CPAWS Southern Alberta is pleased to present …

Shooting the Gap:
Wildlife and the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park

Running Time: 24 min. 43 sec.
Click here for additional notes about this video.

The Trans-Canada Highway runs for 83 kilometres through Canada’s oldest and most prominent national park. Its heavy traffic poses a threat to wildlife, yet the wildlife is part of an ecosystem which is supposed to be legally protected within the park. For years Parks Canada has attempted to reconcile the competing demands of a national transportation route and a national park by an experiment in fencing the highway and constructing wildlife overpasses and underpasses to allow wildlife to move across the landscape.

Shooting the Gap examines what we have learned. Through interviews with parks officials, researchers, police and conservationists, combined with outstanding footage of wildlife using the crossing structures, it looks at both successes and limitations. It also looks at the new measures being taken near Lake Louise, where a dense population of grizzly bears raises special concerns. The experiment is yielding lessons which can be applied far beyond the boundaries of Banff National Park.

For more information on the Trans-Canada Highway, please click here.

Thank you to the following organizations for their support of this project:

Many thanks are due to everyone who agreed to be interviewed for this project: Dr. Bruce Leeson, Terry McGuire, P.Eng, Cpl. Mark Kay, David Poulton, Dr. Anthony Clevenger, Dr. Stephen Herrero, Dr. Michael Gibeau, Hal Morrison, Dr. Shelley Alexander, Sen. Elaine McCoy, everyone at Parks Canada who helped support this project.

Executive Producer: David Poulton
Producer: Rodney Steadman
Maps: David Morgan

Notes about this video

1. This video is provided in streaming QuickTime video format. We recommend running this video on a high speed Internet connection. If you experience any difficulties playing this video, we recommend checking Apple QuickTime troubleshooting tips found here: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/troubleshooting/ .

2. There are no sounds during the first 30 seconds of this video - do not adjust your set!

3. Purchase the Shooting the Gap DVD from the CPAWS Southern Alberta office for $15.00 plus GST, or online here (additional shipping charges apply).

   For shipping outside Canada, please send an e-mail message with your address to info@cpawscalgary.org, so that we can calculate the proper shipping fees.

   

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