Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve facts for kids

The Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve is a special area of land in the Canadian province of Alberta. It's owned by the government, like a big public park, and stretches along the eastern side of the Alberta Rocky Mountains. This long strip of land is just east of the famous Canadian Rocky Mountain parks. While the national parks focus on beauty and protecting nature, the Forest Reserve is managed for things like logging and mining, as well as protecting water.

Why Was the Reserve Created?

Protecting Our Water Supply

People started thinking about protecting this area a long time ago, even in 1896. S. Dennis, a chief inspector, wrote a letter saying that keeping the forests safe was super important for our water supply. He believed that if we cut down all the trees, we wouldn't have enough water.

Another important person, William Pearce, also strongly believed in protecting this region. He convinced the government to set aside a large part of the land. This stopped it from being used for farming, which was happening in other parts of western Canada.

A Big Idea for Water and Forests

Thanks to these efforts, the Canadian government decided to create the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve in 1910. Its main goal was to protect the headwaters of rivers. Headwaters are the places where rivers begin. These rivers supply most of the Canadian prairies with fresh water.

From the very beginning, this area was managed to allow industrial activities. This included logging (cutting down trees) and mining (digging for minerals). Recreation, like hiking, and conservation (protecting nature) were less important here compared to the nearby national parks. However, protecting the water has always been a top priority for the government. A report from 1911 described the area as a "timbered area" that forms the "watershed for the river systems" that water the "great plains to the east." This means it's a forested area that collects and sends water to the huge flat lands where water is very important for farming and development.

How the Reserve Changed Over Time

Shifting Borders

The size and shape of the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve changed many times in its early years. When it was first created in 1910, it was actually two separate pieces of land. Neither of these pieces are part of the reserve today.

Over the years, the borders of the reserve and the national parks nearby often shifted.

• In 1911, Jasper National Park and Rocky Mountain Park (which later became Banff National Park) were made smaller. The land taken from them was added to the Forest Reserve.
• In 1913, the reserve grew even more, expanding eastward.
• Later, in 1917 and 1927, the national parks grew much larger, taking land back from the reserve.
• In 1929 and 1930, some small changes were made again. The Kananaskis valley was given back to the reserve.

Alberta Takes Over

A big change happened in 1930 with the Alberta Natural Resources Act, 1930. This law meant that the province of Alberta took over managing all public lands, including the Forest Reserve, from the federal government. This separated how the parks and the reserve were managed. Even after this, managing the water was still a shared job until the 1970s.

Modern Management and Challenges

The Green Area and New Rules

In 1948, the province of Alberta called all its forested lands the "Green Area," which included the eastern slopes of the Rockies. However, it wasn't until 1964 that the province passed a law, the Forest Reserves Act, to officially manage the region as a forest reserve. This law was made to help keep the water supply safe and protect the forests and other plants.

Shrinking Size and New Uses

Since Alberta took over the reserve, its size has slowly become smaller. This is because other special areas have been created within its boundaries. For example:

• The Willmore Wilderness Park was set up in the 1950s.
• Three strict wilderness areas (Ghost River, Siffleur, and White Goat) were created in the 1960s.
• The Kananaskis Country parks system was established in the 1970s.
• Many smaller parks and recreation areas were made along the David Thompson corridor over several decades.

Off-Road Vehicles and Concerns

In 1979, two areas, the McLean Creek watershed and Ghost–Waiparous, were named Forest Land-Use Zones (FLUZes). In these zones, off-road vehicles (ORVs) like ATVs are allowed. Since then, the use of ORVs in the area has grown a lot. This has caused groups like the Ghost River Watershed Alliance and many other people to worry. They are concerned about things like stream-bed erosion, where the soil near rivers gets washed away, and other disturbances to the environment.