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Episode 4412: Columbia Icefield Highway, Continental Watershed, Banff Town
"Huang Jie Bo Cai Feng Chasing the Moon" public welfare science education article, any form of reprint please contact the author (WeChat Jumboheritagelist or Huang_Jumbo)
The Columbia Ice Sheet is an ice sheet located in the Canadian Rockies that spans the watershed of the North American continent. Part of the ice sheet is located in the northwest corner of Banff National Park and the southern tip of Jasper National Park. It has an area of about 325 square kilometers, a thickness of 100 to 365 meters, and about 7 meters of snowfall per year.
The Athabasca Glacier can be seen from the Icefield Highway, and from 1844 onwards, the Athabasca Glacier clearly melted. In summer, visitors can take a bus ride on the glacier for sightseeing.
The Athabasca, North Saskatchewan, and Columbia rivers all originate in the Columbia Ice Sheet. It is the highest hydrological point in North America, with water flowing north into the Arctic Ocean, east into the Atlantic Ocean, and south to west into the Pacific Ocean.
At the junction of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. It is the largest ice sheet in the Rocky Mountains and one of the most accessible glaciers in North America. Because its main accumulation area is located in the continental watershed, it is called the mother of rivers. The glacier zone is between Mount Columbia, at 3,747 m (12,294 ft) in the west, and Athabasca, at 3,491 m (11,452 ft) in the east. In the south there is Jasper National Park,
There are roads to the east to Banff and Calgary in Alberta. The ice sheet covers an area of 500 square kilometres (200 sq mi) and consists of ice sheets and more than a dozen glaciers. Ice sheets are generally 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level, and the highest ice sheet is 130 m (420 ft) thick. There are two main ice tongues. The Athabasca Glacier in the north is about 30 square kilometers in size and belongs to the typical Canadian Rocky Mountain type glacier. Its meltwater flows into the Arctic Ocean via the Athabasca River, Lake Athabasca, Slave River, Lake Danu and The Magens River.
The end of the glacier was thrust twice in 1715 and 1840, and then gradually retreated. The Saskatchewan Glacier in the east is the largest glacier on the ice sheet, covering an area of about 60 square kilometres (23 square miles) with gentle slopes and a thickness of 442 m (1,450 ft), flowing and melting at a rate similar to that of the Athabasca Glacier and other major tributary glaciers. Meltwater flows through the Saskatchewan River into Hudson Bay, which leads to the Atlantic Ocean.
Meltwater from the northwestern edge of the ice sheet is incorporated into the Pacific Ocean along the Fraser and Columbia rivers. The river valleys that surround the ice fields are filled with turquoise lakes and lush forests. Huge valley glaciers undulate and make it easier for hikers and climbers to reach the summit. Since the 1950s, in-depth and comprehensive surveys of the two major glaciers, Athabasca and Saskatchewan, have been carried out. One of the results was the discovery of an underground river beneath the ice sheet, Columbia ICEFIELD - Cold, Hard Facts (Colombia Icefield data reviewed on February 1, 2008).
Icefield Highway, also known as Route 93, is a highway in Alberta, Canada, with beautiful scenery along the way. It runs parallel to the North American continental watershed and crosses the rugged Rocky Mountains. It passes through Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, connecting Lake Louise and Jasper. Today, Route 93 and Route 1 coincide with Lake Louise and Mount Castle before entering British Columbia's Kutney National Park.
The total length of the road was 232 km and was completed in 1940. The road takes its name from the spectacular ice fields along the way, including the Columbia Ice Field.
Road traffic is very busy in summer, with traffic reaching 100,000 per month in July and August. The road is mainly two-lane and has been designed to avoid steep slopes and sharp turns, but drivers still have to be careful about wildlife, cyclists and vehicles parked on the side of the road. Severe weather is also a factor to watch out for, especially during the winter months.
The Continental Divide of North America, also known as the Great Divide, is a series of ridges that roughly divide the basins of the pacific ocean from the Atlantic/Arctic Ocean. From Prince of Wales Point in Alaska in the north, it passes through the Yukon, British Columbia, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and Mexico in the south, and actually extends all the way to South America connected to the Andes.
