Post 1: Obesrvations

Blog Post #1: Observations

Field Visit #1:
Date: November 19, 2022 at 15:30
Weather: Sunny conditions, partly cloudy
Temperature: -4 °C
Elevation: 1309m
Location: Bow River by Crossbow Place North
GPS Coordinates: 51.063880, -115.332985

Location Background:

The Bow River is a large and long river that stretches 587 kilometers, but the focus of this field study will be limited to a roughly 5km stretch along this river and riverbank (George et al., n.d.). The total area being observed is approximately 100,000 square meters (5000m by 200m area). This excerpt of the Bow River is located in the Bow Valley Provincial Park, which is one of Alberta’s Provincial Parks. This section of the river is located near some communities near the edges of the town of Canmore, thus there is likely to be some urban influence on the environment though the area is separate from the communities.

Location Description:

The riverbanks are gently sloping and not overly aggressive in angle. The river weaves along the valley floor but is generally oriented towards the east. This particular segment flows South-East. The banks of the river consist of forested areas with primarily evergreen trees such as pine trees. Some of the predominant species near the banks appear to be Limber Pines (Pinus flexilis) and Whitebark Pines (Pinus albicaulis) although they are hard to differentiate from other Pinus species. There is likely vegetation growing around the banks of the river but because of the large amount of snow present and their lack of leaves, they are not eligible to be identified at the present time. There are segments of the river where grassy slopes and trees touch the water’s edge and there are other sections that contain rocky plateaus which extend into the river and form bends.

The Crossbow community is located near the river, slightly downstream of my chosen location. There are a lot of trails and open watersheds nearby to allow community members access to the river. There are also well-maintained trails connecting the town of Canmore and surrounding communities to this area of the river such as the “Three Sister Pathway” which I use to access the river during my visits. The Three Sisters Parkway is a road approximately 600m from the river that is frequently traveled and provides easy access to the river.

Questions:

1. Human interference/anthropologic questions:
   1. What is the environmental and ecological impact the footpaths have on the Bow River at this particular location? (** noise pollution, waste, introduction of other animals such as dogs (scent), destruction of vegetation and habitat)
   2. What environmental and ecological impacts does the highway have on this location of the Bow River?
   3. How does this segment of the river differ from more remote segments of the river with little to no human interference?
2. Flora-related questions:
   1. Why are evergreens more successful than other types of trees? Is it location-dependent, water-dependent, soil dependent?
3. Fauna questions:
   1. How does the presence of a trail affect local wildlife near the river?
   2. How does the frequency of visits vary?
   3. Does wildlife avoid heavily trafficked areas or do they utilize the trails themselves?

References:

George, C., Tymensen, W., & Rood, S. B. (n.d.). Recreational Flows for the Bow River and its tributaries, Alberta.