BANFF – Parks Canada wants to bring bison back to Banff and Alberta government officials aren’t happy about it.
The recently released draft Banff National Park Management Plan calls for the reintroduction of a breeding herd of plains bison into the front ranges of the park.
Park officials say the current 1997 management plan indicated Parks would investigate the feasibility of reintroduction.
They say the idea is to essentially complete the puzzle of large species in Banff, of which bison were a part for thousands of years following the end of the Ice Age.
"This idea is really around ensuring this national park has the full range of naturally occurring species," said Kevin Van Tighem, superintendent of Banff National Park.
"We have a full suite of Rocky Mountain species that were here when the park was established, with two exceptions: bison and probably caribou."
If approved in the draft management plan, out for public review until Nov. 30, it is likely bison will be reintroduced into one of the valleys coming out of the plains into the east slopes.
But that has the province of Alberta worried.
Dave Ealey, spokesman for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said the province is concerned bison would wander out of the national park.
"Bison, of course, would not end up confining themselves to a national park and that would create fairly significant management issues for us," he said.
Ealey said reintroducing bison into Banff would have impacts on the province’s elk population, raise concerns for public safety and affect outdoor recreation.
"At this point, Parks is looking at public input and we would certainly provide our input to them," he said.
"I don’t think our concerns have changed any. It’s not something we’re very enthusiastic about."
To date, the oldest bison remains discovered in the Bow Valley date back about 10,370 years and were found in a prehistoric campground near Lake Minnewanka.
It is believed bison were historically the second most common ungulate (hoofed animals that include deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats and bison) in the Rockies after bighorn sheep.
The days of wild bison in the Bow Valley are thought to have ended when Dr. James Hector shot the last one near Lake Louise in 1858.
"If they’re looking at repopulating buffalo here, I think that’s a great idea," said Banff Mayor John Stutz.
"We used to have a buffalo paddock here which was a very, very popular visitor attraction," said Stutz.
The mayor said an extensive education program is available to teach the public what to do if they encounter wildlife.
"I would expect that we would have the same type of program for bison if they’re reintroduced into the park here," he said.
Over the past decade, Parks Canada and a range of experts have been investigating how to bring bison back to Banff National Park.
They’ve studied habitat use in mountains, the effect of bison on other species, natural communities and visitors, as well as discussed the implications for public safety.
The final details of Parks Canada’s proposal have not been ironed out, in terms of the exact location and how many animals are needed to make any reintroduction program work.
"Certainly, to sustain a population you need a viable number and we certainly found out with the caribou that less than 10 may not be viable," said Van Tighem.
"You need enough of a population to sustain and maintain genetic diversity. You need to have enough to have an effect on the ecosystem. Otherwise, why are you doing it; it’s just a show herd."
One thing is for sure; the herd will not be fenced.
"I think the era of managing fenced herds of animals is behind us," said Van Tighem.
A fenced display herd in Banff was removed in 1998 after the Bow Valley Study found the enclosure and other facilities at the base of Cascade Mountain were impeding wildlife movement.
Last August, there was a rare fatal Bison attack south of Pincher Creek that killed a 71-year-old Calgary man out for a walk.
Cathy Ellis Is A Reporter For The Rocky Mountain Outlook
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