Cape Prince of Wales, located at 65 degrees 37 minutes 40 seconds north latitude and 168 degrees 5 minutes 5 seconds west longitude, is a headland on the Seward Peninsula in Alaska, USA. It is the westernmost point of the entire American continent, across the Bering Strait from Cape Jezhnyov on Russia's Chukotka Peninsula, and the shallow waters between it and the neighboring Daiomid Islands are part of the "land bridge" of prehistoric human migration.
Starting from Lake Louise, the Icefield Highway passes by the following attractions:
Crow's Claw Glacier, Bow Lake and Peto Lake, Mistaya River, Saskatchewan Mouth, Columbia Ice Sheet (Athabasca Glacier), Ice field center, Athabasca Falls, Senwaputa River and Senwapta Falls...
Banff Springs Hotel, currently officially known as Fairmont Banff Springs, is a luxury hotel located in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. It is now part of fairmont hotels and resorts.
A century ago, the Trans-Canada Pacific Railway was completed, and President William Cornelius van Horn built a series of luxury hotels along the Canadian Pacific Railway in order to realize the plan of driving the train industry with tourism, and the Banff Springs Hotel was one of them.
The Banff Hot Springs Hotel was originally a wooden structure, which was destroyed by a fire in 1926. In 1928, the new Banff Hot Spring Hotel was built on the original foundation, basically retaining the original appearance of the hotel. In 1968, the hotel added a warm and anti-freeze equipment.
Nestled against the backdrop of a hot spring mountain and facing the Bow River, Banff Hot Springs is one of the top hotels in the world with a unique location for visitors throughout the year.
Established in 1885, Banff National Park is canada's oldest national park. It is located in the northern part of the Rocky Mountains, about 110-180 km west of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The park covers a total area of 6,641 square kilometers and is covered with glaciers, ice fields, pine forests and mountains.
The Icefield Highway starts at Lake Louise and connects to Jasper National Park in the north. To the west is the Provincial Forest and Youhe National Park, to the south is Kutney National Park, and the town of Kananaskis is located to the southeast. The main business district in the park is the town of Banff in the Bow River Valley. It is inscribed on the World Heritage List along with other Canadian Rocky Mountains national and provincial parks as part of the Canadian Rockies Parks Group.
The Canadian Pacific Railroad was an early way to Banff, and the Pacific Railroad Group built the Banff Springs Hotel and the Lake Louise Castle Hotel in the park, attracting a large number of tourists. In the early 20th century, during World War I and the Great Depression, the road to Banff was built. The park was opened to the public year-round in 1960, and the number of visitors reached 5 million in 1990. Millions of tourists travel by trans-Canada Highway. As Banff National Park is one of the most popular parks in the world, ecosystems are beginning to suffer and be destroyed. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada launched a two-year research project that enacted a series of measures to try to control the number of visitors and protect the ecological environment.
Throughout the history of Banff National Park, there has always been a contradiction between nature conservation and tourism development. In 1885, the park was established due to a dispute over the discovery of the hot springs and the right to commercial development. Canadian Prime Minister John Alexander Macdonald established the hot springs as a small protected area, which was later expanded to include Lake Louise and the Columbia Icefield to the north.
According to archaeological discoveries of radioactive carbon in Lake Vermilion, the period of Banff's initial human activity can be traced back to 10300 BC. Pioneers who preceded Europe, Indigenous Canadians, including the Qutnai and The Sixikas, lived in that area and made a living hunting animals such as American bison.
When British Columbia joined Canada on July 20, 1871, Canada decided to build a transcontinental railway. The railway began construction from the Fundhorse Pass in 1875 and crossed the Yellowhead Pass to the north and through the Canadian Rockies. Ten years later, on November 7, 1885, the work was completed in Cregellasi, British Columbia.
In 1885, the 26 square kilometers of area around the Cave and Basin National Historic Monument were designated as public parks. The Rocky Mountains Parks Act was enacted on June 23, 1887, and the park was expanded to 674 square kilometers and named "Rocky Mountains Park". It was the first national park in Canada and the second in North America, only after Yellowstone National Park in the United States. The Canadian Pacific Railroad Group built the Banff Springs Hotel and the Lake Louise Castle Hotel to attract tourists while increasing rail rides.
Earlier, Banff was popular with wealthy European tourists who crossed the Atlantic to Canada on ocean-going cruise ships and continued west by train. There are also many tourists from American high society. Some tourists hire local guides to participate in mountaineering activities. Arthur Oliver Wheeler and Elizabeth Parker founded the Canadian Alpine Club in 1906, which organizes mountaineering and camping in remote areas.
