Wildsight – Warm spring days have us dreaming of summertime in the Kootenays. But before you head out on your local waterways this year, Wildsight is urging you to consider the impact of your activity.
The slow swirls of water coupled with shallow depths and easy access make the Fairmont Hot Springs-to-Golden stretch of the Columbia River a popular destination in British Columbia’s Columbia Valley. On a peak summer day, you can stand on the shoreline and see hundreds of people pass by in a parade of brightly-coloured floaties, stand-up paddleboards and, well, anything else that floats.
For many years, locals speculated that this stretch of river was getting busier, but until 2019, there was no evidence to back that up. Columbia Valley ecologist Dr. Suzanne Bayley, president of the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners (CWSP), and Joan Gallaway, a local volunteer, realized there was a significant gap in data about human use of the Columbia River within the Columbia Valley.
They decided to undertake a five-year study to monitor the number and types of users between Fairmont Hot Springs and Golden. Suzanne presented their findings at a gathering held in Radium Hot Springs this spring, focused on water-based recreation and impacts to the ecosystem.
“We wanted to know what exactly was happening,” Suzanne said to the attendees of the event. “Traffic problems, erosion on the access points, safety, garbage — there were just an incredible number of issues when we started this study.”
They strategically placed trail cameras up and down the river, monitoring locations for between one and five years within the 2019–2024 study period. Monitoring was done between May 1 and September 30 each year.
What they found was surprising.
In the Fairmont Hot Springs reach known as the ‘Fairmont Float’, there were almost 14,000 users counted in 2019, nearly 22,000 users in 2021, and approximately 17,000 in 2024. Over the three years of recording, a staggering 52,822 people recreated along this small 7 km stretch of the Columbia River.
“Everyone knew there was lots of traffic, but nearly 22,000 people in Fairmont in one year was quite shocking,” reflected Joan in a follow-up interview on the project findings.
Fairmont had the highest number of users recorded each year, but other sections of the river still saw significant human activity, with usage peaking near larger communities.
In 2019, for example, more than 15,000 people passed the camera near the Athalmer Slough/wetlands — a popular out and back paddling destination. The 17-km stretch from Athalmer to Radium consistently saw an average of 4,500 people per season.
Impact considerations
With high usage comes significant environmental and infrastructure concerns. Before the study, there were minimal sanitary facilities at many access points.
However, thanks to community efforts in Invermere, Radium and Fairmont, improved facilities have since been installed, vastly improving pollution concerns at the take-out locations, Suzanne noted.
Other issues as a result of a high volume of people on the river include erosion at access points, garbage accumulation, and safety risks in relatively remote locations along the river.
Perhaps most critically, human activity can and does impact wildlife.
The Columbia River is home to a rich array of species, including species at risk. Disturbances — particularly in its narrower channels — could have lasting ecological consequences. While the cameras were set to record people, they naturally captured wildlife as well. There were lots of birds, but cameras also captured beaver, deer, elk and bears.
“The most interesting and surprising animal was captured on camera in someone’s backyard in Fairmont,” Joan said. “It was the middle of the afternoon in August, and a badger passed by!”
Horsepower restriction
One of the more positive outcomes of the CWSP study was finding concrete evidence that users are honouring a hard-won restriction on the river. In 2016, the federal government put a 20-horsepower restriction on the main stem of the Columbia River from Fairmont to Golden, thanks in part to the efforts of Wildsight and, in particular, the late Ellen Zimmerman.
Ellen was a renowned environmentalist, stalwart champion of the Columbia Wetlands, and trailblazer of advocacy for future generations to follow. She passed away in 2020.
“All [motorized boats recorded] were less than 20 horsepower in the regulated zone and were usually travelling slowly, so that regulation and corresponding education have been very effective,” Suzanne stated.
“We have to thank Wildsight Golden and the Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners and many of the people in this room for making that regulation become a reality!”
The horsepower restriction, which took around 20 years of advocacy to bring into law, was enacted to help protect wildlife such as nesting birds and better preserve the Columbia Wetlands complex.
Next steps
The Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners has already shared their data with other organizations and government officials. A final report is still being compiled, but a first-year report from the study is available.
For recreational users planning to float, paddle or swim their way through the Columbia Valley this summer, here are a few tips to lessen your impact:
Only use designated put-in and take-out locations on the river. This lessens the ecological damage done by dragging watercraft in and out of the river.
Pack it in; pack it out. We all know this rule, now let’s stick with it!
If you see wildlife, give it a wide berth. Being good neighbours with wildlife means giving them their space.
Continue to obey the horsepower restriction. Put those muscles to work and make your own people-powered way downstream.
