Two Alberta Environment and Parks lands officers – Lisa Schrader and Julia Wachowski – recently completed a four-day horseback tour of the wilderness area west of Sundre.
The tour saw the officers check on a recently upgraded wagon trail in the Panther Valley.
“They just finished working on the new trail and we were taking a look at the finalized product and seeing if there were any issues or concerns,” said Schrader, who is based in Sundre.
“In the past there were two different trails up into the Panther Valley. One followed the river bottom and required several river crossings. If you didn't want to cross the river all the time, the other trail had a really steep climb, approximately 25 per cent grade.
“This new trail has approximately 10 per cent slope grade so it is easier pulling for the wagons. It looked really good.”
The non-motorized dirt trail is travelled by guides and others equestrian users. The upgrade was funded through the provincial backcountry trails flood rehabilitation program.
“That was due to the 2013 flood,” she said.
The officers also visited other parts of the scenic Panther Valley.
“We took a look at what camps were up in the valley to look and see if the summer users had left any garbage or if there were any concerns,” she said.
“Actually the camps were kept nice and tidy. In the past people have left tables and grill grates for cooking over fires, tin cans and stuff like that. This year we didn't see any tarps or tables or other stuff left behind.”
The pair also rode up to Dormer Lake to look at the trail there.
“It is definitely wetter than in other years, but since we had such a wet summer that's kind of expected,” she said.
“We also looked at the upgraded old wagon trail that the Alberta Equestrian Federation had worked on last year to see how the work that they did is holding up.
“There is definitely some room for improvement in some of the wetter areas, the low-lying areas. Where the trail crosses springs coming out of the ground it can make the trail very wet and boggy.”
Schrader will be contacting the volunteer groups that maintain the trail and “we will work together in the future to figure out how we can fix that trail up so the wagons and other horses can get through easy without causing environmental damage,” she said.
During the trip officers saw numerous mule deer and whitetail deer.
“We also saw fresh grizzly bear tracks going into the Dogrib Valley,” she said.
They also spoke to several sheep hunters they met along the trails, she said, noting the weather was sunny and mild throughout the trip.
"Actually the camps were kept nice and tidy."Lisa Schraderlands officer
