AMPPE's Monthly Membership Newsletter.
Your source of up-to-date information in the mountain parks.

THE ASSOCIATION FOR MOUNTAIN PARKS
PROTECTION & ENJOYMENT
protecting parks * protecting tourism
                  Volume 6, Issue 5, May & June 2017
Hello AMPPE Members!

As our visitors begin to arrive by the thousands and embrace the gorgeous summer outdoor recreation season, we have composed a handy list of a few areas of importance to keep in mind and share. Below are a list of links providing information on trail conditions and temporary closures, camping spots, appropriate wildlife interaction, new fishing guidelines, events in the valley and transit opportunities to help make the most of a visit to this region.

Check out the links below for everything you need to know! 

Mountain Trail Conditions and Closures

Living Smart with Wildlife 

Rocky Mountain Outlook Event Guide 

Fishing Regulations for 2017

Roam Transit for Banff, Canmore & Lake Louise

Discover Jasper Event Guide Canmore Nordic Centre Trails and Activities

Camping in Alberta 

We hope all of our members and guests have a great time getting out there to safely enjoy our beautiful mountain parks!

Sincerely,

Casey Peirce
Executive Director, AMPPE
AMPPE Advocacy in Action 
Special Feature by AMPPE Board Member Crosbie Cotton: 
Treat Banff Operations as in Other National Parks 

Sunshine Village Needs a Parking Solution.

When congestion recently became a problem impacting the quality of the visitor experience at La Mauricie National Park in Quebec, Parks Canada’s ecologist team leader determined “two new parking lots will be added to the infrastructures of St-Mathieu-du-Parc to meet customer needs and ease congestion during peak hour at the main parking lot.

“The main interventions consist of tree clearing, removal of a pit privy for its replacement by a holding tank system, blasting rock, excavation and backfilling, slopes remodelling and leveling, compaction and installation of an inorganic or paved surface,” reads last summer’s project description.

The expansion was considered essential by the park management team in the community and it made both environmental and economic sense for Parks Canada, which covers construction costs.

The permit states: “All reasonable alternatives to the activity have been considered and evaluated. It was decided that only this option was valid and feasible. It should be mentioned that the entrance of the Saint-Mathieu side of the park is cramped and poorly positioned to accommodate large numbers of visitors thus affecting the quality of the experience and increasing the waiting time of visitors. The other options are not feasible from a functional, economic and environmental point of view.”

Click here to read the full letter 

Learn more at https://www.sunshineparkingsolution.com
Mountain Park News
In 2013, flooding resulted in damage to the Three Sisters campground. As a result, Alberta Parks proposed to remove more than 30 camp sites and infrastructure to establish a day use facility instead. This decision has now been reversed after in depth study and public input.
The summary from the 19th Annual Parks Canada Planning Forum 2017 has been released. AMPPE was one of the key stakeholders invited to attend and was an active participant in the two days of discussion and planning for the future of Banff National Park.
Newly released data from the Alberta Tourism Market Monitor shows the province’s national parks experienced record visitation in 2016 – the highest since 2004 – and the Alberta Resorts region also set a record high occupancy rate last year.
In an effort to reduce the impacts of whirling disease, Parks Canada has made significant changes to its Mountain Park Fishing Regulations. This includes catch and release angling only within Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks with the exception of lake trout in the Lake Minnewanka Reservoir.
The mayors of Canmore and Banff have again repeated requests to the province for help in addressing issues that tourism-based communities are facing; this time their pleas for assistance were made to the minister of economic development and trade.


AMPPE advocates for balance between sustainable tourism, ecological integrity, and positive visitor experience in Canada's rocky mountain parks. 
Facebook   Twitter