FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS FRIENDS COUNTRY OF KANANASKIS 2018-2019 ANNUAL COUNTRY REPORT COOPERATING ASSOCIATION

2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

CO-CHAIR’S REPORT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT There is no such thing as a “normal” or “quiet” year for the Friends. This was a special year as 2018/19 certainly wasn’t the busiest we’ve had, but it did feature its celebrated 40 years of conservation, recreation own challenges and successes. and discovery. Since being established in 1996, the Friends of Kananaskis Country have been This year, the Board went back to a Co-Chair structure, which had proud to represent and help sustain its geographical and other advantages, and we think it worked out well. magnificent natural wonder. 2018/19 saw some other Board changes, too. Long-serving members Kayla Simpson, Tony Paradis and Jaimie McPhail all resigned from Building a community of volunteers and partners – the Board late in the fiscal year. Combined, they had over 15 years these words from our mission inspire our efforts of Board service. Individually and collectively, they will be missed, to expand partnerships and harness the energy of and we thank them for their long and valued participation. our growing community of volunteers as we work towards enhancing our appreciation and We spent significant time improving our Health and Safety policies stewardship of Kananaskis. and procedures again this year. The increased Province-wide focus on Volunteer Safety that started in 2017 led to a solid Occupational In 2018/19 we continued to support Health & Safety framework. We came into this fiscal year with the Environment & Parks, as well as leading 2017 “Stop Work” order still in place, but got it lifted in time to start independent trail projects and strengthening our field season. Once our season started, and all of our Crew regional partnerships. Our ties with other regional Leaders were trained, we had some learnings as we implemented trail building associations were fortified by our new framework. We ended the season confident in what we creating an informal Kananaskis Trail Builders were doing. We then started looking ways of gaining more OH&S Coalition aiming to: maximize resources, improve consistency amongst the greater K-Country volunteer trail building volunteer health and safety practices, build and maintaining community. This will be a focus for 2019/20. capacity for annual volunteer crew leader training, and ultimately add value to Kananaskis trails. 2018/19 certainly wasn’t the busiest field season we have had, As you’ll read in the Key Highlights and the driven by weather, smoke and other factors, but had its successes Accomplishments sections below, we made strides with us working “independently” on Parks-approved projects but to strengthen our operations, programs and without Parks direct supervision. Based on the needs of the region, community engagement. Our Trail Stewardship we initiated discussions with trail team leaders from K-Country program continues to be a primary focus, Public Lands, seeking to engage our support to their areas as well. delivering a safe, fun and meaningful way for The Board believes this will bear fruit in 2019/20. people to give back to the Kananaskis Country The Board also advanced a 5 Year Strategic Plan to help guide the trails they love. We were pleased to host 40 organization, which included a revised Mission Statement: ‘Building volunteer events that engaged 226 volunteers a community of volunteers and partners to maintain the ecological who contributed 1,426 hours to help build and integrity and recreational use of Kananaskis Country by engaging in maintain Kananaskis trails. trail care, stewardship, education, and research’. The end-of-season To our members, volunteers and supporters, we volunteer survey provided altogether positive feedback, and inspires are grateful to have your support and ongoing us to forge ahead towards our organization’s Vision and Mission. stewardship to ensure present and future On behalf of the Board, we say “Thank You” to Nancy, our donors, generations have the opportunity to experience our volunteers, our partners at Alberta Parks and elsewhere. We Kananaskis Country’s incredible natural heritage continue to look forward to what lies ahead. and exceptional recreational opportunities. - Derek Ryder & Ed Engstrom, Co-Chairs - Nancy Ouimet, Executive Director

FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS COUNTRY 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

