2019 Trail Restoration

Willmore Wilderness Foundation staff members worked on preparing the Occupational Health and Safety Manuals and Policies for the 2019 Trail Clearing Initiative. This was instrumental in developing a Code of Practice (COPs) for trail work. The Willmore Wilderness Foundation offered a Chain Saw Safety course which brought up the confidence level of younger trail hands. This training is building capacity in the tourism sector for Willmore Wilderness Park. Two-hundred and fifty kilometers of trail rehabilitation continued in Willmore Wilderness Park, during the 2019 season in compliance with Occupational Health and Safety regulations.

The Foundation continued to rehabilitate historic trails. Crews worked on the following trails:

– Sulphur Gate Trailhead to Sheep Creek Airstrip
– Sheep Creek Airstrip to the Upper Sheep Creek Copper Kettle Camp
– Upper Sheep Creek, over Casket Mountain, Forget-me-Not Pass, Featherstonhaugh Pass and Morkill Pass.
– Morkill to the headwater of Bazil Creek and down to the Jackpine River.
– Mouth of Bazil Creek to Kvass Flats
– Mouth of Bazil Creek to Jackpine Falls
– Kvass Flats to the top of Mount Stearn

The Foundation restored and rehabilitated the following traditional campgrounds.

– Findlay Springs Camp
– Sheep Creek Airstrip Camp near the Alberta Parks Cabin
– Copper Kettle Camp
– Morkill Camp

The Foundation continued to erect trail markers on the trails that are being rehabilitated, in form of 3×3 inch coloured plastic trail markers.

The Foundation continued garbage collections and maintenance of ID #25.

The Foundation continued to GPS trail network and take the waypoints and tracking points collected and convert for use on the ArcGIS. The ArcGIS will be used to create updated maps for Willmore Wilderness Park. We will create shape files of this data.

The Foundation continued to identify gravesites, old trapper’s cabins, historic camp site areas, dangerous river crossings, historical areas which have been catalogued and recorded for future reference. Trail crews will erect trail markers so the public can easily find the trail. Foundation crews will look after picking up garbage, and keep Willmore Wilderness Park pristine.

PUBLIC AND PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

The Willmore Wilderness Foundation provided Public and Professional Education with up to date information and educational programs about the Park utilizing the Willmore Wilderness Foundation office at 4600 Pine Plaza, in Grande Cache. The public’s inquiries were answered by phone, email, or social media. The Foundation provided professional expertise to the various government departments.