Trail Talk
The summer seems to be flying by (again!) and the BCT trail crew has been hard at work. If you’ve been out to Reconnect, Long Distance South or Boundary
Horse trails recently, you’ll notice some major improvements thanks to our dedicated crew.
Conrad Schiebel (BCT President)
Rain, Rain, Go Away
Ed Reynolds, Trail Crew Leader
Summer kicked off with a bang or rather, a deluge. Starting June 20, we saw 36 straight hours of rain, totaling 130 mm. Saying it was soggy out there would be an understatement. On top of that, heavy snow and wind brought down around 30 trees across the trail network. For safety reasons, BCT issued a request for users to stay off the trails until crews could assess the damage and clear hazards.
Our online trail reports reflected the conditions in real time, and we issued a RED designation for two days following the storm, indicating a self-imposed closure due to high risk of trail damage. As conditions improved, we quickly updated individual trail designations to AMBER and then GREEN. This speedy recovery was made possible thanks to ongoing trail maintenance and drainage improvements our crew continues to invest in.
After inspecting the network, we found no major damage, just the expected erosion given the volume of rain.
At BCT, we follow a helpful ‘Rule of Thumb’: for every millimetre of rain, allow one hour of drying time (up to about 50 mm). Beyond that, conditions are assessed trail by trail. Of course, this system only works if everyone uses it, and unfortunately, some eager trail users head out too soon, causing ruts that require extra work to fix. These can easily turn into persistent wet spots if left unchecked.
We always encourage folks to check the BCT website (www.braggcreektrails.org), trailhead webcams, and use good old common sense before heading out after a major weather event.
Wildlife on Candid Camera
Eric Lloyd, Project Lead
BCT recently launched the Bragg Creek Wildlife Monitoring Project in West Bragg Creek (WBC) Kananaskis Country to collect long-term data on wildlife abundance and movement in the area. This monitoring data will enable us to develop science-based recommendations for WBC trail management, design, and construction and public education to promote human-wildlife coexistence between local wildlife and WBC trail users. This project is contained in the approved 2024 WBC Trails Master Plan.
A total of 55 wildlife cameras will be installed in the WBC area (1 camera per sq. km.) following standard protocols and methodologies from the Bow Valley Wildlife camera program (220+ cameras) run by Alberta Parks. Each wildlife camera is located to maximize wildlife photos and minimize people photos, so typically not close to a WBC trail. Any images of people that are taken will be deleted and not saved. There will be a limited number of volunteers who are trained to handle image processing following standard protocols.
A huge thank-you goes out to the 68 volunteers supporting the project who will be deploying the cameras, swapping memory cards and batteries, processing images, and analyzing data.
We look forward to sharing some cool wildlife photos with you before too long.
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