NCC updates Pass on conservation work

The Nature Conservancy of Canada returned to Crowsnest Pass council on March 24 with an update on its local work, ranging from invasive species control to fire mitigation and wildlife connectivity monitoring along Highway 3.

Emilie Brien, natural area manager for the organization, said the group’s work in the region is focused on wildlife movement and clean water while recognizing the human history and ongoing use of the landscape.

“We know people are an integral part of this landscape, and our goal is not to push people away and just conserve nature,” Brien told council. “We are part of nature and the landscape.”

Brien said the Nature Conservancy of Canada, or NCC, is a private non-profit charity that works collaboratively with governments, Indigenous nations, businesses and other organizations. In the Crowsnest Pass area, she said much of the major land securement work has already been done and the organization is now focused more heavily on stewardship.

That includes managing public access, restoration and invasive species work on lands already under protection.

Public access, she said, remains part of NCC’s local approach. Most local properties are open to non-motorized recreation such as hiking and hunting, with bookings managed online through the organization’s access portal.

One of the biggest stewardship efforts underway is invasive species management. Brien said NCC had previously relied on outside contractors to spray weeds but saw limited long-term progress until it adopted a broader program in 2022.

“We were just hiring a contractor every year to spray the weeds, and we realized we were not making any progress,” she said.

Since then, the program has expanded to include a coordinator, seasonal staff, in house spraying, mechanical control and biocontrol methods. Brien said the organization is now beginning to see results in areas such as Leitch Collieries and Iron Ridge.

One example she pointed to was the use of a biocontrol insect for Dalmatian toadflax.

“It’s a little bug, and it eats just Dalmatian toadflax, nothing else,” Brien said.

She said the insect was released south of Leitch Collieries several years ago and has now dramatically reduced one heavily infested area.

Council also heard about a four-year fire mitigation project funded by KPMG. Brien said work has focused on high-risk areas near Phillips Pass and Iron Ridge, reducing wildfire danger while also improving habitat for wildlife.

“This is one that is a great example of a project that benefits both people and wildlife,” she said.

Brien also updated council on efforts to protect pictographs inside Crowsnest String Cave, also known as Basin Cave, north of Crowsnest Lake. The site sits on NCC owned land and has both cultural significance and extensive graffiti damage.

She said the group has been working with First Nations on a heritage management plan and is currently leaning toward education rather than fencing the site off.

Another local project has involved restoring heavily disturbed slopes near the Leitch Collieries historic site, with the long-term goal of creating an interpretive trail linking history and land restoration.

Councillor Dean Ward asked whether the newly completed Rock Creek wildlife underpass is already showing signs of use. Brien said formal analysis is not finished, but cameras have already recorded deer, cougars, foxes, coyotes and owls.

“We don’t have numbers because we haven’t analyzed the data yet, but I’ve been looking at the cameras,” she said.

Brien added that one collared mule deer that had previously stayed north of the highway has now been documented crossing through the underpass for the first time.

Ward also asked whether NCC had any active discussions about acquiring the old Devic gas farm property. Brien said there are no active talks at this time.

She also said NCC has chosen not to seek a property tax exemption available to non-profits. In 2025, she told council, the organization paid $48,000 in municipal taxes in Crowsnest Pass.

As the presentation wrapped up, Ward suggested NCC once again take council members on a local site tour, similar to one offered to the previous council. Brien said she would welcome that opportunity.