Bow Valley

Dead Man’s Flats

Dead Man’s Flats, a small community at the eastern edge of the Bow Valley, is an area of contentious debate.  Currently a hamlet occupies the area of Dead Man’s Flats, yet developers, specifically BHB Canmore Ltd., are planning to dramatically enlarge this area with the construction of residential and light industrial developments.

At this time, the Municipal District of Bighorn has approved this development in the Dead Man’s Flats area. The present proposal sees development within 100 metres of the G8 Legacy wildlife underpass which was constructed within the last 2 years as part of the environmental legacy of the G-8 Summit in Kananaskis. The location of the underpass was set based on studies showing the huge frequency of wildlife movement there.

The other concern in this area is the human use of the wildlife corridor and habitat patch. Adequately and effectively controlling human use will require considerable effort and resources on an ongoing basis. This concern is not sufficiently addressed in the development proposal.

The new development in Dead Man’s Flats could significantly affect wildlife movement in this area, as well as key habitat patches, as this area is a critical juncture for regional wildlife movement. The integrity of this land bears on the viability of wildlife in both Kananaskis Country as well as Banff National Park, and thus CPAWS is monitoring developments in this area very closely.

Return to Main menu