In 1911, Banff could be reached by car from Calgary. In early 1916, tourist buses to Banff were also opened. In 1920, the road to Lake Louise was completed, and in 1923 the road from Banff to British Columbia was completed.
In 1902, the park was expanded to 11,400 square kilometers, adding the surrounding area of Lake Louise, the Bow River, the Red Deer River, the Kananaskis and the Spree River. Due to pressure from the livestock herding and logging industries, the park was reduced to 4,663 square kilometers in 1911, and many hilly areas no longer belong to the park. After that, the boundaries of the park changed several times,
Until 1930, with the passage of the Canada National Parks Act, the area of the park was fixed at 6,697 square kilometers. The ordinance also changed the name of the park to "Banff National Park", which is derived from the name of the Canadian Pacific Railway station, and the name of the station comes from Banffshire in Scotland. In 1933, the park's new East Gate was inaugurated, and Alberta's 0.84 square kilometers were included in the park. In 1949, there were some minor changes to the boundaries of the park, and the area was changed to 6,641 square kilometers.
In 1887, the local Aborigines signed Agreement 7, which allowed Canada to exploit the region's resources. In the early 20th century, coal mines near Lake Banff Minnivaka were excavated. The Bankshead Coal Mine in the Cascade Mountains was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1903 to 1922. In 1926, the town was abandoned and many of the buildings were moved to Banff and elsewhere.
During World War I, immigrants from Austria, Hungary, Germany, and Ukraine were sent to Banff to work in concentration camps. The largest concentration camps were located in mount Castle, and in winter they moved to caves and basins. Much of the early infrastructure and roads were built by laborers in Ukrainian concentration camps in Canada.
During the Great Depression of 1931, Canada's Sun House offered public works projects in national parks. Workers built new baths and swimming pools at Banff's Upper Spa to complement caves and basins. Other works include roads in the park, construction around Banff Town, and a highway from Jasper to Banff. In 1934, the Public Works Act was passed, providing follow-up funding for public works. New works include the reconstruction of Banff's Eastern Gate and the construction of the banff town administration's office. In 1940, the Icefield Highway led to Banff's Columbia Icefield region, connecting Banff and Jasper.
During World War II, concentration camps were again established in Banff, as were concentration camps in Lake Louise, Stoney creek, and Hilly Creek. The prisons are mainly held by members of the Saskatchewan Mennonites. Japanese concentration camps in Canada were not located in Banff during World War II, but in Jasper National Park, where uncarried prisoners built the Yellowhead Highway and other works.
Banff's winter tourism began in February 1917, when the first Banff Winter Carnival was held. The carnival features a large ice palace built in 1917 by detainees from concentration camps during World War I. Carnival activities include cross-country skiing, ski jumping, curling, snowshoeing and ski games. In the 1930s, the first downhill pistes were formed in the village of Sanschán. The Mountain Norquay Resort was also developed in the 1930s, where the first cable car was inaugurated in 1948.
In the 1960s, the Trans-Canada Highway was completed, providing another road through the Bow Valley in addition to the original Bow River Valley Road. Also during this period, Calgary International Airport was inaugurated. In the 1970s, with banff hot springs opening in winter, Banff National Park was open to the public all year round.
Canada has applied for Banff National Park several times as the site of the Winter Olympics, the first time at the 1964 Winter Olympics, losing to Innsbruck, Austria. Soon, the 1968 Winter Olympics lost to Grenoble, France. At the 1972 Winter Olympics, Banff competed again under the auspices of Imperial Canadian Oil, but the application was controversial due to strong opposition from environmental groups to hold the Games locally. Jean Chrétien, Canada's Minister of the Environment, who was then the head of parks authority of Canada, was pressured to stop supporting the application, and the Japanese city of Sapporo was finally awarded the right to host the Olympic Games.
The 1988 Winter Olympics were won by Calgary, Canada, where cross-country skiing was held in CanmoreNotik Centre Provincial Park, just outside the eastern gate of Banff National Park on the Trans-Canada Highway.
Since the promulgation of the original Rocky Mountains Parks Act, subsequent laws and systems have intensified their efforts to protect the environment. The National Parks Canada Act was amended in 1988 to give priority to the preservation of ecological integrity. The law also requires each park to develop a management plan with public participation.
