Bragg Creek Wild Meets Rocky View County Leadership

Despite a summer dominated by heavy rains and flooding challenges, Rocky View County’s top leadership made time to meet with Bragg Creek Wild (BCW). On the agenda: strengthening partnerships and moving closer to addressing key issues in the coming year.

Joining the discussion were Reegan McCullough (Chief Administrative Officer), Byron Rieman (Chief Operating Officer), Mason Austen (Manager of Utility Services), and our Councillor Kevin Hanson. Bragg Creek Wild was represented by Lucy Curtis and Renée Delorme.

The conversation was engaging and forward-looking, reflecting the community’s deep commitment to safeguarding Bragg Creek’s natural environment while navigating increasing pressures from tourism and growth.

Protecting What Makes Bragg Creek Special
At the heart of the discussion was the need for land use policies that preserve the unique character and ecological health of Bragg Creek. With rising visitation and early signs of overtourism, BCW emphasized the importance of balancing community needs with environmental stewardship. The group highlighted the community’s recent Area Structure Plan vision for Regenerative Living and Regenerative Tourism. This philosophy recognizes that healthy functioning ecosystems are essential if we want both residents and visitors to thrive. Maintaining healthy functioning ecosystems first starts with adapted land use policies. It also includes measures that, while seemingly mundane, profoundly impact our wildlife and their habitats.

Current concerns Bragg Creek Wild is focusing on include:

Wildlife pathways in the flood berm: Since 2022, BCW has been working to retrofit the hamlet’s berm with three safe wildlife access points to the river.
Garbage management: Since 2023, efforts have been underway to establish a refuse bylaw to reduce human-wildlife conflicts.
Wildlife safety signage: With the support of RVC Transportation Services, signage has been installed to remind motorists to drive safely and protect wildlife along county roads. These efforts must now expand to our provincial roads (White Avenue and Hwy 8, 22, 22X and 66). All these roads experience a high incidence of wildlife-vehicle collisions.

From Ideas to Action
While BCW’s initiatives have enjoyed strong support, the challenges of staff turnover and complex bureaucracy have slowed progress. The meeting was an opportunity to request advice and assistance from the County to ensure these projects reach fruition. Encouragingly, several concrete next steps emerged:

Garbage Bylaw: The County will investigate the current status and explore options for moving it forward including educational activities, and strategies to support commercial and residential areas while the bylaws process carries through.
Flood Berm Modifications: Costs and approval processes for new wildlife access points will be confirmed, with a view to possible inclusion in the 2026 budget. The hope is that these access points will reduce the incidence of broken legs in our deer population and facilitate their movement through this wildlife corridor.
Wildlife Signage: Opportunities for expanded signage or other strategies on County and Provincial infrastructure will be explored to further reduce wildlife encounters.

Looking Ahead
The meeting ended on a positive note, with a shared commitment to ongoing collaboration. Bragg Creek Wild expressed particular gratitude to Councillor Kevin Hanson for his steadfast support, deep knowledge of County programs, and invaluable guidance over the past four years. With fresh leadership at the County level and renewed momentum, Bragg Creek Wild is optimistic that these longstanding community priorities will finally move closer to reality in the coming year.

For more information visit www.braggcreekwild.ca

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