Responsible Recreation: Pathways, Practices and Possibilities
- Start Date: May 09, 2023
- End Date: May 10, 2023
- Time: See below
- City: Revelstoke BC
- Venue: Revelstoke Community Centre & Online
- Registration now open. Call for posters extended. Presenter list now available.
Image credits in the order they appear: H Ross, Wet Planet, R Darvill, A Chance, P Garbutt, CMH
Conference description
Recreation and adventure tourism opportunities and activities are expanding globally, with the Columbia Mountains region being no exception. From hiking, mountain biking, snowmobiling, dirt biking, cross-country skiing, to motorized and non-motorized watercraft use, all activities can have an impact on wildlife and ecosystems. However, empirical measures of impacts are often difficult to obtain, with unknown thresholds that ultimately affect the viability of wildlife populations and ecosystems. This limits policy development and impact management. Furthermore, the cumulative effect of multiple overlapping recreational and industrial activities on the landscape are seldom considered or addressed.
This two-day conference is timely as an increasing number of people are pursuing outdoor activities, and there is growing recognition of the limited information, tools, and resources for managing and monitoring the impacts of these pressures on wildlife and habitat. It will be an excellent opportunity for scientists, managers, business operators, students, and the interested public to network and learn about current thinking on increasing outdoor recreation activities and the effect on wildlife and ecosystems. The event will address key questions regarding effects of current and future development and showcase best practices of established commercial and community managed recreation and adventure tourism tenures. The conference will include speakers, posters, and various opportunities for dialogue on aspects of baseline monitoring, measuring disturbance, accessing cumulative impacts, understanding best practices, success stories, and field trip opportunities. It will be a conference to learn about, and immerse oneself in, the emerging field of recreation ecology.
This event will be a hybrid-event welcoming participation both in-person and online. We will accommodate online participation for all oral presentations and panel discussions. The workshops, conversation café, exhibitors fair and posters are for in-person attendees only. The presenter list indicates whose content will be available online (see below).
Schedule
A more detailed schedule will be available soon, but here are the outside time parameters for this event to help with your planning:
Tue, May 9
- In Person: Check-in starts at 8:15am. Formal event delivery from 9am – 9pm.
- Keynote, open to the pubblic: 7pm-9pm (see here)
- Online: 9am-3:30pm (approximately)
Wed, May 10
- In Person: Check-in starts at 8:30am. Formal event delivery from 9am – 7pm.
- Online: 9am – 12pm (approximately)
Event Presenters
Invited presenters include:
- Nikki Heim, Ktunaxa Nation Council. Simulating current and future Impacts on ʔa·kxamis qapi qapsin (All Living Things): the role of recreation
- Jeremy Ayotte, Phyla Biological Consulting & Shuswap Trail Alliance. Backcountry recreation management planning for wildlife: What tools do we have, where can we improve?
- Ross Cloutier, Helicat Canada. HeliCat Canada’s Vision 2040 and the Wildlife and Environmental Research Fund
- Kim Heinemeyer, Director of Conservation Science, Round River Conservation Studies. Wolverine responses to backcountry winter recreation differ based on behavioral state and recreation exposure
- Michael Proctor, Trans-border Grizzly Bear Project, Kootenay Connect, & the IUCN Species Survival Commission (Bear specialist group). Roads, recreation, and grizzlies (and other wildlife!)
- Aaron Reid, BC Ministry of Lands Water and Resource Stewardship. The Roaming Closure – using GPS collared caribou to manage snowmobiling across the Central Selkirk mountain caribou herd
- Annie Loosen, University of Northern British Columbia and the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative. Recreation ecology in a multi-use, large landscape: implications and applications for monitoring
- Amanda Weber-Roy, BC Parks. Efforts to balance species habitat needs with recreational pressures in BC Parks in the Kootenays
- Robin Naidoo, Wildlife Conservation at WWF-US and University of British Columbia. Weekend worriers? Causal impacts of human recreation on grizzly bear activity
The full presenter list is here – this includes all confirmed presenters to date delivering a combination of facilitated discussions, workshops, and traditional style talks. What a line-up!