In 1984, Banff National Park, part of the Canadian Rockies Parks Group, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with other Canadian Rocky National and Provincial Parks, including mountains, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls, canyons, limestone caves and fossils found. The success of the application also increases the obligation to protect the park.
In the 1980s, Parks Canada privatized many of the park's facilities, such as golf courses, and increased the cost of using other facilities to cut budgets. In the 1990s, banff town was founded, and local residents had more say in the proposal for development.
In the 1990s, the park's development plans included the expansion of Thornshane Village, which was legally prosecuted by the Canadian Society of Parks and Wilderness (CPAWS). In the mid-1990s, the Banff Bow River Valley Research Society was established to better deal with matters related to the environment and park development.
Banff National Park is located west of Alberta, bordering British Columbia. Banff is about an hour and a half drive from Calgary and about four hours from Edmonton. To the north is Jasper National Park, to the west is Youhe National Park, and to the south is Kutney National Park. Kananaskis, including Bow River Mountain Road Badlands Provincial Park, Spree Valley Provincial Park, and PeterLohid Provincial Park, is located southeast of Banff.
The Trans-Canada Highway passes through Banff National Park, starting at the eastern border of Canmore, crossing Banff and Lake Louise to British Columbia's Youhe National Park. Banff Town is the main commercial area in the park. Lake Louise Valley is located at the junction of the Transverse Highway and the Icefield Highway, north of the town of Jasper.
Founded in 1883, Banff Town is the main commercial center of gravity of Banff National Park and a centre of cultural activity. Banff is home to a number of cultural institutions such as the Banff Centre, the White Museum, the Banff National Luxton Museum, the Caves and Basins National Historic Site and some art museums. Banff has many traditional annual events, including Banff Indian Day, which began in 1889, and the Banff Winter Carnival. Since 1976, the Banff Centre has organized and curated the Banff Mountain Film Festival. In 1990, Banff Became an Autonomous Region of Alberta, adding a lot of autonomy, but much of the planning and development-related matters are subject to the Canada National Parks Act and federal authorities. As of the 2007 census, Banff had a population of 8,721, of which 7,437 were long-term residents. The Bow River runs through the town of Banff, and bow river waterfalls are located on the outskirts of the town.
Lake Louise Valley is 54 km west of Banff Town, and the Castle Hotel lake Louise is located right on the lake. Lake Monlian is 15 kilometers from Lake Louise, and the lakeside is the Ten Peaks Mountain, reflected in the lake, the scenery is beautiful, and it is adopted as the back of the 1969-1979 version of the Canadian $20 note. Lake Louise Mountain Resort is also located near the valley.
The Icefield Highway is 230 kilometres long and connects Lake Louise and Jasper. The road starts at Lake Louise and heads north to the Bow River Valley, passing through Lake Hector, Lake Bow and Lake Petto. Afterwards, the road reaches its highest point, along the Mistaya River, to the mouth of Saskatchewan, where the Haus River meets the North Saskatchewan River. After passing through the Mouth of Saskatchewan, the Icefield Highway follows the North Saskatchewan River to the Columbia Icefield. The road then crosses Jasper National Park, over the 2,023-metre-high Senwapta Pass, which stretches all the way to the town of Jasper.
The Canadian Rockies consist of several mountain ranges running from northwest to southeast. The main mountain follows the north American continental watershed, with the front mountain located to the east of the main mountain. Banff National Park runs west from the continental watershed and includes the eastern slopes of the main mountain and most of the front hill, where banff town and surrounding mountains lie. The hilly strip is located on the east side of the park, between Calgary and Canmore. On the other side of the park, West Hill passes through Yuhe and Kutney National Parks. Further west is the Rocky Mountains Canyon, which is also the border of the Canadian Rocky Mountains region in British Columbia.
The Canadian Rockies are made up of sedimentary rocks, including shale, sandstone, limestone and quartzite, deposited from shallow inland seas. Banff's geology was formed during the Precambrian and Jurassic periods. The mountains formed about 0.8 to 120 million years ago as a result of alluvial faults.
Erosion has been changing the shape of the mountain for the past eighty million years, with erosion in hilly areas and front mountains more pronounced than in the main mountain. Due to stone deposits and faults, the Banff mountains take on a variety of different shapes, with many of the Banff's mountain ranges reaching 50-60 degrees in slope. The slopes of this tending slope are usually steep on one side and gentle on the other, such as Lendo Hill near the town of Banff.
