Photogs trespassing on habitat of endangered black swifts face whopping fines

Hikers driven to capture the perfect picture are tramping on the breeding ground of an endangered bird, despite Parks Canada restricting access last summer and large fines regularly being handed out.

Although there are clear signs warning people to stay away from the "secret cave" area around Johnston Canyon, anywhere between 10 to 30 people a day are hiking in the protected habitat of the black swift.

Anita Szabo, federal Crown standing agent in Banff, Canmore and Airdrie, deals with these cases in court frequently.

"Everyday [people are] doing it just to snap that picture," said Szabo on the Calgary Eyeopener.

"They're going to find the secret cave."

Szabo said that park wardens are working to catch and charge people, but cannot be there full time.

"Obviously they had other duties to attend to but they could probably be there full time," says Szabo.

If caught trespassing, individuals are charged and must appear in court where, if they plead guilty, they take on a $1,250 fine, she says.

The area is a historic nesting site for the bird, which only breeds in Canada in southern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and this year only two active nests were reported, says Szabo.

According to the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), black swifts typically like to nest around waterfalls and inside of caves, which are often found in canyons and sea cliffs. 

The bird only lays a single clutch egg, according to a COSEWIC report, and once hatched, its fledgling period lasts about seven weeks, which is longer than many birds.

"The area has been closed to protect the birds so that they will come back and the will nest and the species will continue to exist," said Szabo. "It's a species at risk."

The people who wander off the trail in Johnston Canyon, about 20 kilometres west of Banff, are mostly tourists, from all over Canada, the U.S. and beyond, says Szabo.

There should be no excuse for people not knowing, she says, as the path has clear signs stating why there is no entry and there is orange tape blocking off the trails.

"People are aware of the reasoning behind it, its so heavily marked its crazy," said Szabo.

Johnston Canyon is not the only place in Alberta's parks where rules are being ignored, she says, areas like Lake Minnewanka and Larch Valley which frequently are under restriction due to bear activity are not always taken seriously by visitors.

"I think violations are definitely on the rise in the Johnston Canyon area and we certainly see these violations otherwise in other areas quite regularly," said Szabo.