Environmentally Significant Areas Inventory of the Rocky Mountain Natural Region of Alberta Final Report by Kevin Timoney Treeline Ecological Research 21551 Twp. Rd. 520 Sherwood Park, AB T8E 1E3 email: [email protected] for Corporate Management Service Alberta Environmental Protection 12th Floor, Oxbridge Place 9820 - 106 St. Edmonton, AB T5K 2J6 17 January 1998 Contents ___________________________________________________________________ Abstract........................................................................................................................................ 1 Acknowledgements................................................................................................................... 2 Color Plates................................................................................................................................. 3 1. Purpose of the study ........................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Definition of AESA@................................................................................................... 6 1.2 Study Rationale ............................................................................................................ 6 2. Background on the Rocky Mountain Natural Region ............................................ 7 2.1 Geology ......................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Weather and Climate.................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Wildlife.......................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Human Use................................................................................................................... 9 2.5 International Significance......................................................................................... 10 3. Classification of Environmentally Significant Areas ............................................ 10 4. Methods................................................................................................................................. 12 4.1 Preliminary Preparation (Literature Review, Questionnaire, and Interviews) ....... 12 4.2 Fieldwork.................................................................................................................... 13 4.3 Airphoto Interpretation.............................................................................................. 13 4.4 Database Preparation and Mapping.......................................................................... 13 4.5 Digital Map Production ............................................................................................. 14 5. Study Region Boundaries and Divisions.................................................................... 14 5.1 Montane Subregion.................................................................................................... 15 5.2 Subalpine Subregion.................................................................................................. 16 5.3 Alpine subregion ........................................................................................................ 17 6. Results.................................................................................................................................... 14 6.1 Internationally Significant Areas.............................................................................. 18 Table 1. Winter wildlife population estimates for relevant ESA polygons ......................................................................................................... 23 6.2 Nationally Significant Areas...................................................................................... 26 6.3 Provincially Significant Areas................................................................................... 34 6.4 Regionally Significant Areas ..................................................................................... 48 6.5 Locally Significant Areas........................................................................................... 54 7. Discussion: Is the Status Quo Sufficient for Protected Areas in the Rocky Mountain Natural Region?....................... 55 8. Principles of Landscape Ecology as Applied to Special Places 2000 ............... 56 9. Where to from Here? Using the Inventory Data .................................................... 58 Figure 1. Flow chart of activities to establish a protected areas system for the Rocky Mountain Natural Region ....................................................................... 60 10. References Cited .............................................................................................................. 61 _______________________________________________________________ Appendix: ESA database information.................................................................................. 67 Structure of database file LOCATE.DB.......................................................................... 67 Structure of database file CRITERIA.DB....................................................................... 67 Structure of database file FEATURE.DB....................................................................... 68 Key to Subregion Codes ................................................................................................... 68 Key to Significance Codes................................................................................................ 68 Key to Criteria Codes........................................................................................................ 68 Key to Theme Codes ......................................................................................................... 69 Key to Theme Feature Codes ........................................................................................... 69 1 - landform 2 - wetland 3 - hydrology 4 - vegetation 5 - wildlife 6 - fisheries 7 - scientific 8 - cultural ______________________________________________________________________________ Map. Environmentally Significant Areas of the Rocky Mountain Natural Region, scale 1:750,000 (back pocket) Abstract This study produced an inventory of environmentally significant areas in the Rocky Mountain Natural Region of Alberta. The Rocky Mountains are a special place; as a unit the region is unique in the world. By significance category, there were eight international, 15 national, 62 provincial, 37 regional, and four local significance polygons (a total of 126 polygons). ESA polygons cover approximately 32,790.7 km2, a large proportion of the Rocky Mountain Natural Region in Alberta. The high proportion of ESA coverage is due to a combination of factors: high topographic, landform, climatic, and ecological diversity; scarcity of commercially valuable forests, petroleum, etc.; unsuitability for agriculture, and protection within national parks and other areas. While an effort was made to document large polygons (to increase the functionality of each polygon), few polygons are large enough to retain their ecological integrity if surrounded by incompatible land uses, such as total fire suppression and logging. Thus each polygon must be seen in its greater ecosystem context, and in planning a protected areas network, emphasis should be placed on maintaining connectivity across the landscape. A method of identifying ESAs for high-priority conservation is offered. Priority polygons are those that are of high ecological significance, imminently threatened, and useful to completing a protected areas system. Examples given are Wildlife Management Unit AB418, Cardinal - McLeod Headwaters, Front Range Ridges north of Waterton Lakes National Park, Middle Castle River, Mt. Allan - Wind Valley, South Ghost Wilderness, and the Mountain (Woodland) Caribou Range. Rocky Mountain ESAs / 1 Acknowledgments A great number of people assisted in this work. This work would not have been possible without the staff of the Alberta Natural Heritage Information Centre, in particular Peter Lee, John Rintoul, Lorna Allen, Duke Hunter, and Cora Trompetter. Anne Robinson assisted in all aspects of the work. Ben Gadd and Cliff Wallis provided important ESA information and assisted with technical advice. Terrain Resources did the digitizing, digital mapping, and ESA polygon map. Gordon Court provided the amphibian and reptile occurrence database. Elaine Anderson conducted a literature search. Dave and Kathy Sheppard acted as guides during the fieldwork in the South Castle and West Castle areas. Dave Sheppard provided abundant ESA information. Many people and organizations responded to my requests for information, including Peter Achuff, Wendy Adams, Alberta Wilderness Association, Alberta Environmental Protection, Suzanne Bayley, Will Bilozir; Eldon Bruns, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Janet Edmonds, Wendy Francis, Jeff Green, Sam Gunsch, Jon Jorgenson, Jeff Kneteman, Archie Landals, Margo Pybus, Brad Stelfox, Kevin Van Tighem, Dale Vitt, Cliff White, and Steve Zoltai. Rocky Mountain ESAs / 2 Color Plates: (a) Unique grassland vegetation characteristic of the Big Sagebrush Natural Area, 1 Sept. 97; see polygon 61, section 6.2.7; (b) coal exploration at the Cheviot Mine site, 24 July 97; see polygon 19, section 6.2.4; (c) part of Vermilion Lakes wetlands, Bow River, 30 Aug 97; see polygon 69, section 6.1.5;