Banff's other types of mountains include compound, irregular, anticline, oblique, castle-shaped, canine-toothed, and jagged mountains. The steep cliffs of Mount Castle are an example of castle-shaped mountains. The summit of Castle is a Paleozoic shell rock formation sandwiched between two limestone layers. Canine-toothed mountains, such as Mount Louise, are sharp, jagged sets of slopes. The Sawback Mountains are made up of sedimentary layers that have been eroded for a long time by the flow of water from the canyon. Gravel piles are common at the foot of many mountains and cliffs.
Banff's landscape is characterised by clear glacial erosion, with deep U-shaped canyons and many overhanging valleys often forming waterfalls. Mathorn-type mountains, such as Mount Assiniboine, form a steep summit due to glacial erosion. Banff also has many small canyons, including Mistaya Canyon and Johnston Canyon.
Banff National Park is home to a large number of large glaciers and ice sheets, many of which can be reached by the Icefield Highway. The main mountain is commonly a small ice bucket glacier, located on the shady side of many mountain ranges. As one of the world's major alpine glaciers, Banff's glaciers are gradually melting. Photographic evidence suggests that this trend is becoming increasingly alarming, and glaciologists have begun to study glaciers more thoroughly and comprehensively in parks and analyze the effects that the reduction of glaciers will have on the waters of streams and rivers. The areas most affected by glacial effects include the Waptik Ice Sheet and the Wapta Ice Sheet, both located on the border of Banff and Youhe National Parks.
The Wapta Ice Sheet covers approximately 80 square kilometers of land. The part of the Wapta Ice Sheet on the Banff side of the continental watershed includes the Pateo Ice Sheet, the Bow Lake Ice Sheet, and the Walcher Ice Sheet. The Bow Lake ice sheet melted about 1,100 meters between 1850 and 1953, and there was a tendency to increase, forming a new lake at the end of the glacier. The Petus ice sheet has melted about 2,000 meters since 1880 and is in danger of disappearing completely within the next 30 to 40 years. Crow's Claw Glacier and Hector Glacier can also be seen from the Icefield Highway, which are independent glaciers and are not associated with other major glaciers.
Located at the northernmost tip of Banff National Park, the Columbia Icefield crosses the border between Banff and Jasper National Parks and extends into British Columbia. Snowdom of the Columbia Ice Sheet is the highest hydrological point in North America, and water starts here, flows along the Columbia River into the Pacific Ocean, along the Athabasca River into the Arctic Ocean, converges at Hudson Bay and flows through the North Saskatchewan River into the Atlantic Ocean. The Saskatchewan Glacier, about 12 km long and covering an area of 30 km2, is the main outlet from the Columbia Ice Sheet to Banff. Between 1893 and 1953, Saskatchewan glaciers melted about 1,364 meters, and between 1948 and 1953 they melted at a rate of 55 meters per year. In the 20th century, glaciers in the Canadian Rockies decreased by a total of 25%.
Banff National Park is located on the eastern side of the North American continental divide and receives 472 mm of annual precipitation. Slightly less than Youhe National Park in the west of the North American continental divide, Lake Waputa has an annual precipitation of 884 mm and Boulder Creek has 616 mm. Banff averages 234 cm of snow each winter, compared to 290 cm from Lake Louise.
Due to the role of The Chenouk wind from British Columbia and other factors, Banff winter temperatures are relatively mild compared to Edmonton and other north-central Alberta regions. The average minimum temperature in January in Banff Town is -15 °C and the average maximum temperature is -5 °C. The summer climate is pleasant, with an average maximum temperature of 22 °C and a minimum of 7 °C in July.
Banff National Park has three ecological areas, including mountainous, subalpine zones and high mountains. The subalpine ecoregion consists of a lot of dense forests, which make up 53% of Banff's area. 27% of the park is located above the forest line and belongs to the alpine ecological zone. Banff's woodline is about 2,300 metres above the empty pastures of the Alpine Ecoregion, part of which is covered by glaciers. A small part (3%) of the park is located at low altitudes and belongs to the mountainous ecological area. Most of the trees in the area are black pine, with English needle fir, willow and poplar trees scattered among them, as well as a small number of Chinese parsons and maples. English fir is more common in subalpine ecological regions, and black pine and subalpine pine are also distributed in some areas. Mountain ecological areas are more suitable for wildlife life and have been affected by human activities for many years.
