Human-Wildlife Coexistence

Implementation & Action Plan

Responsibility and Respect: Canmore’s Path to Wildlife Coexistence

About the Project


The Canmore Human-Wildlife Coexistence Implementation and Action Plan is a structured initiative launched by the Town of Canmore to address human-wildlife interactions within the community. This strategic plan seeks to refine and implement recommendations from previous discussions and studies, focusing on reducing wildlife encounters and unauthorized human activities in wildlife corridors. Emphasizing cost-effective solutions, the plan involves reviewing regional data, assessing the impact of environmental changes, and prioritizing both short-term and long-term actions.

Key actions include managing wildlife attractants, regulating unauthorized trail usage, and enhancing educational efforts. The project will also engage with local organizations and Indigenous communities to integrate traditional ecological knowledge into its strategies. The goal is to create a detailed, actionable plan that prioritizes the safety of both wildlife and the Canmore community, ensuring that coexistence strategies are sustainable and effective over the next 5-10 years

Collaborative Partnerships in Action

At Black Fly Environmental, our involvement in the Canmore Human-Wildlife Coexistence Implementation and Action Plan is rooted in a strong commitment to collaboration. We partnered with leading organizations such as Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y), the University of Alberta, the Town of Banff, the MD of Bighorn, the Province of Alberta, CPAWS, and the Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley to harness a wide array of expertise and perspectives. This coalition enabled us to integrate the latest scientific research and regional conservation strategies into our planning, ensuring that our approach aligns with broader environmental and community safety goals.

Y2Y's vision for ecological connectivity influenced our methodologies significantly, enriching our strategies with their extensive conservation knowledge. Similarly, our academic partnerships, especially with the University of Alberta, provided a solid evidence base for our actions. Local governments and non-governmental organizations brought regulatory and community-oriented insights that were crucial for crafting a comprehensive plan. Through these collaborations, we developed a strategic plan that not only addresses immediate wildlife management concerns but also sets a sustainable course for future coexistence efforts. Black Fly Environmental remains dedicated to these partnerships, believing that our collective efforts are essential for the ongoing success of the initiative and the well-being of the Canmore community.

Our ROLE

At Black Fly Environmental, we are proud to have spearhead the Canmore Human-Wildlife Coexistence Implementation and Action Plan, a critical initiative aimed at reducing the negative interaction between the community and its wildlife. Our approach revolved around crafting a sustainable balance that enhances both environmental stewardship and community safety.

Strategic Approach: Leveraging a combination of in-depth regional analysis and community insights, our approach focused on strategic interventions to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts effectively. We emphasized practical measures, such as managing wildlife attractants and implementing community education to foster respectful coexistence.

Community Collaboration: Recognizing the importance of inclusive dialogue, our plan integrated extensive public engagement and collaboration with local organizations and Indigenous communities. This ensured that a diverse range of perspectives and traditional ecological knowledge shaped our strategies.

Innovative Solutions: From updating bylaws to enhance wildlife safety to promoting habitat security through physical measures like wildlife exclusion fencing, our solutions were designed to be both innovative and pragmatic. We also prioritized continuous improvement and adaptive management to respond to evolving conditions and findings.

Long-term Commitment: Our role extended beyond immediate actions to a visionary outlook for Canmore’s future. We created a multi-year plan that aims not only to address current issues but also to establish a foundation for ongoing wildlife management and community safety.

Through this project, Black Fly Environmental exemplified its leadership in environmental stewardship, underpinned by a commitment to conservation and community welfare. Our efforts in Canmore reflect our core values of responsibility, sustainability, and integrity in environmental management.

Key Project Services

  • Development of Human-Wildlife Coexistence and implementation Plan

  • Detailed stakeholder engagement featuring public surveys

  • GIS analysis and development of project specific datasets to guide the Town of Canmore in its decision making process.

  • Literature review of wildlife co-existence principle’s with focus on the greater Bow Valley habitat corridor.

  • Public presentations detailing report findings and recommendations.