What's Corner Pool Up To??

[Neil Waugh]

Banff National Park superintendent Kevin van Tighem (AKA Corner Pool) has recently released his management plan update.

Here are a couple of action items that caught my eye:

 

 

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to restore native fish and invertebrate populations on an experimental basis by reducing or eliminating non-native fish species and introducing native species;

 

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to eliminate fishing where human use threatens native species or genetic diversity;

 

Any idea what fisheries the parkies want to close? There are a lot of non-native brown trout in the Bow that may be competing with the bulls and cutthroat. Let's hope this is not where he's going.

The plan is up for public discussion right now. Maybe some of you Calgary guys should start asking a few questions.

Although I do like the idea of reintroducing wild buffs.

[ÜberFly]

At the same time parks has launch a whole new marketing program to get more (new) visitors into the park(s)...

 

 

*edit* Seems a little idiotic... We want more people to come, but most can't afford to even get into the parks (especially seniors who's daily rate is ~ $17 per day - for 2)!!

 

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to eliminate fishing where human use threatens native species or genetic diversity;

 

Well that's the entire crux of the problem now isnt it... More people = increased threats to native speicies and genetic diversity!!

[canadensis]

Uber,

 

Looks like we may agree on this as well.

 

There has been rumblings of banning ALL fishing in the parks for years.

 

I wonder if the Parks marketing divivision is down the hall from the biologists, or in a different building? Do they talk?

 

As far a the Buffalo, I think it is great. I am sure the semi-tame, lumbering beasts will on occasion stroll out of the park and will make an easy way to fill a freezer, my freezer!

 

The ironic thing is I can stay in a 5 star hotel, go for dinner, take a chair lift to the top of a mountain, swim in the hot pool, go for a train ride, a bus tour, buy a funky sweater, sit in a coffe shop browsing the interweb, all smack dab in the middle of a prime wildlife corridor in a National Park, yet they want to ban fishing?????

 

Oh ya, I forgot- they do not allow Drive-thru's - Talk about a bunch of environmental mavericks!

[troutpirate]

 

i have heard rumblings that a few people in the upper management for the parks are lobbying to remove ALL the fish in the maligne and medicine lake system in the name of ecological integrity. yup, thats right the environmentalists want the whole system returned to its natural state (barren of fish above maligne canyon) rather than have it support a very unique world class fishery as its currently doing.

 

i thought not stocking those landlocked lakes (edith, christine, first lake in the valley of 5) that used to produce double digit trout regularly was stupid but, what i have been hearing lately is down right scary.

 

 

hey neil, who would be a the person/office to contact to express my frustrations with parks fisheries management?

[ÜberFly]

Hey Don,

 

Didn't you post information in a thread related to this a while ago, something that included info on the type of poison they were going to use?! Did that contain the appropriate contact info?! I kind of remember something to this effect, but not sure of the details...

 

P

 

 

i have heard rumblings that a few people in the upper management for the parks are lobbying to remove ALL the fish in the maligne and medicine lake system in the name of ecological integrity. yup, thats right the environmentalists want the whole system returned to its natural state (barren of fish above maligne canyon) rather than have it support a very unique world class fishery as its currently doing.

 

i thought not stocking those landlocked lakes (edith, christine, first lake in the valley of 5) that used to produce double digit trout regularly was stupid but, what i have been hearing lately is down right scary.

 

 

hey neil, who would be a the person/office to contact to express my frustrations with parks fisheries management?

[Neil Waugh]

I guess the best way to find out what's going on is get hold of the above-mentioned Kevin van Tighem and ask him "what up?"

There's some kind of public review process underway until the end of the month but it's unclear from the website how you tap into it. Of course the parkies have all let their buddies with the anti outfits in on the deal and are getting it spun their way.

The trouble with broad policies like the two I highlighted they sound vague an innocuous until the park-o-crats slide them through and start applying them.

Elsewhere in the document both bull trout and Westslope cutthroat are described as "threatened" even though neither has been listed. If you apply this to the Bow below the falls to the east boundary (and maybe beyond) catching bulls and cutties while angling for browns could be seen as a threat to a threatened species. And all angling could be banned.

This is what happened in Jasper when the fall Athabasca River fishery was taken away because it was seen as a "threat" to the mountain whitefish spawn.

Even though rockies in the Atha-B are hardly in short supply.

The irony is that Kevin is one of us and used to post on a now defunct board as Corner Pool. He's also a "field editor" for Outdoor Canada, which is a good old hook and bullet mag. Heck it even runs (are you sitting down for this) fish recipes.

Sadly he's also carrying the can from a lot of the Jasper guys for closing the Athabasca because he was part of the panel that changed the regs.

He will argue that there was a trade off by extending the season on Medicine Lake. If you like to play in the mud Medicine in October is where it's at.

Whatever the outcome, it kind of makes Calgary Environment Minister Jim Prentice look like a mutt. Again.

 

 

[PGK]

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[adc]

We can't hunt in parks, why should we be allowed to fish? Parks should act as fish population refugia, not amusement playgrounds.

 

Then don't stop there..........No skiing, kayaking, hiking, canoeing, swimming, picincking, camping or windsurfing....In fact maybe people shouldn't be allowed to stop in the parks........In fact maybe they should not even be allowed to go into the parks...........Now there's a solution that will restore purity........Damn people, anyway, always wanting to "use" stuff..........

[Harps]

I'd support the removal of many of the non-natives in the Nat'l Parks too...

 

I also support some limitations to fishing if it is a biologically supported approach (no to fishing spawning fis, maybe limit wading while redds are in the gravel, etc) I also think it would be fine to close a creek for (no more than) a couple of years to help a re-introduced native population establish.... It's all about long term availablity (other wise knon as sustainability).

 

 

BTW Neil,

Great article on Riprap in the Alberta Outdoorsman.

[troutpirate]

We can't hunt in parks, why should we be allowed to fish? I am currently writing a critique and essay on the Jasper plan, about to be released. I can't comment as to the Banff plan, as I haven't seen it, but I would support the removal of non-native species by any feasible means. Parks should act as fish population refugia, not amusement playgrounds.

 

the elk in the athabasca valley of JNP are also introduced. do you suggest they slaughter the whole herd? or are you a hypocrite like most parkies seem to be?

 

personally, i dont see why they would even consider these extreme measures.

 

[PGK]

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[canadensis]

We can't hunt in parks, why should we be allowed to fish?

 

Great rationale?

 

On a limited basis we should be able to hunt in the parks. Why relocate or sterilize the elk when I could feed my family with one? I guess it would not be proper for me to field dress my elk on the faiway of the 9th hole?

 

Seems a little more natural to me than going there for a weekend getaway at the spa up at the Banff Springs??

 

An age old debate. Use vs preservation. Rabid anglers always side on use...greed rules the roost.

 

What is wrong with conservation? This is also an option..

 

The rabid parkies are the greedy ones in the debate.

[PGK]

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[canadensis]

Well I don't know any rabid anglers either.

 

You have some points, however the Parks officials should focus on the bigger issues rather than the Rogue Brown Trout causing all that environmental damage.

 

The last I checked the watersheds in Banff are not a closed loop?

 

I just see the parks as refugia for tourists, this is what the native species are competing against.

 

Parks are a refugia for all wild, so lets pave all the roads, have an information center, paved parking lots and improved trails leading to sensitive areas, and in the really fuched up examples as Banff is throw a pile of tourist infrastructure into the middle and then wonder what the problem is??

[PGK]

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