According to statistics, There are 56 species of mammals in Banff National Park. Grizzly bears and American black bears inhabit forested areas. Mountain lions, lynx, mink bears, ferrets, North American otters and wolves are the main carnivores. Canadian red deer, giraffes and white-tailed deer are common in the valleys of the park and can even be seen in the town of Banff. Moose are relatively uncommon and live mainly near swamps and streams. In alpine ecoregions, snow sheep, bighorn sheep, marmots and pikas are widely distributed. Other mammals such as beavers, porcupines, squirrels, and chipmunks are common small animals. In 2005, a total of five reindeer were discovered, making it one of the rarest mammals in the park.
Due to the cold winter weather, Banff National Park has fewer reptiles and amphibians, and only one species of toad, three species of frogs, one species of lizard and two species of snakes have been found. Banff National Park has at least 280 species of birds, including bald eagles, golden eagles, red-tailed, ospreys and falcons, all of which are carnivorous birds. Species common at low altitudes include the Grey Crow, the American Three-toed Woodpecker, the Mountain Blue Plover, the North American Star Crow, the North American White-browed and the Lark. The white-tailed thunderbird lives in alpine ecoregions. More than 100 different species of animals live near rivers and lakes, including diving birds, herons and wild ducks, which spend their summers in the park.
Endangered species in Banff National Park include the Banff Hot Springs snail. North American reindeer and grizzly bears are also listed as near-threatened species.
Mountain pine beetles infest a large area of Banff National Park, feeding on the phloem of wild black pines, and trees die within a year of erosion. Alberta's first mountain pine beetle outbreak occurred in 1940 and affected Banff's 43 square kilometres of forest. The late 1970s and early 1980s saw a second major eruption in Banff and the surrounding Rocky Mountains region.
Banff National Park is Alberta's most popular tourist destination and one of the most visited national parks in North America. In 2006/2007, the total number of visitors to Banff National Park was about 3,297,000, an increase of 4% over 2005/2006, with the number of group and self-guided tourists increasing. The park's busiest main entrance, the East Entrance, was 21 percent U.S. and 13 percent of other international visitors, 44 percent of Alberta and 26 percent of the rest of Canada in 2006. Banff National Park earns $6 billion a year.
A park pass is required to stay in the park, and documents are checked frequently during the summer months, especially at the beginning of the Lake Louise and Icefield Highways. If you don't stop but go straight through the park, you don't need a pass. Around 5 million people cross Banff National Park by trans-Canada Highway each year.
Banff Town's notable tourist attractions include Banff Upper Hot Springs, a 27-hole golf course, and three resorts – Sans shane Village Resort, Lake Louise Resort and Mount Norquay Resort. Hiking trails are also popular with tourists. Other activities include downhill skiing, Nordic skiing and horse riding.
Activities in remote areas of Banff National Park include hiking, camping, rock climbing and skiing. Parks Canada requires people who use camping sites, Canadian shack clubs and other facilities to purchase wilderness permits and requires the environment in these areas to be protected.
Under the Canada National Parks Act, passed in 1930, Banff National Park is administered by parks Canada. Over time, the focus of the park's management strategy shifted from development to environmental protection. In 1964, a policy statement was issued, reaffirming environmental protection outside the 1930 law. The controversy over the 1972 application for the right to host the Winter Olympics increased the influence of environmental groups, and eventually Parks Canada gave up supporting the bid. In 1988, the revised National Parks Act gave priority to the protection of the ecological environment. The amendment law also provides for non-municipal organizations to challenge parks Canada processes in court. In 1994, Parks Canada designated the Banff Bow River Institute to draft a new park operation strategy. Like other national parks, Banff National Park is required to develop a park management plan. Provincially, the park's area is administered by alberta's Provincial Council as Improved Area 9.
Since the 19th century, humans have begun to affect Banff's ecology through the introduction of alien species, the control of other species, the development of bow river valleys and other activities. Bison once lived in banff's valleys, but due to hunting by indigenous people, the species became extinct in Banff by 1858. Elk is not an inherent species of Banff, and 57 were introduced to Banff from Yellowstone National Park in 1917. The introduction of elk, along with Parks Canada's control of coyotes and wolves, caused an imbalance in the ecosystem. Other species that have declined in the Bow River Valley include grizzly bears, jaguars, lynx, wolverines, otters and moose. Beginning in 1985, gray wolves reappeared in bow river valleys. However, the number of wolves is not optimistic, with 32 wolves killed along the Trans-Canada Highway between 1987 and 2000, leaving only 31 in the region.
