BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL FLOOD REHABILITATION PROGRAM

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1 BACKCOUNTRY TRAIL FLOOD REHABILITATION PROGRAM Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation A June 2013 Flood Recovery Program

2 Summary In June 2013, parts of Southern Alberta were devastated from significant flooding. The Government of Alberta responded to this catastrophe with a number of funding programs to address a wide range of recovery activities. The South Saskatchewan Region and Red Deer North Saskatchewan Region along the eastern slopes sustained significant impacts from the June Flood Event of Damage to main arterial recreation corridors has reduced access to backcountry areas and increased natural and man-made hazards that compromise Albertans recreational experience. The June 2013 flood has affected all backcountry users, from off-highway vehicle users to nonmotorized users to random campers, and has restricted or discouraged significant tourism and recreation in the seasons that followed. All backcountry uses, including but not limited to equestrian, hiking, cross country skiing, off-highway vehicle and snowmobiling have been impacted by the 2013 floods. Restoring the trail systems in these flood affected areas serves not only to maintain recreational opportunities in Alberta s backyard but also provides critical support to the economic, environmental and social benefits that were compromised by the flood. Providing Albertans with an opportunity to return to a sense of normality and providing wilderness opportunities for all is an important part of that recovery. Purpose Environment and Sustainable Resource Development is leading a $10 million program to restore and repair backcountry trail systems on public lands as a result of the 2013 flood events. The Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation Program will commence in 2014 and be completed by March The program aims to restore priority trails and trails systems along the eastern slopes for both motorized and non-motorized recreational users. This program will provide an opportunity to restore important recreational trail systems a critical economic and tourism driver for the Province of Alberta. The program will also afford the department an opportunity to re-establish some trail systems in more ecologically appropriate and sustainable areas. Re-establishing trail systems outside of sensitive riparian and/or highly erodible areas results in trail systems better suited to withstand future flood events. The program will take a collaborative, partnership-based approach to planning and project implementation such that projects planned by Government, partners or stakeholders are prioritized and leveraged to maximum effect as they are the ultimate users of the trail systems. Environment and Sustainable Resource Development will be partnering closely with Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation to deliver an integrated flood recovery program, with the understanding that many of the flood affected areas occur on both public and park lands. The Departments will be engaging in joint recovery planning, training, and construction activities to ensure efficiencies are identified and optimized. Page 1 of 9

3 This program has been developed with consideration to the four essential elements of recovery, as described in the Provincial Recovery Framework: People To ensure the right resources are available to support the overall physical, mental and social well-being of communities, municipalities, First Nations, families and individual Albertans affected by the floods. Economy To nurture an environment that supports the rehabilitation of and reinvestment in disrupted economies and businesses. Reconstruction To enable the safe and orderly restoration of flood damaged infrastructure within the affected areas. Environment To protect and re-establish the environment to a healthy state and mitigate long-term environmental impacts and risks. Vision Trails and recreational opportunities located on public lands along the Eastern Slopes that were damaged by the 2013 floods are restored in a way that is sustainable; users are satisfied; and the health of the environment is maintained. Mission Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, in collaboration with users, will restore priority recreational trails on Public Lands that were damaged by the 2013 flood event to ensure sustainable trail access is restored for user enjoyment. At the same time, environmental conditions in and around the flood damaged potions of these trail system will be maintained or improved. Environment and Sustainable Resource Development s management approach to recreational systems on Public Lands is currently under review. It is acknowledged that while the Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation program is a discrete program with a defined end date, this program will inform the long term management regime for trails and recreation on Public Lands. As the program progresses, it will look to transition work from rehabilitation works within the program to its long-term application to recreation management systems on Public Lands. Page 2 of 9

4 Program Area Page 3 of 9

5 Program Objectives The will focus on 2013 flood damaged trails, beginning with the inventory and assessment of flood damage to designated trail systems and infrastructure and existing recognized (non-designated) trail systems (motorized and non-motorized). The Backcountry Trail Flood Rehabilitation Program will prioritize trails and infrastructure that require restoration with input from stakeholders. It will design trails in a manner that is sustainable and re-build trails to a defined standard. This exercise will be conducted in collaboration with volunteers and user groups and is expected to be active from spring 2014 to March 31, Outcomes It is the program s intention to inventory all designated and recognized trail damaged by the 2013 floods by November 30, 2014 and develop a prioritized list of restoration projects. All priority recreational trails and other infrastructure are to be restored by December 2016, subject to the available program funding. Trails will be restored sustainably and located in a manner that compliments the desired land use and surrounding environment. The public will be made aware of the level of damage. Support from the public is critical to the success of this program. Program staff will work closely with the public and user groups to ensure they remain informed on the status of trail restoration projects and are given adequate opportunities to be involved. Please note that while distribution of funding across all flood-affected Public Land Use Zone (PLUZ) areas is important and taken into consideration, funding from this program will be allocated to the highest priority projects. This may result in one or more PLUZ area receiving a disproportional amount of funding based on the levels of flood damage trails. Scope This program is limited to the South Saskatchewan and Red Deer North Saskatchewan Regions and only includes Public Land Use Zones and non-public land use zones damaged by the 2013 flood event identified below: Ghost PLUZ McLean PLUZ Kananaskis PLUZ Sibbald PLUZ Cataract Creek PLUZ Panther PLUZ Livingstone Area Poll Haven Porcupine Hills Area Willow Creek PLUZ Crowsnest Pass Corridor Castle PLUZ Page 4 of 9

