Volunteering

Volunteering in Kananaskis Country

Bow Valley Volunteer Stewards

• Combine your concern for environmental protection and your love of hiking by being a steward.
• Note and report disturbances like vandalism, illegal campsites, litter, environmental degradation and invasive species.
• Participate in work parties to remedy the reported disturbances.
• Trails assigned depend on your interest, fitness level and willingness to hike in the backcountry.
• Additional projects incluse GPS mapping, wildlife camera monitoring and wildlife fence surveying.
• Contact Marie-Pierre Chappeland at 403-673-3663 Extension 201 or Marie-Pierre.Chappeland@gov.ab.ca.

Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park

• Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park volunteering opportunities include Summer Trail Care and Snow Hosts.

 Volunteer Trail Care

• Volunteer to help construct and maintain the extensive trail system in our beautiful wilderness playground. Friends of Kananaskis Country operates the Volunteer Trail Care program.
• Projects involve non-motorized trails, with duties ranging from litter pick-up to deadfall removal to trail surfacing.  Tasks assigned depend on your interest and fitness level.
• Contact Friends of Kananaskis Country at 403-678-5593 or trails@kananaskis.org.

Push to Open

• The Push to Open Nature Initiative aims to increase environmental and recreational literacy among people of all abilities.
• Push to Open Nature Society is a non-profit charitable society that works with Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation on inclusion initiatives.  This includes Adaptive Nature Challenges in Kananskis Country.
• Contact  Push to Open Nature Society at info@pushtoopen.ca.

Researching Amphibian Numbers in Alberta (RANA)

• The objectives of Researching Amphibian Numbers in Alberta (RANA) are to collect detailed information on amphibian populations in Alberta and to promote public knowledge of amphibians through a hands-on experience.
• Kananaskis is one of the RANA sites.  The project monitors the dispersal of frog, toad and salamander species from a breeding pond on the outskirts of Canmore as the animals make their way to wintering locations.  Volunteers count, weigh and measure each amphibian, working in teams of 3, every second night in late summer.
• RANA volunteers learn about amphibian ecology, and receive training in handling and processing the animals. "Junior Volunteers" are welcome to accompany their parents. The work is not physically demanding but does involves a lot of bending and kneeling.
• Contact Sandra Code at 403-678-5508 Extension 276 or Sandra.Code@gov.ab.ca

William Watson Lodge Society

• William Watson Lodge in  Peter Lougheed Provincial Park provides accommodation for Albertans with disabilities in accessible cabins and campsites.  It also has barrier-free trails for hiking or cross-country skiing, picnic sites and fishing areas.
• William Watson Lodge Society supports the facilities and programs at the Lodge.
• Contact wwlodgesociety@shaw.ca

Black Bear Monitors

• Volunteers assist Conservation Officers in keeping track of black bears in the Bow Valley between Canmore and Seebe.  They go out in teams of two with a vehicle (working a loop on Highways 1 and 1A) and scan with a telemetry antenna.
• We ar not actively recruiting volunteers at this time.
• Contact Arian Spiteri at Arian.Spiteri@gov.ab.ca or 403-678-2400, Extension 113.

Wildlife Ambassador Program

• Bow Valley WildSmart is a proactive conservation strategy that encourages efforts by communities to reduce negative human-wildlife interactions.  One of the programs it operates is the Wildlife Ambassador Program.
  
• This Program is a group of trained volunteers who rove trails throughout Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country providing wildlife safety information to visitors and locals.
• Not actively recruiting volunteers at this time.
  
• More information

Junior Forest Wardens is an outdoor experience-oriented program for young people (ages 6 to 18) and their families.  There is a local club based in Bragg Creek which does projects in Kananaskis like shepherdia removal. Contact the Bragg Creek Bald Eagles at 403-949-2907.  

Volunteer Opportunities in Alberta's Parks

There are other volunteering opportunities in parks across Alberta.