The Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation Program is getting ready for the 2016 season.
The program is a three-year endeavour to rehabilitate mixed-use off-road trails devastated by the 2013 flood.
“The flood in 2013 had not only devastating effects in cities and towns, it really ripped through the backcountry as well – it washed out and damaged the backcountry trails,” said Jason Penner, public affairs officer with Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP).
“We have some wonderful recreational areas in this part of the province and it would be a shame to not restore them,” Penner explained.
According to the program’s website, the $10-million program to restore and repair backcountry trail systems on public lands commenced in 2014 and will be completed by March 2017. The program aims to restore priority trails and trail systems along the eastern slopes for both motorized and non-motorized recreational users.
“The money all comes from the federal government from the Disaster Recovery Program. In terms of flood recovery, $10 million is not a huge sum. However, we have been able to get a lot of work done thanks to our volunteers. It allows us to get a lot of bang for our bucks,” Penner said.
Program officials held an event at the Cochrane RancheHouse on Feb. 27 to update the public on the progress made in the 2015 season and explain what will be accomplished in 2016.
In 2015 alone the program completed 51 projects, reinstalled 46 bridges, restored 204 kilometres of trail, organized 2,013 hours of volunteer trail work, and co-ordinated 283 hours of trail work involving heavy equipment donated by backcountry user groups.
“Our goal is to get going in May and typically we can be out in the field right through into October depending on the weather and when it starts snowing,” Penner said.
The program makes use of bio-engineering techniques to repair trails and to prepare the land strategically to fill out the rest of the landscape. For example, volunteers plant willow trees in areas that contain slopes in order to provide soil stability to prevent the trail from eroding.
During the question period at the event, locals expressed concern over the closure of trails without reopening them or other trails. The presenters explained the program’s mandate is to assess, prioritize and rehabilitate certain trails, and in certain circumstances they couldn’t reopen trails if they weren’t at a certain safety standard.
The program also had to close a couple trails in the backcountry to protect the westslope cutthroat trout as they are a protected species currently residing in streams near the trails. Habitat loss is a major factor threatening the species’ survival.
In attendance at the event was Cam Westhead, MLA for the Banff-Cochrane constituency.
“People are passionate about having access to the backcountry, it’s something that Albertans have as part of their identity and people are committed to doing these repairs in a sustainable way,” said Westhead.
“Not only in the meeting tonight, but I’ve heard from individuals over the last several months about ways they want to access the backcountry and suggestions that they have to improve the experience for backcountry users, and I’m absolutely committed to taking that back to the minister,” Westhead continued.
The Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation Program had a long list of volunteers it wished to thank for their help in the 2015 season and for their continued support. According to the program, these groups assisted by donating time, labour, heavy equipment, and local knowledge to repair trails across the province. They have volunteered on trail repair and bio-engineering projects, installed decking on bridges, and donated materials.
For more information about the Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation Program, visit backcountryflood.alberta.ca. Anyone with questions or comments is asked to email [email protected]
