Castle Special Management Area
Last Review/Updated: March 26, 2003
The Castle Special Management Area is about 1700 square kilometres and is located between Waterton Lakes National Park and the Crowsnest Pass.
Through the Special Places process, a local committee led by the Municipal District of Pincher Creek provided recommendations for the management and use of the area. The local committee supported sustainable multiple use of the area and recommended the management of the area to follow the guidelines of the Castle Integrated Resource Management Plan.
In 1998, to protect the area, the government legislated a Special Management Area Forest Land Use Zone for the Castle. The Castle access management plan has been implemented legislatively through the Forest Land Use Zone designation, with education and enforcement components included in the plan. The West Castle Wetlands Ecological Reserve was also formally established as part of the Special Management Area establishment.
Government departments are continuing to work together with the public to ensure that the Castle area is managed in a sustainable manner that conserves the area's unique values while providing appropriate opportunities for a range of acceptable uses for the people of Alberta. The rich natural resources of the Castle supports local economies, and the challenge is to balance recreation and other economic uses of the area with the preservation of opportunities for human use while maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
