March 25, 2012
A complete fire ban is in place in the following Parks and Recreation
Areas: Park Lake Provincial Park, Wyndham Carseland
Provincial Park, McGregor Reservoir Provincial Recreation
Area, Little Bow Provincial Park, Little Bow Reservoir Provincial
Recreation Area, St. Mary Reservoir Provincial Recreation
Area, Woolford Provincial Park, Police Outpost Provincial Park
and Payne Lake Provincial Recreation Area. Please comply with
instructions posted.
All SW Provincial Parks and Provincial Recreation Areas are open, many campgrounds are closed for the season. Information is subject to change.
The following sites within provincial parks or recreation areas have the following special information to announce to visitors:
Campground Seasonal Closures:
Beauvais Lake Provincial Park - The park water system is shut down for the season on October 3rd, 2011. Non potable water (boil before use) is available from a water tap at the boat launch beyond. Electrical system work at Beauvais Lake is complete, but the power is not on yet. Cotton Loop Trail has reopened. The Beauvais Lake cross country ski trails are not being maintained.
Oldman River Dam Provincial Recreation Area Cottonwood Campground - Closed October 3
Oldman River Provincial Recreation Area Campground - Closed October 11
Park Lake Provincial Park Campground - Closed October 31
St. Mary Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area Campgrounds - Closed October 11, foot access is permitted.
Park Lake Provincial Park - The fire ban has been lifted. Visit www.albertaparks.ca and click on fire bans for more information.
Police Outpost Provincial Park - Campground closed, no vehicle access into the park from November 1 - April 1. (weather dependant). Foot access is permitted.
Wyndham Carseland Provincial Park Campground - closed as of Nov. 1, 2011
Little Bow Reservoir Provincial Recreation Area - closed as of Nov. 1, 2011
Cross Country Ski Trail Reports:
Allison Creek Cross Country Ski Report
Date: March 25, 2012
Snow Depth: Upper: 150 cm Lower: 80 cm
Conditions: seasonal.
New Snow: 15 cm.
Syncline Cross Country Ski Report
Dave reports: "Out skiing on the Syncline Trails on Wednesday February 15th, and it wasn't too bad; a solid base with an inch and a half of new snow on top. It was a little skimpy under a thick overhang of conifers, the downhill sections might get skied out too soon, but with caution they should be alright. Have fun!"
Consider joining Syncline Castle Trail Association (SCaT) and the Crowsnest Pass Cross Country Ski Association, or purchase one or both memberships for a friend, a great gift idea. These groups of dedicated volunteers work hard to raise dollars, volunteer time so these trails can be well maintained for everyone’s cross country skiing pleasure!
click on the following link:
..... a truly fascinating video! ... a must watch!
Education Stewardship Activities:
Wednesday February 22: Hair Snares for Grizzly Bears;
Monitoring Bears in Southwestern Alberta
Have you been out in Waterton or the Castle area and noticed trees with barbed wire? Wondering what it's for? Multiple agencies have joined to-gether to monitor grizzly bears in southwestern Alberta using non-invasive methods. Bears naturally rub on a variety of surfaces, leaving behind hair samples - and their DNA. Genetic analysis of the hair sam-ples reveals species, sex, and individual iden-tity of the bear. This information will help agencies further understand grizzly bear populations, densities, and distribu-tions. Join Andrea Morehouse, Grizzly Bear Monitoring Project Coordinator, for a talk about this new project. Location: Pincher Creek Library. Attend in person, or video conference in from your local RISE Library! Call 403-627-3813 for more information.
Please always use caution when enjoying your campfire, conditions can change quickly.
* To see a list of all fire bans within the province, visit www.albertafirebans.ca.
Where there are partial fire bans applied to the region’s forests, any existing fires, including those set under the authority of a fire permit, must be extinguished immediately. The only exceptions are:
· fires contained within a cooking or heating appliance fuelled by fluids or compressed gas;
· fires contained within an existing fire receptacle in designated camping and recreation areas;
· walled tents with air tight stoves with proper screening as approved by a forest officer; and
· fires contained within industrial facilities or on industrial sites as approved by a forest officer.
The ban prohibits the use of fireworks, burn barrels, all fire pits and portable campfire appliances.
The fire hazard will be monitored on a daily basis, and the ban will be removed once conditions allow. Operators of off-highway vehicles are reminded to take extra care by ensuring they have a properly working spark arrestor, and that hot spots on their machine like the engine and exhaust are free of any burnable debris.
* To report a wildfire, call 310-FIRE (3473). Visit us on Facebook by searching for Alberta wildfire info. To see the map of the ban area for provincial forests visit http://srd.alberta.ca/Wildfire/WildfireMaps/documents/SW-PartialFireBanMap-August2011.pdf.
Maintenance Activities:
Chain Lakes Provincial Park - Dump station is open.
Writing-on-Stone and Beauvais Lake Provincial Parks - have completed the powered site installation, but the electricity is not turned on at this time.
Castle View Estates Oldman Dam PRA - replacement of waterlines continues.
Kitchen shelter construction at Dutch Creek and Racehorse Creek PRA’s in progress
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