HISTORY

The Canadian Rockies are made up of 1.5 billion-year-old sedimentary rock. Mountain activity occurred from 140 million years ago all the way to 45 million years ago, and much of the region is made up of quartzite and limestone rock. In its early history, the Canadian Rockies were inhabited by the native Blackfoot, Blood, Peigan, Sarcee, and Stoney tribes. The first European to explore the region was Anthony Henday in 1754. In the 1800s, the Northwest and Hudson’s Bay companies merged for fur trading, the natives ceded their land to the local government, and the Trans-Canada railroad was completed through western Canada and its Rockies. Once the Peigan tribe focused their trade toward the U.S., the Europeans were able to explore the central and southern parts of the Canadian Rockies. This shift exposed the tribe to European diseases which took a toll on their warriors and numbers as a whole. Between 1792 and 1872, 26 expeditions were conducted over a period of 369 days by the Europeans, when explorers saw a variety of fauna including bighorn sheep, bison, moose, mountain goats, and elk. The Europeans first explored the area of Banff in 1841 and continued on to explore the other national park areas in 1858. At the end of the fur trade, there was not much in the way of desirable trade material in the central Canadian Rockies, so it received minimal visitation until the trans Canada railroad was built in 1880. 

HUMAN BENEFITS

The main benefit people get from the Canadian Rockies is tourism. Among the other 3 national parks, Banff was recorded to have 4,724,698 visitors in 2002. These numbers contribute a significant amount of money to the economy. In addition to tourism, this area provides a number of recreational activities such as kayaking, river rafting, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. Again, these forms of recreation bring in revenue for the economy. Thirdly, these Rockies provide resources for humans use. The mountains' glaciers provide suitable drinking water, firewood, and many other resources. These three benefits alone prove that the Canadian Rockies are of significant use to humans. 

WILDLIFE

The Canadian Rockies are home to a wealth of flora and fauna, much of which is still present today, though in smaller numbers than historically recorded. In the subalpine zone there are lodgepole pine, Englemann spruce, willow, aspen, Douglas fir, and maple trees. The area’s fauna includes grizzly bears, black bears, puma, wolverines, grey wolves, elk, white tailed deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, beavers, red squirrels, caribou, osprey, ptarmigan, and loon. The Banff Springs snail is an endangered species of the area, while the woodland caribou, grey wolves, grizzly bears, and bighorn sheep are threatened. 

PROTECTED AREAS

The four main national parks are the current forms of positive human impact in an attempt to restore and maintain the ecological diversity of Canada’s Rocky Mountains. The parks include Jasper, Kootenay, Yoho, and Banff, which all attract a great number of tourists with their beauty. Jasper is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. It was established in 1907 and spans 4200 square miles. In 2002, it served 1,958,989 visitors. Kootenay was established in 1920, spans 543 square miles and served 1,847,997 visitors in 2002. Yoho was established in 1886, spans 507 square miles and served 1,135,282 visitors in 2002. It is also home to the Burgess shale fossil site, which is one of the most renowned fossil sites in the world. Banff is the oldest national park in the Canadian Rockies, as it was established in 1885. Banff hosted 4,724,698 visitors in 2002, and it spans 2564 square miles of subalpine and alpine terrain. It is primarily composed of glaciers, and it is home to over 206 species of birds as well as elk, moose, deer, bighorn sheep, mountain goat, caribou, grey wolf, coyote, cougar, black bear, grizzly bear, ground squirrel, hoary marmot, porcupine, Canada goose, blue grouse, and bald eagle. 2 big tourist sites in the park are Chateau Lake Louise and the Banff Springs Hotel.  

ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY MOVEMENT

There are and have been many acts formed in the interest of the ecological integrity of the Canadian Rockies, including the Canada National Parks Act, Canada National Marine Conservation Areas Act, Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act, Department of Canadian Heritage Act, Department of Transport Act, Dominion Water Power Act, Historic Sites and Monuments Act, Species at Risk Act, Canadian Wildland Fire Strategy, and Parks Canada Agency Act.

Parks Canada is a major organization that headed many of the preservation initiatives in the Canadian Rockies area. Its values and goals are to 1) protect and present Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, 2) preserve ecological integrity for present and future, 3) guard national parks, historic sites, and marine conservation, 4) guide and educate visitors, 5) build on the traditions of aboriginals, and 6) recount the history of these sites. 

HUMAN IMPACT

The main problem with direct human impact on the region is the urbanization near the Canadian Rockies. Two specific cases include the Grizzlies and the Bison. Urbanization minimizes and lowers the quality of the Grizzlies’ habitat, which affects females’ re-productivity. Females that live in the areas close to humans don’t get the same nutrition and abundance of berries and meat as those in deeper forest areas, thus they become less fertile and give birth to smaller litters. Other issues with grizzlies include the high number of “subdominants”. These grizzlies are prone to living near humans so that they don’t have to compete with the alpha males of the species, who live deeper in the wilderness. As a result, they cause fear among humans living nearby, which can force the government to take action against the grizzlies to make sure the residents feel safe. Furthermore, since subdominants may become more accustomed to living with humans, they may venture out onto roads and highways and have a higher chance of getting killed on said roads. A study reported that the survival rate of subadults was 69-74% while the survival rate of adults was 86-89%. Furthermore, 100% of 95 human-caused deaths from a recent study were in regions very close to trails.

