Record numbers of campers have already booked in for Alberta's 2021 camping season, and that means both good and bad things ahead for the province's beautiful outdoors.
According to Alberta Parks, when camping season opened on March 4, 24,000 people rushed to book reservations – more than double the number of reservations that were made on opening day last year. The combination of a long winter and COVID-19 will undoubtedly add up to unprecedented cabin fever. The camping season itself is expected to be just as busy as it was in 2020.
We're blessed to live in a province that holds some spectacular sights, where we can enjoy the land we live on. A bustling camping season also means good things economically – more tourism, more seasonal jobs and more out-of-towners spending their money in rural Alberta.
However, just like last year, an influx of people also brings the risk of messy campsites and careless hikers.
Fees went up this year at some campsites to help support sustainable recreation, generally increasing by between $1 and $3 per night. Alberta Parks has already had to bring in some pre-emptive measures to stop people from reselling their spots for a profit, and is holding the people who have reserved spots responsible for all actions and damage at their campsites, threatening fines if the site is damaged or littered.
That comes as welcome news for those of us who cherish Alberta's natural areas, given what we witnessed last year. Last August brought the disturbing news that overuse was damaging Alberta's parks. News reports described these parks swarmed with campers who left their garbage behind on the ground despite the nearby presence of dumpsters, cut down trees, disturbed sacred Indigenous sites and trespassed in areas that were off-limits. Some cut their own hiking trails and expanded OHV trails.
Aside from the obvious distasteful nature of these actions, the selfishness of such campers puts wildlife, the environment and other campers at risk.
Leave no trace
Most people who litter, of course, get away with it. Unless they're caught in the act, it's tough to prove they're the one who threw that bag of trash on the ground. Fees and fines are a good way of incentivizing campers to clean up after themselves, creating a user-pay sort of model that penalizes those responsible for a mess.
Hopefully, this system will encourage those errant campers to show a little personal responsibility this time around as they enjoy the beauty of Alberta parks and campgrounds. Perhaps this year, they will take to heart that backcountry principle of leaving no trace, and in the process avoid ruining the great outdoors for the rest of us. We all want to get out and enjoy what nature has to offer. Let’s work together so all of us can do just that.
