Carrying capacity

For decades, Canmore, Alberta, which borders Banff, the country’s first national park, has strived to live in harmony with the wildlife that roams the Bow Valley. People are drawn to the iconic peaks that surround it. They want to climb up them, ski down them and run or bike everything in between. Canmore is a place where it’s not unusual to carry bear spray with you on a hike from your doorstep or to find a herd of elk blocking traffic. The small mountain town is one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities at a rate of 14.3 per cent over the past four years. That’s faster than the national and provincial averages, according to 2021 census data released in February. The data single out other beloved tourist destinations, such as Squamish, B.C., and Ontario’s Wasaga Beach and Collingwood, that have seen significant growth largely thanks to their proximity to the outdoors. But in Canmore, the issue goes beyond the number of residents. Visits from outdoor enthusiasts have also increased, raising the question: Can larger numbers of people co-exist with the wildlife here and, if so, how?

Architect Rob Pertzborn and others referenced the site’s location and said growth seems like it will continue to happen in that area. “Even though it feels like we’re on the edge of the city today… someday we will be more in the middle of the city,” Pertzborn said. Several commissioners pointed to some consternation they had over the idea that 97 acres of fertile, agricultural land would be developed.

With its diversity of predators, could Yellowstone National Park be a disease-free island in a surrounding sea of chronic wasting disease? That’s speculation based on a recent study by Ellen Brandell who, with other scientists, built a model to analyze the role predators play in removing sick animals from the environment. “The Yellowstone Ecosystem is an exciting area to study this because there is a rich predator community and CWD has just started to infect elk and deer,” Blandell wrote in a blog posted on the Animal Ecology in Focus website.

From Florida to Alaska, dozens of tribes are working to harness energy from wind, sun and water to generate millions of dollars in revenue, create short- and long-term jobs and reduce utility costs for citizens, while also helping combat climate change and boost energy independence. 

The Colorado River Basin looks to be headed for a third straight dry year, according to the April report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center.