Due to the introduction of North American brook trout and rainbow trout, the populations of native fish in bull trout and other Banff lakes are also decreasing. Lake trout and sharp-lipped carp are also rare endemic species, while the large-scaled salmon, white sturgeon, Pacific eel and Banff longfish are almost locally extinct. Banff longnose fish is a species unique to Banff and is now listed as endangered.
The Trans-Canada Highway runs through Banff National Park, causing trouble for wildlife migration within the park. Grizzlies, affected by highways and other Banff developments, have created habitat fragmentation issues. Grizzly bears prefer to inhabit mountainous areas, and this is the area that has been most affected by development. Wildlife pathways have been built in many places along the Trans-Canada Highway, including a series of underground tunnels and two overpasses, to mitigate such problems.
In 1978, the development of the Sunshane Village Ski Resort was approved, including the addition of parking lots, the expansion of the hotel, and the development of Goat's Eye Mountain. In the 1980s, the implementation of this development project was delayed due to environmental reasons.
In 1989, Sansshane Village withdrew the development plan and resubmitted the revised proposal in 1992 in accordance with the regulations of the Shōgunate. The new plan was approved by the Government while environmental audits were still pending. Later, the Canadian Society of Parks and Wilderness (CPAWS) applied for a court injunction, putting plans on hold. CPAWS also put pressure on UNESCO to withdraw Banff's World Heritage designation, believing that the development of the park had affected the ecological balance.
In 1988, the amendment bill to the Canada National Parks Act emphasized ecological protection, and Banff's development approach faced a situation of incongruity. In 1994, at the request of Sheila Cops, then the head of parks authority Canada, the Banff Bow Valley Research Society was established to better manage human use and development of parks while maintaining ecological balance. When the two-year study was conducted, all development projects were suspended, including the development of Thornshane Village and the construction of the Trans-Canada Highway between Fort Junction and Thornshane.
The study issued more than 500 proposals, including limiting the expansion of Banff Town, limiting the town's population to 10,000 people, limiting the number of hikers, and curtailing development projects within the park. Another recommendation is to establish a barrier around the town to reduce conflict between humans and elk. Establishing segregated sanctuaries can also reduce elk's chances of encountering predators. Immediately after the report was released, Kops passed a proposal to control the population of Banff. She also ordered the relocation of a small airport and military academy training camp because the facilities would hinder wildlife migration.
According to the recommendations of the Banff Bow River Valley Research Society, many development plans were scaled down in the 1990s. In 1996, plans to add 9 hotels to banff hot springs golf resort were cancelled.
Due to the limited population of Banff Town, Canmore, located just outside banff's borders, began to develop rapidly to accommodate the growing demand for tourists. Major development plans in Canmore include the Three Sisters Golf Resort, proposed in 1992, which has been subject to ongoing controversy, with environmental groups arguing that the development would lead to the fragmentation of the Bow River Valley wildlife area.
Jumbo Huang Notes: Banff National Park (French: Parc national Banff) is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres (68–112 mi) west of Calgary, Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometres (2,564 sq mi) of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine landscapes. The Icefields Parkway extends from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbours to the west, while Kootenay National Park is located to the south and Kananaskis Country to the southeast. The main commercial centre of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.
The Canadian Pacific Railway was instrumental in Banff's early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise, and attracting tourists through extensive advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by war internees from World War I, and through Great Depression-era public works projects. Since the 1960s, park accommodations have been open all year, with annual tourism visits to Banff increasing to over 5 million in the 1990s. Millions more pass through the park on the Trans-Canada Highway. As Banff has over three million visitors annually, the health of its ecosystem has been threatened. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada responded by initiating a two-year study which resulted in management recommendations and new policies that aim to preserve ecological integrity.
The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in North America's Rocky Mountains. Located within the Canadian Rocky Mountains astride the Continental Divide of the Americas along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and partly in the southern end of Jasper National Park.
The Columbia Icefield is located in the Canadian Rockies astride the Great Divide along the border of British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, the ice field lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and partly in the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 square kilometres (125 sq mi) in area, 100 metres (330 ft) to 365 metres (1,198 ft) in depth and receives up to 7 metres (280 in) of snowfall per year.