Tourism Fernie 2025 Annual Report
Heiko’ s Trail & Hartley Lake Road
The RDEK Area A Sustainability Program and AmbassadorWILD™ team continued their multi-year partnership with the Fernie Trails Alliance( FTA) and Wildlife Biologist Clayton Lamb on the Heiko’ s Trail project, supporting the long-term sustainability of the trail and responsible access to the area. In 2025, the team completed two overnight trips( spring and fall) to service, maintain, and collect data from 13 wildlife cameras along the trail. While no new wildlife cameras were installed this year, thousands of new wildlife images were captured, highlighting the remarkable diversity of wildlife in the area. Through the ongoing partnership with Clayton Lamb, annual reports are produced to analyze camera results and assess any observational changes over the past three to four years of data collection.
Several additional day trips were conducted to service the four vehicle counters on Hartley Lake Road. The team also installed seven new trail counters on Heiko’ s Trail, ensuring counters are now in place at each trailhead and major intersection. These counters help monitor trail use and inform long-term management decisions. Throughout site visits, the team completed light maintenance at the trailhead, parking area, and outhouse. They also maintained ongoing communication with the FTA regarding plans to enhance the designated campsite. Together, these efforts contribute to the continued monitoring, stewardship, and sustainability of Heiko’ s Trail and the surrounding area.
28 Report for 12 month fiscal period of January – December, 2025