6 Bighorn Backcountry Area, including o Blackstone/Wapiabi PLUZ o Job/Cline PLUZ o Kiska/Willson PLUZ o Upper Clearwater/Ram PLUZ o Panther Corners PLUZ o Dormer Sheep PLUZ Only designated and recognized motorized and non-motorized trails will be included in the program. Infrastructure damaged during the 2013 flood, including staging areas, structures (i.e. bridges) and trails located on Public Lands along the Eastern Slopes will be considered, as will major erosion damage on or adjacent to the trail system. Please note that ESRD will not be able to restore all trails to pre-2013 flood conditions there will be some trail closures and relocations, and there will be trails left as is, with signage to inform users of its status. New trail development trails that access new areas, that are not part of the relocation of flood damaged trails is considered to be out of scope for this program. Legislation and regulation changes will not be addressed by this program, nor will it address the development of provincial trail standards and enforcement programs. Page 5 of 9

7 Implementation Framework: Pathway to Success Assess Following the 2013 flood event, ESRD conducted surveys of flood damage trails and infrastructure. This work will continue throughout 2014 and will result in a complete inventory of all designated and recognized motorized and non-motorized trails within the Program Area. Note that we will only assess non-designated, recognized trails that are deemed a priority by ESRD staff or the public (hiking, crosscountry trails, mountain biking, etc.). ESRD will be documenting the following information as part of its trail inventory: Trail location; Severity and type of damage sustained; and Preliminary options for rehabilitation (including replacement, relocation or closure). Prioritize and Plan ESRD will assess and prioritize damaged trails, and plan rehabilitation works using a standardized set of project selection criteria. These criteria will be weighted according to their importance and will be applied consistently to all eligible projects. These criteria have been established to ensure the project selection process is fair, and will ensure that public funds are allocated to the highest priorities. Projects will be prioritized using the following criteria: Severity of damage sustained in 2013 event Level of Engineering Required Level of Environmental Impact Level of Trail Connectivity Level of Use Level of Volunteer Interest Local Priority Timeline for Completion Long-term Sustainability Projects will be prioritized as inventory information becomes available. To date, inventory data has been collected in the following areas. As such, project plans for the 2014 field season are being developed for the following areas: Ghost PLUZ Cataract PLUZ MacLean PLUZ Castle PLUZ Page 6 of 9

8 Kananaskis PLUZ Upper Clearwater PLUZ ESRD will complete its inventory of flood damaged trails in Once the inventory is complete, a comprehensive prioritization exercise will occur and project plans will be developed to inform rehabilitation works for 2015 and Stakeholders will be consulted during the development of the project plans to ensure their priorities are discussed and considered. Partner In addition to the ESRD s commitment to the project, it is anticipated that public volunteers and user groups will be actively involved and contribute to flood-damaged trail restoration. Our partners are critical to the success of the - it is our intention to involve user groups, the public and other stakeholders on an on-going basis. ESRD will engage the public and stakeholder groups in: Identification of flood damage Program planning and establishment of priorities Rehabilitation work Evaluation and assessment of restored trails in subsequent field seasons ESRD will hire Recreation Stewardship Coordinators for Blairmore, Calgary and Rocky Mountain House. These coordinators will work closely with user groups, stakeholders and the general public in their local areas to both inform and solicit feedback. ESRD will involve user groups and the public in trail restoration activities and look for opportunities to collaborate and partner on projects to maximize the amount of trails restored following the 2013 floods. Page 7 of 9

9 Build Rehabilitation work is scheduled to begin during the 2014 field season trails will be restored, improved, relocated or closed. Trail construction will be completed will the help of ESRD trail crews, contractors and volunteers. Trail Standards The will use the Kananaskis Country, Alberta Parks Standards as the guideline for all rehabilitation work occurring. The guidelines were intended for nonmotorized trails. The same guidelines, techniques and approaches will be applied to the applicable motorized trails, though modifications will be made to account for wider trail widths. The intent is that the trails are adequately integrated in the existing trail system, including those that are not improved by the. Trail widths and style will attempt to match the surrounding trail conditions as much as possible, while creating a sustainable trail system in the sections reclaimed and maintaining environmental integrity of the system as a whole. Trail Closures Temporary Closure Notifications will be posted and updated on the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development website. Local notices will be placed at staging areas, and on sandwich boards on the trail to notify when construction is underway. In some cases, trails may have to be permanently closed due to the magnitude of the flood damage. The associated environmental impacts and rehabilitation may be prohibitive to proceeding with the trail rehabilitation under this program. Stakeholders and user groups will be consulted prior to a decision to close a trail. Once a decision is made to close an individual trail, the closure will follow standard ESRD procedures. Trail Reclamation Reclamation of trails that are unsustainable, being relocated or permanently closed as a result of flood damage will be reclaimed to the greatest extent possible to eliminate user traffic on the trail. Reclamation of trails not associated with flood rehabilitation works is considered out of scope for this program. Evaluate Trail Audits As part of program delivery, a trail audit program will be developed for post-construction trails to ensure the constructed works are completed in accordance with the site work plan; result in improvements to the trails system in the area; result in sustained or improved environmental conditions; and the individual trails are restored to a similar or better state than before. Page 8 of 9

10 The trail audit program will be completed each year and will assess the works undertaken during the previous construction season. Trail audits will be reviewed and opportunities for improvement will be assessed each year after the construction season. An adaptive management approach will be applied and the project plans will be updated as necessary to ensure that the project outcomes are achieved. Reporting The status of all trails that are inventoried or rehabilitated as part of this program will be reported on ESRD s website The success of the program as a whole will be assessed against the outcomes defined in this document and reported to the public annually. Get Involved To volunteer or submit questions or feedback you can ESRD.BackcountryFloodInfo@gov.ab.ca. For more information on the Backcountry Trail Rehabilitation Program, please visit the ESRD website: ESRD 2013 Flood Recovery Programs ESRD will provide the most up-to-date information to all Albertans on the following website: esrd.alberta.ca Page 9 of 9