Alternatively, Bison were historically the main and most abundant fauna in Banff. However, they were killed off by human hunting; natives found much use for them in the form of food, clothing, shelter, and tools. Bison have not been part of the Banff area for more than 100 years now, and there is speculation about reintroducing the species to the area. While reintroducing the Bison would be helpful and would cause other helpful and natural ecological activity such as hunting and burning by the natives, it would also be difficult to maintain, as the herds would have to be periodically reduced, restricted to only the area of Banff national park, as farmers don’t want them affecting their crops, and they would require the introduction of other species for predation. 

Banff, as well as much of the Canadian Rockies, is made up of many glaciers. Up to 300 square kilometers of glacier are still on the crests of the mountains. The Columbia Icefield, which lies on the border between Jasper and Banff National Parks, is the largest ice mass in North America and thus forms a lot of freshwater for humans' use. It is made up of six glaciers: Athabasca, Castleguard, Columbia, Dome, Saskatchewan, and Stutfield glaciers. In particular, the Athabasca glacier has retreated .93 miles in the last 125 years, and its melting rate is faster today than it has been in the last 40 years. It is currently shrinking at a rate of 30% per 100 years, which means it will likely have completely disappeared in 300 years. Alternatively, the Saskatchewan Glacier retreated 180 feet per year from the 1948-1953. To relate that number to that of the Athabasca Glacier, if it continually retreated at 180 feet per year, it would retreat .93 miles in 27 years, which is 4.5 times as fast. Global warming has affected these glaciers in noticeable ways. Researchers have hypothesized the glacier issue to be a result of less glacial formation in winter as opposed to glacial melting in summer. Furthermore, the increase in winter temperatures in and around these Rockies is more than twice the increase in spring and summer temperatures. A 1.5 degree-Celsius increase has been recorded over of the last century. Glacial melting has caused landslides that affect the Yoho transcontinental railway and road. Glacier-caused-landslides affect the Icefield Parkway, which hosts many visitors that travel from Jasper to Lake Louise each year. 

I researched two specific human impact issues that exemplify the issues with the ecological state of the Canadian Rockies: Mountain Biking and Forest Fires. Mountain biking became significantly popular in 1970 as a recreational sport. Specifically, Fernie’s trail system is an example of bike trails that were formed without the park managers’ knowledge. These trails were for downhill biking, which affect the land because it makes the land prone to erosion. Thus, downhill mountain biking proves to have a negative effect on the ecological state of the Rockies primarily because it changes the composition of the land. In another case, Bryant Creek trail was completely closed by Parks Canada in the interest of protecting grizzly bears, as the trail was considered too close to the bears’ habitat. Parks Canada now only allows cross country trails that are less likely to erode the land. Unfortunately, the closing of trails have caused bikers to simply start up illegal trails in the area. So now, it is in the best interest of Parks Canada and the managers of the national parks to find a middle ground between complete closure and wildlife protection.

The other problem area I researched was forest fires. Fire suppression has been a continent-wide issue, and in the Canadian Rockies has been a problem since 1880, when fire suppression laws went into effect. Fire suppression over the years has caused a change in the type and density of the area’s forests in the past 80 years. Aside from fire being an issue for closeby urbanization, it has been an issue for tourism. Officials are well aware that tourists don’t want to come to see the Canadian Rockies burnt up and dry. As a result, there has been mass bug infestation, specifically with the mountain pine beetle, which eats the phloem of Lodgepole pines in the mountains. Lack of fires has allowed the bug population to heighten, which greatly affects the flora of the Canadian Rockies. 

While there are some noticeable problems with the state of the Canadian Rockies, nearly all of the native species are still there, though in smaller numbers than in the past. Furthermore, over 95% of the national parks’ land is considered “undisturbed natural wilderness”. The boundaries of these parks have been established in legislation, the Canada National Parks Act went into effect in 2000, and the community boundaries in Field, Lake Louise, and Banff have been reduced. Specifically, the National Parks Act’s first priority is the ecological integrity of the parks. 

FUTURE PROSPECTS

The future of the Canadian Rockies no doubt depends on the actions people decide to take. If things continue going the way they are now, without reversion (for example, without people switching to renewable energy or Parks Canada forming new Acts to preserve the area), it is possible that for one, the glaciers will change and animals that used to live in the cold climate created by the glaciers will no longer be able to survive. In addition, the continued melting may increase chances of landslides which not only will affect highways like those in Yoho, but can also affect habitats of various wildlife in the mountains.

