The irony that a Conservation Officer could charge you for hanging a piece of wood, in the woods, with a message on it saying, save the woods, should not be lost on anyone.
Please do not hang tags on public or private property where it is illegal, unsightly or inappropriate.
No-Go Areas in Kananaskis
The protected areas in the Elbow Valley are called Recreation Areas. They are parking lots, campgrounds and day-use areas that generally serve as trailheads for hiking, cycling and horseback riding trails. They often have picnic tables, outhouses and sometimes firepits. Most of them are so small they don't appear on maps of the area, however, there are dots and labels on maps to show where they are. Please don't put tags on trees adjacent to parking areas and don't put tags in Bragg Creek Provincial Park as it is not going to be logged.
Here are some maps of the areas included in the Conservation Officer's warning. The thick black line shows the protected area.
The land between Highway 66 and the Elbow River from the bridge over the Elbow River ( near Allen Bill Pond) to Riverview Trail. The protected area continues (lower left) to Elbow Falls and Beaver Flat. See the next map.
The Elbow Falls area has a large parking lot and paved pathways so people with mobility problems can enjoy the view. There is a winter gate on Hwy 66. Past Elbow Falls, protected areas include; The Powderface Trailhead, Beaver Lodge Trail and Beaver Flat Campground. Note, the photo used in the title bar at the top of this web site was taken from the lookout shown in this map.
Cobble Flats is near the end of Hwy 66. It is most notable as a river crossing point for SRD and industry vehicles who drive through the river in their 4x4 pickups to access remote areas of McLean Creek where logging, and gas extraction take place. You'll likely see tire tracks on the river edge. But again, please don't hang your wooden tag here as it's a blight on the environment and Conservation Officers will confiscate it.
The Little Elbow Recreation Area is a relatively large preserve at the end of Hwy. 66. There is a large campground, a couple of horseback staging areas, a footbridge over the Elbow River and a beautiful pond with picnic tables. The area is pressed up against the high alpine mountains and borders the Elbow-Sheep Wildland Park. This is the dividing line between the accessible foothills where the problems between people enjoying recreational activities and industry, expoiting natural ressources, occur. The Rocky Mountains beyond, are protected, but are much less accesible.
A message from the District Conservation Officer
Under the parks act it is not legal to post these types of tags in a park or protected area and we will have to remove any that we find on the Parks land base. It is also not legal to log trees on the Parks land base and trees would only be cut for specific management purposes such as a safety hazards, disease or development. In all instances we try to minimize any tree removal.
Most of our Parks land base is small in the Elbow area and only extends about 100 metres beyond the facility development. Larger areas are: Bragg Creek Provincial Park, the land between Hwy. 66 and the Elbow River from the Hwy. bridge over the Elbow River to Beaver Flats Campground, Cobble Flats and Little Elbow Recreation Areas. I would ask that you not have any of these tags placed in these areas.
Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture
District Conservation Officer