The MD of Bighorn hamlets—Exshaw, Lac des Arcs, Dead Man's Flats, and Harvie Heights—align perfectly with our Community Trail Camera program's mission. Like our pilot project in Waiparous Village (also in MD Bighorn), these communities sit at key human-wildlife interfaces in the Upper Foothills, where busy Trans-Canada corridors and Kananaskis gateways bring dense human activity into vital wildlife routes for apex predators like cougars and bears. This expansion builds coexistence confidence, reduces conflicts, and empowers ~1,200 residents with data for safer shared landscapes.
Exshaw, Lac des Arcs, Dead Man's Flats, and Harvie Heights are small hamlets in Alberta's MD of Bighorn, nestled in the Bow Valley's Upper Foothills with rugged, rolling terrain, river valleys, and mountain proximity. These communities cluster along the Trans-Canada Highway 1 near the Bow Valley, east of Canmore and just outside Banff National Park's boundary—roughly 80-90 km west of Calgary. Exshaw and Lac des Arcs sit along the Bow River with industrial and recreational activity, while Dead Man's Flats and Harvie Heights offer foothill access to trails and proximity to Kananaskis.
Exshaw nestles beneath sheer 1,783m limestone cliffs of Exshaw Mountain amid coniferous forests and Bow River floodplains. Lac des Arcs hugs riverside meadows with rolling slopes and creek drainages. Dead Man's Flats spans open coulees and montane transitions near Heart Mountain's avalanche chutes. Harvie Heights climbs steep forested ridges and is located right outside the Banff park boundary. All hamlets exist at around 1,300-1,400m in lodgepole pine/spruce ecosystems rich with wildlife corridors.
These tight-knit hamlets total ~1,200 residents within the MD of Bighorn's 1,598 people (2021). Exshaw (~449) anchors industrial roots, Lac des Arcs (~146) offers riverside living, Dead Man's Flats (~380) booms with new growth, and Harvie Heights (~250) draws outdoor enthusiasts.
Blending industry, tourism, and recreation including hiking, biking, and daily commutes—these areas buzz with trail activity, making them ideal for gathering insights into human and apex predator coexistence.
