parks, 2004). many groups, including commercial operators, private users, paddlers’ clubs, and other organizations and Kananaskis Country attracts many visitors and instructional groups. is an international destination for a variety of outdoor recreational activities (Alberta Community Three groups have played key roles in the Development, 2006). Due to its close proximity development of the area and the decisionmaking: the to the major metropolitan area of Calgary and the Alberta Whitewater Association (AWA), the Lower variety of recreational activities available to visitors, Kananaskis River Users Association (LKRUA), Alberta Parks staff state that the number of visitors and the Bow Valley Provincial Park. The AWA is a coming to the area has nearly doubled in recent “….provincially recognized sport governing body years; approximately 80 percent of current use is by for whitewater slalom, wild water/downriver, and day-users (Cockerton, 2005; Alberta Parks, 2004). freestyle [which] sets and maintains standards for The use pressure applied to the area’s resources instruction and development of these activities at all has led to a management debate concerning the levels” (AWA, no date). LKRUA is a group composed appropriate amount of use, the protection of the natural of representatives from government, commercial environment, and the approach to management. industry, the recreation community, nonprofit groups, and academic institutions who are dedicated to 2.1 Bow Valley Provincial Park establishing, maintaining and enhancing use of the Bow Valley Provincial Park is a 3,200 ha provincial water resources and facilities of the Lower Kananaskis park that serves as the gateway to the Canadian River (LKRUA, no date). The third party is the Bow Rocky Mountains in Kananaskis Country (Alberta Valley Provincial Park. There is little published Community Development, 2002). The park contains information available on the specific duties of each many provincially significant natural landscapes group. In discussions for this research, members of and features along with a variety of recreational these groups said that it is difficult for the groups to opportunities and interpretive and educational find both monetary and human resources to make programs (Alberta Community Development, 2002). changes along the river and to maintain the river area. Bow Valley serves both day-users and overnight It has also been difficult for the different groups to visitors due to its proximity to highways providing come to agreement about specific things that need easy access to Calgary and Canmore (Alberta to be done to maintain the river. The existing river Community Development, 2002). The main focus management plan simply states that, of this research is the recreational use of the Lower The Widowmaker and Canoe Meadows Kananaskis River located in Bow Valley Provincial facilities are very significant provincially and Park and the associated day-use sites of Canoe locally for teaching, training, competition, Meadows and Widow Maker. recreational paddling and commercial rafting. Proceedings of the 2007 Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium GTR-NRS-P-23 225 Management concerns include congestion in (81.2 percent) were kayaking (p<0.05). Commercial parking areas, allocation of commercial and users typically went down the river only once (99.1 noncommercial use on the various sections of percent), while recreational users were more likely the river, maintaining safety and aesthetics. to make more than one pass (83.9 percent once and (Alberta Community Development, 2002, 14.8 percent twice) (p<0.05). Commercial users pp. 43) (91.2 percent) were also more likely than recreational There is no information in the management plan that users (19.5 percent) to be first time users of the river outlines the institutional structure for managing river (p<0.05). The time each group spent on the river recreation activities. also differed; 99 percent of commercial users spent between 1 and 3 hours on the river while recreational 3.0 METHODOLOGY use was more varied. This study used a mixed-methods approach, combining Commercial and recreational users differed qualitative and quantitative analysis (Creswell, significantly in their opinions about the amount of 2003). The first phase of the research was a review of rafting occurring on the river. In general, commercial literature to develop a conceptual basis for the study of users focused more at the overall experience while recreational use of the Lower Kananaskis River. The recreational users focused on the river and its features. second phase involved surveying both commercial Commercial and recreational users also differed in and private recreational river users and making how they ranked current management of services on-site observations over a period of 3.5 months. and facilities along the river. Both groups gave high The third phase was conducting interviews with key marks to the river environment, commercial users stakeholders involved in decisionmaking along the emphasized the importance of launch areas, and the Lower Kananaskis River. Survey data were entered recreational users tended to mention the importance into a database and the interviews

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