Kananaskis

Sheep River Provincial Park and Bluerock Wildland Park Management Plan

The Sheep River Provincial Park and Bluerock Wildland Park are ~80km SW of Calgary and contain vital alpine, sub-alpine, and montane ecosystems. These parks are part of the Bow River watershed, and vital wildlife habitat for cougars, bighorn sheep and elk.

Draft terms of reference for the Sheep River/Bluerock Parks were released in January of 2005. CPAWS Southern Alberta was generally pleased to see the explicit commitment to a regional perspective and an ecosystem based approach to management. There were, however, a few areas in the draft management plan that could have been strengthened. CPAWS Southern Alberta recommended that the plan be clearer in making preservation a priority over all other objectives. We also recommended that grazing be severely restricted throughout the area and altogether stopped in the Sheep River Valley where a high density of ungulates would have to compete with cattle for resources.

The finalized management plan for the Sheep River Provincial Park and the Bluerock Wildland Provincial Park was released in July of 2008. The plan did not explicitly make preservation a priority over other objectives, but preservation remains an important objective. The finalized management plan also continues to allow for the grazing of both parks, although under the condition that it does not conflict with the management objectives or ecological integrity of the parks.

On the whole, CPAWS Southern Alberta is content with the final management plan and will continue to do its best to ensure the preservation of both parks.

Link to final management plan

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