Wildlife Corridors in the Lake Louise Area, Alberta

Wildlife Corridors in the Lake Louise Area, Alberta: A Multi-Scale, Multi-Species Management Strategy Final Report Prepared for: Alan Dibb, Wildlife Specialist Kootenay, Yoho, Lake Louise District Parks Canada Box 220 Radium Hot Springs, BC V0A 1M0 Prepared by: Marie Tremblay 5704 Lakeview Drive S.W. Calgary, AB T3E 5S4 August 2001 PREFACE This report was prepared under the terms of Parks Canada contract #KKP 2064. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policies of Parks Canada. This document may be cited as: Tremblay, M. 2001. Wildlife Corridors in the Lake Louise Area, Alberta: A Multi-Scale, Multi-Species Management Strategy. Prepared for Parks Canada. 168pp. i EXECUTIVE SUMMARY BACKGROUND Habitat fragmentation is a central issue in the Lake Louise area due to the presence of a naturally fragmented landscape coupled with high levels of human activity, a situation that is believed to be constraining the movements of wildlife in the area. Human influences in the Lake Louise area include four nodes of visitor activity (the Hamlet of Lake Louise, the Upper Lake area, the Lake Louise ski area, and the Moraine Lake area), two major transportation corridors (the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific Railway), several high volume secondary roads, a dense network of popular hiking trails, and dispersed human activity such as off-trail hiking and snowshoeing. Although a variety of studies have been carried out to further our understanding of wildlife habitat use and movements within BNP, there has been no attempt to synthesize information from multiple sources into a single consideration of wildlife corridors specifically for the Lake Louise area. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The primary purpose of this project was to provide a summary of existing information on wildlife corridors in the Lake Louise area in Banff National Park, Alberta and develop a management strategy aimed at preserving or enhancing the effectiveness of these corridors. Specific objectives were to: • Identify relevant information sources in addition to those provided by Parks Canada; • Review relevant wildlife information for the Lake Louise area; • Consult appropriate wildlife literature to determine scientifically supportable criteria for the identification and management of species present in the Lake Louise area; • Identify the location, relative importance, species of concern, effectiveness, and management recommendations for wildlife corridors in the Lake Louise area; • Identify information gaps and make recommendations for research, monitoring, and modelling activities, if needed; • Develop a set of map products which illustrate the location and significance of wildlife corridors, suitable for review by a non-technical audience; • Present results and conclusions to a variety of audiences. METHODOLOGY In order to complete the review of existing information on wildlife, I consulted a variety of sources including: • Scientific journal articles • Graduate theses • Non-peer reviewed wildlife reports • Key informants knowledgeable about wildlife in the Lake Louise area. In completing the review, I sought to incorporate the most up-to-date and site-specific information available. Key informants were consulted with the objectives of relating ii information contained in the literature specifically to the Lake Louise area and to fill any information gaps once the literature review had been completed. WILDLIFE CORRIDOR THEORY Most ecologists agree that connectivity between landscapes and habitats is an essential ingredient in the conservation of biological diversity (Paquet et al. 1994). While landscape linkages, or corridors, can serve a variety of purposes, their main role in biological conservation is to serve as a conduit for movement. Within this context, the term movement is meant to include several biological functions, which occur at different spatial and temporal scales: 1) daily and seasonal movements of animals within home ranges; 2) dispersal, which ensures gene flow between populations and may rescue small populations from extinction; and 3) long-distance shifts of species, such as in response to climate change (Noss 1993). Movement corridors can also reduce the likelihood of human-wildlife conflicts by allowing individual animals to safely negotiate their way around highly developed area (BCEAG 1999a). In the Lake Louise area, each of these functions is likely present within the ecosystem, at various scales. At the regional scale, the study area exists within a landscape that is highly fragmented due to steep topography. The result is that most high-quality habitat is confined to valley bottoms and low elevations, where snow accumulations are less. This creates a situation whereby many wildlife populations are believed to exist as metapopulations, i.e. as a network of populations that exist in geographically separate units but are connected genetically by dispersal (Meffe and Carroll 1997). This is especially true of wide-ranging species such as wolves, wolverines and grizzly bears, which exist in low densities across the landscape. Connectivity within a metapopulation is important to ensure the maintenance of genetic variability within populations and to recolonize areas where a population has gone extinct. Connectivity must also be considered at the local scale. Extreme topography creates a heterogeneous landscape within which resources exist in a patchy distribution. In order to survive, animals must be able to move freely throughout their home ranges in order to access the various resources required for their subsistence. Local movements may involve seasonal shifts as animals optimize plant nutrition by following green-up along the elevational gradient. As well, during the breeding season, males often travel extensively throughout their home ranges in search of mates. In any season, carnivores must move around extensively in search of prey. SPECIES-SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS A number of species-specific considerations must be taken into account in the design and management of wildlife corridors. These include: status and distribution, home range size, habitat use, movement patterns, travel routes, barriers to movement, causes of human-related mortality, use of wildlife crossing structures and responses to human activity. I reviewed and summarized these considerations for each of the large and mid- sized mammalian species present in the Lake Louise area in order to provide a foundation upon which to identify potential wildlife corridors, key issues pertaining to their management, and management options to address these. iii A MULTI-SCALE, MULTI-SPECIES MANAGEMENT STRATEGY I proposed a strategy for the management of wildlife corridors in the Lake Louise area. This strategy is comprised of the following three components: • Consideration of multiple spatial and temporal scales: In light of the species- specific management considerations identified, it becomes apparent that considerations of habitat selection, space-use and movements by wildlife cannot be adequately addressed within the context of single spatial or temporal scales. • Necessity of a multi-species approach: Different species use the landscape in different ways. More specifically, there are appreciable differences in home range size, movement patterns, use of highway crossing structures and responses to human influences among species. Managers must guard against managing on a single- species basis and consider the needs of the wildlife community as a whole. • Managing for diversity and complexity: Ecosystems are complex and diverse. However, as humans we have neither the brain nor computer power to fully comprehend or analyze this complexity. I proposed a two-prong strategy aimed at addressing this question. The first part of this strategy involves developing a cohesive, site-specific framework of understanding. The second part of the strategy is to accept that we will never fully understand how the system works and plan accordingly. This involves rejecting solutions that are single-species or single- functional in nature in favour of solutions that incorporate heterogeneity and diversity. CONNECTIVITY ALONG THE BOW VALLEY There appears to be little doubt that the Bow River Valley functions as an important corridor for the movements of multiple species. Indeed, its flat bottom offers an energetically efficient travel route. As well, its position at lower elevations compared to the surrounding landscape, renders it highly accessible to most species, especially during winter when many species are excluded from higher elevation habitats. To date, two major corridors have been identified for the movements of wildlife along the long-axis of the Bow Valley: the Fairview corridor and the Whitehorn corridor. To this, I have added a third corridor along the Bow River. The major issues regarding habitat connectivity along the Bow Valley include high traffic levels on Lake Louise Drive and the ski hill road, human disturbance within the corridors in the form of on- and off-trail recreational activities during both summer and winter, high levels of human activity associated with the ski hill, and the presence of the campground and other developments within the Bow River riparian corridor. Proposed management options to address these issues include: mitigating Lake Louise Drive and the ski hill road, developing a human use management plan aimed at consolidating and reducing human activity within identified corridors, relocating the tenting area of the

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