The wildlife habitat is bound to diminish and change in the future if no action is taken on the problems affecting the Canadian Rockies. Currently, the trans-Canada highways and rails are affecting wildlife, specifically the grizzly bears and elk. As tourists continue to visit and drive through this area of Canada, the problem of wildlife getting hit and killed continues. This problem is significant for grizzlies and grey wolves in the area, as they are already struggling in their numbers. Thus, certain species may face endangerment or extinction based on the use of the railways and roads. However, as the national parks gain power and the ability for more research, the habitats of wildlife in the area are subject to protection and expansion. So again, the future of the ecosystem depends on the action people take. 

As for the natural forest fires, as long as urbanization continues, fire suppression is likely to continue. As a result, certain species may flourish and cause an imbalance in the ecosystem. As stated above, the mountain pine beetle population will have the opportunity to greatly increase and spread, which spreads the disease given to Lodgepole pines, which populate much of the Canadian Rockies. Fire suppression has been shown to change the environment significantly, and environment changes can have an infinite amount of effects.

Considering how the primary concern of the managers of the nation parks is ecological integrity, the future of the national parks is likely to be bright. Therefore, the wildlife within natural parks will probably continue to strive. The rules and regulations on fire suppression and forest fires are subject to change at any point, so the only incite I can give is in the situation where fire suppression continues. Therefore, the most uncontrollable situation of the Canadian Rockies appears to be the glacial retreating. That is a result of so many people’s energy use, hence the term Global Warming. Thus, it is the most difficult process to reverse and thus the most likely to continue. And as stated above, glacial melting can be detrimental to the ecological integrity of the area. Thus in conclusion, it is likely that the make-up of the environment will change and the type of wildlife may change and possibly decrease. 

MAINTAINING A BALANCE

Visitation: Visiting the Canadian Rockies would help improve the human impact on the ecosystem because it will help the public to see how their actions affect the environment. If people see the Rockies in person, the problems become much more real and people will find a real motivation to change their behavior. Seeing as how my visit to the Canadian Rockies has motivated me to research and help the area, I can only assume that such a visit will affect other tourists as well.

Media: Media is a great way to reach those people who are unable to visit the Canadian Rockies. As seen by documentaries like The March of the Penguins, Oceans, Planet Earth, and African Cats, even seeing the functions of ecosystems and how we as a people affect them can motivate us to change our behavior. Seeing this ecosystem in media can also motivate viewers to actually visit the area, which can in turn motivate them to help that environment. Media can help spread the word on the Canadian Rockies better than any other means.

Education: Education is the best way to get people involved with changing the Rockies. By showing documentaries and teaching students and adults about the beauty of this area and the problems it faces can provide them with an opportunity to improve human impact. The first thing people need is knowledge of the area, and the way to get that is through education. In my opinion, the most effective way would be to teach children and adults alike about the animals that inhabit the Canadian Rockies. Seeing photos of grey wolves and black bears in danger have the power to remind viewers about their love for their own pets. The strength of the connection between humans and their pets is enough to motivate them to help the wildlife in the Canadian Rockies. And the actions people can take to help the fauna will in turn help the flora and even the glaciers.

Global Warming Initiative: While all of the above-mentioned ways can help get people involved, what can people do once they find the desire to get involved? One of the ways is to increase the efforts to reverse or stop global warming. Much of the energy the population uses releases compounds into the atmosphere that cause glaciers to melt. Much of the Canadian Rockies is made up of glaciers, so to help the area, one thing we can do is reduce our energy uses and use more renewable sources. As a few examples, we can invest in hybrid and electric cars and solar and wind power. In addition to reducing our energy consumption, educating people on the Canadian Rockies can help discourage them from urbanizing around wildlife habitats in the area. Less urbanization means less destruction of homes for animals. Furthermore, motivating people to help reverse problems in the Canadian Rockies can motivate them to donate money to the cause. By donating their time or money, supporters can give researchers the opportunity to reintroduce species to the area, and in turn bring back habitats that were historically located there. Reintroduction is a complex and surely expensive task, but it is also one that can bring about great changes to the problems the Rockies currently face, including endangerment and extinction. Funding research for this process can greatly benefit our environment. Furthermore, funding most research of the Canadian Rockies ecosystem can help it to thrive, seeing as how scientific research brought about improved grizzly survival, visitor facilities relocation, restoring lakes, and highway crossing structures. 

CONCLUSION

I believe that the key to preserving and protecting the Canadian Rockies is education. Education is the starter of the domino effect, as it can lead to research, documentation, visitation, and motivation. Educations is what leads people to their true desires, and by educating the public about the Canadian Rockies, we can inspire people to save and protect them. My wealth of photos are a symbol of my love and appreciation for this ecosystem. I hope that today and in the future, others will feel that same appreciation for the beauty that is the Canadian Rockies.