Community keynote
Join us for a free and open-to-the-public keynote address during this conference. We’ll be looking at responsible recreation through the lenses of climate and culture with outdoor recreation researcher Natalie Knowles, a screening of the film Beyond Begbie, and a panel discussion that also features Sinixt cultural facilitator for the Colevile Tribe Shelly Boyd, and Beyond Begbie film producer Nat Segal. See the event webpage here.
Who should attend this conference?
CMI conferences attract people from a variety of disciplines and professions. This conference will inform scientists, ecologists, business and environmental managers, government decision-makers, and community members (i.e., ATV clubs, climbing associations, mountain biking groups, snowmobile associations, rod and gun clubs, etc.). Additionally, this conference will be of use to post-secondary students studying and monitoring ecological effects, higher level management, or best operational practices. The conference is an opportunity to learn and discuss best practices within the recreation and adventure tourism sectors.
We welcome posters and displays showcasing opportunities for responsible recreation
Poster proposals still accepted until April 17. Poster presenters are asked to refer their presentation back to this question: What are the lessons learned that can inform our collective work to reduce impacts to wildlife and ecosystems?
The Happy Hour and Exhibitor Fair is an opportunity for attendees, outdoor groups and businesses to showcase their efforts through posters and table displays to foster responsible recreation, exchange ideas, and network over drinks and appetizers. Take advantage of this opportunity to promote your organization or company by exhibiting at this event.
Tables for non-profits and recreation groups are free with event registration, but we ask that you request your table space by April 17th. Commercial displays will require a small fee of $150.
Poster proposals and exhibitor requests due by April 17th.
If you would like to submit a poster proposal, please send title, abstract (max 300 words), a short bio, and full contact information to the Columbia Mountains Institute. See the submission guidelines prior to submission. A copy of this abstract will be included in the event proceedings document.
*Poster presentations will available to in-person attendees only.
Registration
Financial assistance may be available for representatives of recreation groups (i.e., board members and staff), Indigenous community members, and others. Please contact Hailey to request financial assistance with registration fees via office@cmiae.org. We do not want cost to be a barrier to participation.
In-person fees
In-person registration includes all aspects of this two-day conference: plenary presentations, panel discussions, a selection of workshops, a selection of field trips, event socials, catering, and more.
Non-member: $340.00
CMI member* & presenter: $295.00
Student: $140.00
Subsidized rate for rec groups (ie., board members and staff): $190
Indigenous community members: $190, but additional subsidies available if need (contact office@cmiae.org)
Commercial display: $150 (send email request)
Online fees
Registration for remote attendance via Zoom will provide access to all plenary talks and panel discussions, and the associated recordings. Workshops and fieldtrips will not be available for online attendees (unless otherwise indicated.) Recordings will be made available for three months.
Non-member: $140.00
CMI member* & presenter: $95.00
Student: $50.00
*CMI memberships can be purchased upon registration. Learn more about membership perks and fees here. (Pssst … you will likely save money if you purchase a membership.)
Catering included in registration fees, and provided by Arrowhead Catering.
Last day to register will be April 24, 2023.
Where to stay?
A discounted room rate has been made available to conference registrants at the Grizz Hotel. This establishment is a 5min walk from the conference location, right downtown Revelstoke BC.
First floor rooms: $85/night +taxes
Second floor rooms: $95/night +taxes
To access these rates you must phone to book and request the “CMI rate.” Phone number: 250-837-5151. These rates are available from May 8 – 15, 2023. First come, first serve based on availability.
Event partners
Columbia Mountains Institute is pleased to work with these agencies in hosting this event:
Selkirk College, BC Parks, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, Golden + Area A Trail Alliance, Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, Shuswap Trail Alliance, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Outdoor Recreation Council of BC
Event sponsors
We extend our thanks for financial assistance to the following event sponsors:
Revelstoke Tourism, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Real Estate Foundation of BC, and the Resort Municipality Initiative (via City of Revelstoke).
Event sponsors and commercial exhibitors are encouraged to contact CMI after reviewing the information found here.
