City of Calgary looking for feedback on the future of Weaselhead Flats, Glenmore parks

The City of Calgary is looking for public feedback as officials work to develop a 10-year plan for managing the Weaselhead Flats and Glenmore park areas.

Located along the Elbow River, the Weaslehead/Glenmore area is among the richest in the city in terms of biodiversity.

Calgary Parks and Open Spaces say the 10-year habitat plan is being created to keep it that way.  

"The project will draw on the skills and expertise of city staff," said Jason Weiler, a parks ecologist. "But we also want to hear from Calgarians about how they're using the park space, things they like about the park or any concerns they may have."

The areas have already received designation as special protection parks.

"That's the highest level of protection," said Weiler. "The emphasis really is on conservation, especially for the source water protection, and we want to do our best to make sure that space remains a healthy, natural environment for future."

The city established an online engagement portal to collect feedback for the 10-year habitat plan at the end of February.

It will remain open until March 31, and there will also be several public engagement sessions the public can attend, including an open house on March 15 and an online-only public session on March 16.

"We're just looking at how we manage the habitat, and if there's anything that we can do to help improve protection of the resource for the long term," Weiler said.

Gary Haerle moved to a community close to the Glenmore Reservoir in the 1970s.

He says he's always drawn to the park by the abundance of wildlife, something he doesn't want to see change.

"We want to have areas that are going to be able to be used well into the future," he said. "I'd like to think in terms of 30 or 40 years ahead, what will people see then? Hopefully, it'll very much be like what it is today."

Yves Dansereau is the president of the Weaselhead and Glenmore Park Preservation Society, and says its objective is to keep the park as pristine as possible, even though it's within a urban setting.

"When it's gone, it's gone," he said. "You can't put it back, you can't re-wild an area that's been damaged, so it's something that if we lose it, it's gone forever."

Dansereau says there are no major issues impacting the park because most visitors are respectful and stay on trails, keep dogs on their leashes and bring out their trash.

He says the top priority for the city's habitat management plan should be maintaining the ecological balance and integrity of the area.

Weiler says the city doesn't want to change the overall use of the park, and it's focusing on if there's anything that needs to be done to help improve protection in the long term.

"Weaselhead now is still a relatively high-quality habitat," he said. "We want to keep it that way."

To learn more about the habitat management plan, you can visit the City of Calgary's website.