Wildlife loving overnight Bow Valley Parkway closures, ecologist says

Animals have been loving a springtime, overnight highway closure in the Bow Valley, an Alberta research team has found.

For four months each spring, the federal government shuts down a 17-kilometre stretch of Highway 1A, known as the Bow Valley Parkway, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. The closed stretch runs east of Johnston Canyon campground to the Fireside Picnic Area.

Since starting the annual closure in 2014, researchers have counted animal appearances using remote cameras, GPS signals on already-collared grizzly bears and roadside observational surveys.

"All three methods showed that wildlife use doubled along the road when it was closed to vehicle traffic," Banff National Park wildlife ecologist Jesse Whittington told the Calgary Eyeopener on Monday.

The goal is to give wildlife the room to move around freely, without the interference of vehicles, bikes and hikers.

The springtime is important for the critters — it's when they're having their young and need food. The deep snow constrains them to the valley's bottom, where the snow melts earlier and exposes greenery for eating.

"I guess I was surprised at how quickly wildlife responded and how strongly they responded," Whittington said.

Cougars, bears, wolves

The area is critical for carnivores in particular, such as cougars, bears and wolves.

The study found that between 80 and 90 per cent of the animals frequenting the closed road were grizzly bears and wolves. Elk also turned out at "substantially" higher rates, he said.

"We have a large influence on wildlife but they're fairly adaptable if you give them a chance," Whittington said.

Large carnivores typically will avoid people, by travelling at night or staying away from busy areas entirely, so a road can be a big deterrence from accessing their "limited but critical" springtime habitat.

The parkway contains some of the best habitat in Banff National Park with low elevation and early greenery.

Busy spot

This stretch of road doesn't have any businesses but it is popular for photographers and locals looking to spot wildlife along the vistas. It's also busy for people heading to Johnston Canyon or Lake Louise.

The closure, which ran this year from March 1 to June 25, does limit that fun, but Whittington said people have been obeying the rules. Law enforcement does patrol and gates are set up overnight.

Whittington said he's happy to see proof the road closure was successful in helping wildlife. As a bonus effect, he expects visitors to the valley will have better chances of seeing wildlife, thanks to the closure.

There are no plans, nor any reason, to extend the overnight closure, he said. Once the snow melts, many of the animals move up the mountain, so they don't require that uninhibited access to the valley.

Whittington recently submitted his findings to the journal, Scientific Reports, which he hopes will help other researchers considering road closures.

Hear more about how closing the road helps animals:

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With files from Paul Karchut and the Calgary Eyeopener.