Warm weather welcomes visitors to our lands, especially first-time visitors! Often one of the first conservation lands that visitors explore is Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area. This site is a short drive outside of Edmonton, attracting visitors because of its network of meandering trails, scenic aspen parkland forests and meadows, and facilities for when nature calls. Despite being a popular conservation land for EALT, a common visitor is missing – our friendly canine companions. Dogs are not permitted at Bunchberry Meadows. While it may seem like a harsh rule for this site, it was a decision by EALT and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) that was not taken lightly. Ultimately, for the conservation of this landscape for future visitors, the cost of dogs visiting this land outweighed the benefits.
The effects of dogs on natural areas
Nest disturbance - Visitors come to conservation lands to connect with nature, enjoy birdwatching, and possibly view some wildlife. Oftentimes, dogs interfere with these activities since they can directly disturb wildlife and their habitat. As dogs run and explore their surroundings, they may find ground nests from birds. Ground nesting and shorebirds are most at risk from dog activity and often will not return to their nest if they have been scared off.
Wildlife behavior - Most wildlife will change their behavior in areas where dogs are present, often avoiding busy areas. Even when a dog is not present, the marking left behind can repel wildlife from using an area.
Wildlife activity - The presence of dogs can even change the timing of when wildlife choose to rest, forage, and move across the landscape. Dogs on the land can increase the time spent where wildlife are on alert rather than feeding, wasting valuable energy. To avoid wasting their energy, and areas that have increased dog activity, research has shown that wildlife are changing their behaviors to be more nocturnal.
Habitat disturbance - Habitat for wildlife can be disturbed by dogs in multiple ways. Soil often becomes compacted or disturbed from running and digging. Native plants can be damaged, or even outcompeted by invasive plant species brought in by dogs.
You can learn more about the effects of dogs in natural areas from this post by NCC.
Photo by Jamie Street
Things to know before your dog roams
The impacts of dogs on the landscape can be serious for wildlife, but bringing dogs out to natural spaces isn’t without consequences for them either.
Environmental hazards - Through their exploration, dogs can contract diseases from the soil, water, feces, or wildlife remains they may interact with. There is a possibility that a dog may even ingest something toxic to them.
Aggressive wildlife - Wildlife can also pose a risk to dogs visiting the land. Carnivores such as coyotes may encounter dogs and become aggressive. Even ungulates such as moose can be unpredictable, aggressive, and could harm a dog if encountered.
Other dogs – Not all dogs are friendly; and when dogs are off-leash it can be especially difficult to anticipate the behavior of other visitor’s dogs. Aside from the environmental hazards and wildlife a dog may encounter, a serious incident may occur even with another dog when not within an owner’s reach.
Hiking at Bunchberry Meadows
Conserving Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area
It is up to a visitor’s discretion if they choose to risk these hazards when taking their dog out to natural spaces. For Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area, these factors were considered in restricting dogs from the land.
Connecting wildlife corridors - Bunchberry Meadows was conserved to be a place of refuge for wildlife in the fragmented Edmonton region. It acts as a corridor and connects habitats from further south, through the Edmonton river valley, and beyond. There is little left of natural spaces so close to Edmonton, so if this site permitted dogs to visit, it would result in less of this natural corridor being suitable for wildlife.
Anticipating the popularity of the land - EALT and NCC anticipated the popularity of Bunchberry Meadows, and also anticipated the type of visitation if dogs were permitted. Most visitors are responsible dog owners, however, there will always be some who don’t abide by the rules. With its proximity to Edmonton, EALT and NCC considered that if dogs were permitted, soon enough it would become an off-leash dog park. This can be seen in parks within and around Calgary, where the Miistakis Institute’s wildlife cameras recorded 89% of dogs exploring off-leash being in on-leash areas.
Photo by Martin Dalsgaard
Be a responsible dog owner
At most of our sites, we do trust that our visitors can be responsible dog owners, and allow the opportunity to bring their canine companion. Glory Hills is another popular conservation land that provides similar terrain and number of trails, and is close to Edmonton. Here are some tips for visitors to keep in mind to be a responsible dog owner:
Respect signs and designated trails – our conservation sites have wayfinding signs throughout the trails, and maps available online. Our visitor guidelines and signs describe what activities are permitted on the land. The Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary is a site that also does not permit dogs.
Keep a distance from wildlife – Stay at least 30 meters (or 3 bus lengths) away from wildlife like moose and deer. Carnivores need even more space!
Don’t visit at night – Wildlife can transition to being more active at night because of human activity. Give them a break and choose to visit during the daytime.
Pick up after your pet – EALT operates on leave no trace policies, and this includes what pets leave behind as well.
Keep your pet on leash - Choose designated off-leash parks if you want your dog to run free.
Follow visiting guidelines
Restricting dog access is just one example of a guideline to help conserve our conservation lands – be sure to check EALT’s visiting guidelines before heading out to one of our sites. Similar to how restricting dogs from a natural area prevents habitat disturbance, limiting visitation to an area at certain times of the year can protect wildlife during nesting and calving periods. For this reason, Bunchberry Meadows currently has a seasonal closure in place.
Bunchberry Meadows will be open and ready to welcome visitors back to the land on May 24, 2022. EALT hopes to see you there!
