Kananaskis council planning fireguards to protect from wildfire threat

The Kananaskis Improvement District is readying to physique fireguards to assistance shield country lodging and infrastructure from wildfire successful the portion westbound of Calgary.

Plans see fireguards astir the Lower Kananaskis Lake subdivision cabins, Bow Valley Provincial Park lodging loop and YMCA Camp Chief Hector astatine a outgo of astir $160,000 for planning.

If Kananaskis Improvement District’s (KID) assistance exertion is approved, backing would travel from the provincial Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta (FRIAA) assemblage fireguard program.

“As we’ve discussed galore times astir this assembly table, wood occurrence is astir apt our biggest hazard and biggest fear, and we’ve each seen what happened successful Jasper and different communities,” said KID seat Melanie Gnyp astatine a Sept. 10 assembly meeting.

KID has received a missive of enactment from Alberta Parks for the application, with lands successful the conceptual fireguard program falling wrong provincial parks.

The archetypal signifier of the FRIAA assemblage fireguard program, aft assistance application, involves fieldwork, nationalist consultation, engagement with Indigenous communities and biology assessments.

Prior to applying for the grant, KID reviewed its FireSmart improvement legislation, updated its FireSmart vegetation absorption program and completed attraction of an existing substance interruption astatine Camp Chief Hector successful 2023.

KID’s FireSmart absorption country covers 297.3 hectares and includes improvement areas specified arsenic the westbound broadside of the Canmore Nordic Centre, Lower Kananaskis Lake compartment subdivision, Kananaskis Village, William Watson Lodge, University of Calgary Field Station and Camp Horizon.

Municipal head for the betterment district, Alex Engelberts, advised that successful immoderate of the projected areas vegetation has not been thinned oregon removed successful a precise agelong time, if ever.

She noted the Lower Kananaskis Lake compartment subdivision arsenic 1 of those areas. This is supported by KID’s wildfire substance absorption plan, which identifies areas of precocious wildfire risk.

“Should a occurrence travel down the vale done this way, past [a fireguard] would dilatory the pain and it would trim the likelihood of harm to beingness and property,” she said, speaking to conceptual plans for the compartment subdivision.

The plans were developed by KID medication with Stew Walkenshaw of Canmore-based Montane Forest Management.

“It’s my knowing from Stew that [this vegetation area] is highly dense, adust and old. This would trim that substance load simplification and trim the risk,” said Engelberts.

Trending Now

The existent size and scope of attraction areas would beryllium determined aft signifier 1 enactment begins, if backing is approved. The 2nd signifier of the FRIAA programme includes clearing onshore to conception a fireguard, but again, backing support is not guaranteed.

Engelberts said fixed heightened consciousness of wildfires successful the province, Alberta’s authorities is prioritizing providing assistance to concern assemblage fireguards.

“It is simply a precedence of theirs aft Jasper,” she said.

Initial readying for the fireguards successful Kananaskis could statesman arsenic soon arsenic November.

“The last improvement and nonmigratory notifications would past spell retired astatine the extremity of 4th 1 of 2025,” said Engelberts. “Phase 2 and signifier three, these are hypothetical and volition beryllium abstracted assistance applications that volition travel successful owed course.”

KID is besides readying to reappraisal gathering imaginable fireguards surrounding the Kananaskis Country Golf Course, which would not hap until adjacent year.

The estimated outgo to afloat implicit readying of the substance attraction units astatine the Kananaskis Golf Course lodging country is $249,400 which would transcend the full maximum assistance allowance.

Coun. Darren Robinson, who is wide manager of the play course, said helium would besides anticipation to spot aboriginal fireguard readying support captious infrastructure successful the Galatea area, including the wastewater attraction plant, Mount Kidd RV Park and the occurrence hall.

“In a cleanable world, I’d emotion to spot the monolithic concern properties present protected, but I truly highly and profoundly enactment this programme and I’m highly supportive of america pursuing the backing to bash so,” said Robinson.

“I would conscionable similar to spot these assets prioritized successful the adjacent spell around.”

About 275 hectares of FireSmart vegetation absorption successful Kananaskis has been completed since 1994 by KID, Alberta Parks and Alberta Wildfire Management, based connected recommendations successful wildfire mitigation strategies for KID.