2018-2019 KEY HIGHLIGHTS VISION

 Trail Love – Give Back campaign raised $11,010; A Kananaskis Country of exquisite  Kananaskis Speaker & Discover Series offered 6 dynamic speakers and natural and cultural landscapes enjoyed discovery events; by present and future generations.  Hosted our 4th annual Trails Fest event – celebrating Kananaskis trails, people and culture; MISSION  Helped establish a regional Kananaskis Trail Builders Coalition; Building a community of volunteers and  End-of-season membership survey received 94 responses and provided partners to maintain the ecological altogether positive feedback, along with some excellent suggestions for integrity and recreational use of enhancing our programs; Kananaskis Country by engaging in trail  Established a Canmore Trail Alliance – Trail Committee which includes care, stewardship, education, and representatives from the hiking, mountain biking, running, equestrian and research. climbing recreational user groups; BOARD OF DIRECTORS  Trained 24 volunteer Crew Leaders;  Hosted our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event; Ed Engstrom, Co-Chair  Our 2018 Trail Care season successfully hosted 40 Trail Care events. We Derek Ryder, Co-Chair engaged 226 individuals who filled 460 volunteer slots contributing 1,426 David Schultz, Treasurer hours to help build and maintain Kananaskis trails;  Project-led 2 approved Alberta Parks trail projects: Razor’s Edge Connector Melanie Booth Trail, Chester-Sawmill Winter Trails; Pete Irwin  Canmore Trail Alliance hosted 22 Trail Care events, engaged 68 volunteers, Darin Langhorst contributing 385 hours. Jamie McPhail  Trail Care projects were undertaken in 10 locations: 1 Day + 107 Volunteers + 568 Hours = Highway 40 Clean Up Dave Nielsen 1 Days + 6 Volunteers + 39 Hours = Lantern Creek Trail Antoine Paradis 4 Days + 19 Volunteers + 47 Hours = Chester Sawmill Winter Trail Project Kayla Simpson 1 Days + 28 Volunteers + 70 Hours = Canmore Nordic Centre Long Loop 9 Days + 10 Volunteers + 73 Hours = Peter Lougheed Winter Trails Kevin Smith 1 Day + 5 Volunteers + 30 Hours = Mt. Shark Ski Trails Manika Suri 1 Day + 10 Volunteers + 60 Hours = Wind Valley Trail Project 10 Days + 46 Volunteers + 235 Hours = Razor's Edge Project STAFF 12 Days + 27 Volunteers + 146 Hours = Canmore Nordic Centre Nationals Nancy Ouimet, Executive Director MTB Race Course Tim Johnson, Program Coordinator Sachi Kitazaki, Contract Bookkeeper Lawrence Nyman, Contract Bookkeeper

ALBERTA PARK LIAISONS Jody Cairns, Trails Coordinator, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park Julia Millen, Community and Partner Relations Team Lead ADVISORY COUNCIL James Early Don Cockerton Gillean Daffern Alf Skrastins

FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS COUNTRY 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

ACCOMPLISHMENTS It is our pleasure to share some of our accomplishments which are a combination of our efforts to enhance Kananaskis trails and experience, build trail stewardship and public participation, and the ways we bridge community engagement with Alberta Parks. Trail Care: Despite a delayed start to our trail care season and a cold, snowy autumn, our tireless volunteers supported Alberta Parks with continued work on the Lantern Creek Trail near Picklejar Lakes, enhancing the nordic trails at Mt Shark, building out the Peter Lougheed snowshoe trail network and trail work in the Wind Valley. Additionally, we made some good headway on the FKC- led Chester-Sawmill winter trail project, with a new snowshoe trail loop ready for the winter. Canmore Trail Alliance: A program of the Friends, the Canmore Trail Alliance (CTA) forged ahead in our second season of work on the Razor’s Edge project in partnership with the Canmore & Area Mountain Bike Association. Over 10 sessions, we completed 264m of new trail towards linking Razor’s Edge and the Quaite Valley Trail. CTA volunteers also devoted 146 hours of work on new trail for the Canadian National Mountain Bike Championships course at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Trail Love – Give Back: The second year of our Trail Love – Give Back Fundraiser was a resounding success! We set an ambitious goal of $10,000 for 2018 to ensure our programs continue to foster a powerful, public connection with Kananaskis Country through trail stewardship, volunteer trail work events, education and outreach. Thanks to an outpouring of support and generosity, we exceeded our goal and raised $11,010! Our heartfelt thanks to all who contributed. Speaker Series: Our 2019 winter Kananaskis Speaker and Discovery Series in partnership with Alberta Parks and in collaboration with the University of – Palliser Club offered a variety of presentation topics and discovery events between the University of Calgary and Peter Lougheed Provincial Park including: Matt Mueller (Kananaskis Public Safety) – Wisdom for the Winter, Danah Duke (Miistakis Institute) – How Do Animals in Alberta Cross the Road?, Nicole Kahal (Miistakis Institute) – What’s Happening in Calgary’s Wetlands, Robyn Mulligan (Canmore Artist) – Nature Inspired Art, Jim Thorne (Foothills Search & Rescue) – Winter Survival Skills, and Leith Monaghan (Alberta Parks) – Winter Ecology.

SUPPORTERS We give thanks to all our supporters who contribute to our success:

Calgary Foundation • The Auxilium Foundation • Alberta Government – Community Initiatives Program • The Dr. Janice L. Pasieka Foundation • Banff Canmore Community Foundation • Maria K. Eriksen and Harold Hanen Fund • Town of Canmore • Patagonia Calgary/Banff (Elements Inc.) • Kananaskis Improvement District • Kananaskis Lakes Association • Rundle Mountain Cycling Club • Alberta TrailNet Society • Enbridge • McElhanney • Canmore Caverns Ltd. • Stantec Consulting • Second Sixties Outdoor Club • Calgary Ski Club • Calgary Weekend Hikers • Canmore Trail Culture • Lululemon Banff • MnM Outdoor Club • Chinook Outdoor Club • Evergreen Senior Outdoor Club • West Winds Senior Hiking & Outdoor Club • Council for Clean & Reliable Energy • along with several other great supporters. A few companies have employee donation matching programs. Cenovus Energy, Suncor Energy, EnCana, ATCO. We also have numerous organizations provide us with donations of products or services to support our Trails Fest event and as recognition to our hardworking volunteers for our end-of-season volunteer appreciation event. A big thank-you goes out to: Banff Lodging Company • Kananaskis Trails • Map Town • Mountain Equipment Co-op • Good Earth Coffeehouse • Patagonia Calgary/Banff • Alpine Helicopters • Canmore Nordic Centre • Canmore Cave Tours • Interpretive Guides Association • Boston Pizza • Alberta Apparel • Balance Explore • Onward Up & Run Uphill. There's a long list of individuals who provided donations - your ongoing support is valued and appreciated - thank you. FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS COUNTRY 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS & VOLUNTEERS We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners, colleagues, volunteers, and members who helped us offer our programs and see value in the Friends of Kananaskis Country’s mandate. Alberta Environment and Parks: A big thank you to the Kananaskis Operations, Trails and Ecology team: Mark Storie, Debbie Mucha, Michael Roycroft, Duane Fizor, Jeff Eamon, James Cieslak, Kyle Jacobson, Chris Anderson, John Paczkowski, Scott Jevons, Maria Lynn, Dan Tatton, Jeff Wright and Brad Jones. We have had the privilege to have Julia Millen and Jody Cairns from Parks serve on our Board contributing insight, wisdom and assistance. Canmore Trail Alliance – Partners: Representing the Canmore Area trail recreational groups and interests, thank you for your commitment to build the Alliance: Canmore Area Mountain Bike Association (Andrew Dickison and Chad Holowatuk), Canmore Trail Culture (Dave Aschim), Climbers Access Society of Alberta (Al Black), Bow Valley Riding Association (Lisa Young), Don Gardner, Ken Davies and, Greg Thompson. Kananaskis Trail Building Coalition: Thanks to the Coalition partnership for embarking on this exciting opportunity to collaborate and maximize resources for the greater benefit of each group and Kananaskis. Partners include: Greater Trails Association, Moose Mountain Bike Trail Society, Great Divide Trail Association, Canmore Area Mountain Biking Association, and Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance. Trail Crew Leaders: They plan their weeks around our trail care projects, and work with Parks staff to merrily lead you on our many projects. These superstars include: Andrew Faltus, Colin Graver, Crawford Smyth, Darin Langhorst, Derek Ryder, Don Cockerton, Ghulam Jamro, Jeff Grutz, Kris Thesen, Tim Giese – and Canmore Trail Alliance Crew Leaders: Andrew Dickison, Bruce Gleig, Dan Spalding, Dwayne Brown, Eric Trouillot, Greg Thompson, Jacob Johnson, Ken Davies, Nancy Ouimet, Tim Johnson. Volunteers: Then we have the folks who do the work. THANK YOU to the over 226 volunteers who came out to handle a pulaski or macleod, helped clean Highway 40 and invested 1,426 hours on 40 trail days Kananaskis & the Canmore area! Members: Without you, the members of the Friends of Kananaskis County, none of our projects get done. There are over

GIVING1,600 members BACK at last count. Thanks for being a Friend,VOLUNTEER Volunteer AND/OR and Support DONATEer. CONTACT US

“ I've enjoyed Kananaskis Country for years, We are always grateful for your Friends of Kananaskis Country without much thought as to who built or volunteering and/or fiscal contributions 201, 800 Railway Avenue maintained them. that help us maintain our programs and Canmore, AB

operations, and contribute to the T1W 1P1 Since joining Friends, I've had some great stewardship of Kananaskis Country. times volunteering outdoors, and 403-678-5593 developed a much deeper appreciation for Visit our website at www.kananaskis.org [email protected] the region through their presentations, to make a donation and learn more about special events and newsletters. I feel lucky how to volunteer. www.kananaskis.org to participate with this group.” - Nolan Rempel FRIENDS OF KANANASKIS COUNTRY 2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

TREASURER’S REPORT The Friends of Kananaskis Country’s cash position decreased by 25% to 135,056 from $181,253 from at our fiscal year-end. Total Revenue decreased by 33% to $108,181 from $162,438. Total Costs of our programs decreased 31%, to $105,920 from $153,518. The excess of revenue over expenses decreased by $6,659 to $2,261 from $8,920.

During the year the Friends of Kananaskis Country’s also placed a portion of our cash balance into a GIC and Savings and earned interest of $2,211.

During the year work continued on trail projects and educational initiatives. Donations received in previous years for specific projects were used to fund work during the current fiscal period. As such the balance of Deferred Contributions decreased by $43,713 to $89,203 From $132,916.

The financial statements for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2019 are available on our website www.kananaskis.org.

FINANCIAL REPORT

TOTAL ASSETS $173,237 TOTAL LIABILITY AND NET ASSETS $173,237

Accounts Payable Prepaid Good & Services Capital and Accrued Expenses Invested in Capital Assets Tax Recoverable Assets Liabilities

Inventory

Short Term Investments

Unrestricted Cash Deferred Contributions

REVENUE $108,181 EXPENSES $105,920

Clubs & Associations Corporations Administration

Programs Government Registered Charities

Individuals