Features

Area

• Kananaskis Country encompasses 4130 km² and contains three main natural sub-regions within its boundaries; alpine, sub-alpine and montane.
• To the west Kananaskis runs along Banff National Park in Alberta and Height of the Rockies and Elk Lakes Provincial Parks in British Columbia. To the east Kananaskis runs to the foothills area west of highway 22.
• The TransCanada highway marks the northern boundary of Kananaskis and Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve (and Highway 532) marks the southern boundary.

Township and Range map: JPG | PDF		Natural Subregions map:  JPG | PDF

• Natural Regions:
• Alpine, sub-alpine, montane and foothills parkland. Parkland and montane are underrepresented in terms of areas protected in the province.
• The summit of Plateau Mountain is believed to have been a nunatak (ice-free during last glaciation).
  

Watershed

• Glaciers, mountain lakes and numerous alpine and sub-alpine wetlands feed into four major river systems that find their headwaters in Kananaskis: Elbow, Sheep, Highwood, and Kananaskis. These rivers contribute to both the Bow River Basin and the larger South Saskatchewan River Basin.
• Kananaskis encompasses a critical watershed for over a million people (including Black Diamond, Turner Valley, Okotoks, and Calgary) and significant wildlife populations.
• AWA Brochure - Kananaskis Country: The Source of Our Water (pdf 538KB)

Biodiversity:

• Like other areas of the south east slopes of the Rockies Kananaskis Country has tremendous diversity. Encompassing 5 ecological sub-regions Kananaskis displays the species abundance one would expect from the convergence of these diverse regions.

Plants

• Kananaskis Country has more than 600 species of vascular plants and many more lichen, fungus and moss, species. From rare flowering plants, like…. , to more common flowering plants like …, Kananaskis provides a diverse habitat for exploration by botanists, naturalists, lichenologists and mycologists.

Forests

• While vast areas of Kananaskis have been subject to forestry and forest fires there remains several areas that are predominated by old growth forest.
• The forest itself is predominately lodgepole pine with alpine fir, hybrid spruce, Douglas fir, limber pine, and whitebark pine.

Wildlife

• Home to about 40 Grizzly Bears, or 6% of the provincial population (when national parks are included)
• Density of Cougars is thought to be the highest in North America.
  
• Sheep populations are on the decline due to high cougar mortality, disease (likely associated with cattle in the area), and increased recreational use of wintering grounds (Marco Festa-Bianchet)
  
• Important wildlife habitat for several large mammals including wolves, big horned sheep, elk, Golden Eagle
  
• Golden Eagle migration. At the height of the migration, as many as 800 eagles may pass through in a single day.

Sustainable Activities:

• Kananaskis Country offers numerous excellent low-impact recreation opportunities. Kananaskis Country’s proximity to Calgary however makes the area subject to extreme recreational stresses. Promotion of minimizing recreational impacts is required if the biodiversity and natural value of Kananaskis is to be preserved for future generations.

Environmentally Significant Areas map:  JPG | PDF