PROJECT OVERVIEW
1. Project Background
Situated in the Bow Valley Provincial Park, the Lower Kananaskis River (LKR) and Barrier Lake corridor plays host to a number of extremely popular sites that facilitate a range of nature and water based outdoor recreation activities. Located between 6 km and 12 km south of the Trans-Canada Highway on Highway 40, this 6 km stretch of the LKR watershed is home to a number of day use and recreation sites, including, from North to South; Canoe Meadows Day Use and Group Camp, the Kananaskis (formerly Barrier Lake) Visitor Info Centre, Widowmaker Day Use Area and Barrier Lake Day Use area. Due to their connection to water and their close proximity to both Calgary and Canmore, these site are among some of the most popular in the Kananaskis Region.
Though increasingly popular, many of the facilities along the LKR-Barrier corridor were built in the 1980s when Alberta was home to a smaller population that engaged in different styles of recreation. With Alberta’s growing population and improvements in outdoor recreation equipment, the number of visitors to the LKR-Barrier area has increased dramatically and requirements for facilities have changed. As a result, the current facilities along the LKR-Barrier corridor are frequently overwhelmed, resulting in site congestion, compromised user experience, ecological degradation and increased safety concerns.
The Government of Alberta appreciates the important role the LKR-Barrier corridor plays in providing Albertans access to water and nature based outdoor recreation experiences and recognizes the need for enhanced facilities to meet user-experience and conservation expectations. In response to these requirements, Alberta Environment and Parks, Parks Division, developed and prepared The Lower Kananaskis River – Barrier Lake Redevelopment Project Plan (https://albertaparks.ca/media/6495722/lkr-barrier-redevelopment-consultation.pdf). In the fall of 2017 the Project Plan was put out for Public and Indigenous Consultation. Following the results of the consultation period the Project Plan was amended and refined and March 2018 the Project Plan was approved by Alberta Parks for advancement. Since this time, Alberta Environment and Parks has prepared designs and construction documents to advance the development objectives of the Lower Kananaskis River – Barrier Lake Redevelopment Project Plan.
One of the common objectives of the Lower Kananaskis River – Barrier Lake Redevelopment Project Plan is increasing site parking capacity to address increased visitation trends. However, in the case of Canoe Meadows the currently existing parking area, and all adjacent lands suitable for expanding the parking area, sit within what is now known to be a precontact period site of historical resource value (EgPs-6).
Precontact period site EgPs-6 was initially observed in 1971, although its significance was not realized until 2011 when a preliminary excavation was conducted to mitigate anticipated parking lot construction impacts. The investigations conducted in 2011
(archaeological investigation Permit 11-154) revealed that the site contained evidence of a cultural occupation dating to approximately 4,000 years ago, represented by a McKean projectile point. As a result of previously documented evidence of Historical Resources in the area, Alberta Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women has now issued Historical Resources Act requirements for a Stage 1 Archaeological Excavation to understand the relationship between proposed parking lot expansion impacts and the cultural deposits of EgPs-6 at Canoe Meadows (requirement HRA #5110-10-0030-008, Appendix D, Attachment 10).
Alberta Parks is now seeking a suitably qualified proponent to undertake and satisfy the requirements identified in HRA #5110-10-0030-008 (Appendix D, Attachment 10) to facilitate informed expansion and mitigate potential development impacts on EgPs-6 in the parking facilities at Canoe Meadows.
2. EgPs-6 Background & Description
Canoe Meadows Day Use Area and Group Camp is located in Bow Valley Provincial Park, approximately 35 kilometers east of Canmore, Alberta. The area is currently popular for canoeists and kayakers, and offers group camping, picnicking and walking areas. Archaeological evidence, however, has shown that the area has been used by people for millennia. Investigation into the area’s archaeological past was initiated in 1971 with University of Calgary studies of the Bow River. The site was initially observed after forest clearing had been undertaken in preparation for construction of Highway 40, which currently lies adjacent to Canoe Meadows. Based on the scattered firebroken rock and bone that was observed in the cleared areas, researchers interpreted the site as being a transitory precontact hunting camp located on a high alluvial fan deposited by Lusk Creek. The level of disturbance that had occurred during the forestry clearing, however, led researches to believe that the site was a small scattered occupation that had been entirely removed by the forest clearance (Reeves 1971, 1972, 1973).
More formal archaeological investigation of Canoe Meadows was undertaken in 2010
(Permit 10-158), as part of an assessment to evaluate the potential for conflicts between proposed campuground upgrading and archaeological resources. As part of the study, a re-assessment of EgPs-6 was undertaken, to determine its relationship to the development footprint. During this study, a different understanding of the site and its contents began to emerge. After surface inspection and subsurface testing was completed, it was noted that while earlier highway construction had removed a large portion of the site, there were some undisturbed areas remaining. Shovel testing in these areas (n=23), which corresponded to proposed parking lot expansion areas, revealed the presence of five positive tests containing firebroken rock (n = 4), lithic flakes (n = 6) and a small projectile point that was attributable to either the Cayley series of the Old Women’s Phase or a small Pelican Lake point variant (Wickham 2011). Based on the results of this investigation, further work in the form of Archaeological Excavation was recommended to provide a more in-depth understanding of the cultural deposits.
Detailed archaeological assessment of EgPs-6, including intensive shovel testing and excavation, was conducted in 2011 under Permit 11-154. During this investigation, researchers noted that contrary to the initial belief that the site was a small activity area that had been removed during forest clearing, the site was actually much larger than originally thought and retained some undisturbed areas. Shovel testing (n = 37; 27 positive) and excavation (n = 10 square metres) revealed the presence of a single component precontact period occupation, represented through the collection of firebroken rock (n = 270), bone fragments (n = 387), lithic flakes (n = 371), formed lithic tools (n = 11) and diagnostic projectile points (n = 2) (Wickham et al 2011). The projectile points included one of the Duncan style and one of the McKean style, together representing the a Middle precontact period occupation that existed in the area between approximately 4,200 and 3,500 years before present.
Based on the presence of an intact Middle precontact period occupation, it was determined by Alberta Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women that further work would be necessary at EgPs-6 before the location could be developed. As a result, Historical Resources Act requirements (HRA #5110-10-0030-008, Appendix D, Attachment 10) were issued on October 22, 2019 to promote the investigation of the relationship between the site’s precontact cultural deposits and the potential impacts of the proposed Canoe Meadows Day Use Area parking lot expansion.
3. Project Objective
The purpose of this RFP is to invite Proposals from suitably qualified Proponents to conduct an Archaeological Excavation at site EgPs-6, where the development footprint of a proposed parking lot expansion at Canoe Meadows Day Use Area and Group Camp overlaps with the area of site EgPs-6.
Working under and towards the conditions and objectives specific to Eg-Ps6 as specified in Historical Resource Act requirements letter HRA #5110-10-0030-008 (Appendix D, Attachment 10), the successful Proponent must apply proven and accepted practices in conjunction with appropriate tools and skilled resources to facilitate undertake archaeological excavation, site recording, cultural material identification and collection, analysis, collection, curation, records and artifacts submission and interim and final reporting of the archaeological evidence Historical Resources that may exist within EgPs-6, so as to satisfy the requirements of HRA #5110-10-0030-008 (Appendix D, Attachment 10) and gain the Historical Resources Act approval that will allow informed expansion of the parking area at Canoe Meadows to proceed.
