Cavell area closure likely to return next year

Wolves travelled into the Tonquin Valley five times and made at least two kills this winter, according to radio collar data from Parks Canada, who are examining the effects of the Cavell Road area closure on caribou populations.

Jasper National Park (JNP) officials have also indicated multiple years of study are required on the area closure, which means the road will be closed to cross-country skiers and snowshoers again next year. The area closure is slated to end on Feb. 15, 2010.

The wolves travelled up the Astoria River Valley three times up to the Tonquin, once through Portal Creek and once through Meadow creek, according to radio collar data.

Yet the data does not reveal if the wolves used the actual Cavell road or the Astoria River, and Parks says they will require years of data to determine if the area closure on Cavell Road is protecting caribou populations.

John Wilmshurst, ecosystems science co-ordinator with Jasper National Park said the wolves likely used the Astoria River, but he noted the pattern used to access the Tonquin is different than previous years. He says deeper snow is likely the cause of the change in behaviour.

“We know the pattern is different than previous years,” Wilmshurst said. “They wandered around more.”

Parks Canada has contracted a consultant to travel into the Tonquin Valley on Feb. 15 to investigate two suspected kill sites in the Tonquin Valley.

Wilmshurst said JNP decided not to fly into the valley to investigate the potential kill sites because of the area closure.

Volker Schelhas of the Jasper Environmental Association supports the closure, and identifies them as vital to preserving caribou.

“Those closures are absolutely necessary. Even if it’s not closed. By allowing ski trails into the Tonquin Valley, it will make it easier (for the wolves) to access the caribou,” Schelhas said. “It may not prevent it altogether, but every bit helps.”

He said the data should not be examined in isolation, and multiple years of study are required.

The Sunwapta pack split in two this fall, as three wolves are now a part of the new Cavell pack. Both the Cavell and Sunwapta (which has four wolves) packs have radio collars. Another seven wolves are members of the Signal wolf pack. Data will be collected from the wolves until March 15, and a report is expected in May.

Wilmshurst said it will take a number of years to determine the effectiveness of area closures, so Cavell Road will be closed for skiers again next year for several months. Other options designed to mitigate predation on caribou will be considered, he said.

He did however, rule out the possibility of a wolf cull. Parks killed wolves in the 1960s, and the Province has instituted wolf culls in recent years in an effort to protect the Little Smoky caribou herd north of Jasper National Park. But with the Tonquin herd estimated at 74 caribou, Wilmshurst doesn’t see the national park killing wolves to protect them.

“You would have to do it forever to be effective,” Wilmshurst said.

Parks is more likely to attempt other methods, such as reducing the number of elk in town. JNP hasn’t culled elk for hyper-abundance in 10 years, and could increase their elk hazing program. By forcing elk out of the town, they are more susceptible to wolf predation. By allowing wolves greater access to elk, they are less likely to prey upon caribou, Wilmshurst said.

“We haven’t culled for hyper-abundance in a while, but it’s a possibility,” Wilmshurst said.

Elk are a large tourist draw in town, but Wilmshurst said they present a safety hazard and are often a more ‘authentic experience’ if they are viewed in the wild.

Ski groups are mulling over the closure, as the Cavell Road is widely considered the best cross-country ski experience in the area. The closure also affects the Cavell Hostel at the top of the road. The hostel is required to shut its doors during the area closure.

The radio collar data also showed wolves were not travelling into the Maligne Valley to hunt the remaining caribou. Environmentalists have called for an area closure to protect the Maligne caribou herd as well.

Schelhas also wants to see an area closure in place on the Maligne Lake Road from Medicine Lake South. He said that balances visitor access to Medicine Lake with critical caribou habitat.

Wilmshurst said parks uses the precautionary principle when determining area closures. Trails help predators such as wolves access caribou, so the closures are supposed to deter this movement.

Schelhas said data should be examined over the long term, as wolf patterns vary from year to year.