Public cautioned not to disturb fawns in nature reserves

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The mothers, while staying fairly close to their young, leave them alone during the day, returning at dawn and dusk for feeding time.

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That’s why at this time of year, people are required to stay on the official pathways in the four nature reserves: Cottonwood Park, Alexander Wilderness Park, the Elizabeth Hall Wetlands, and the Lethbridge Nature Reserve adjacent to the Helen Schuler Nature Centre. In addition, dogs and bicycles are prohibited year-round in those four areas.

“If dogs are running off-leash, or even if they are leashed and walking on the pathway, it can upset the mother. It can also disturb the fawns and it can also disturb the mother observing the fawn itself or cause the mother to move the fawn at a time when it wouldn’t be a safe time to do so,” Deacon-Rogers said.

Animal control officer Skylar Plourde said there’s a $100 fine for people bringing their dog into one of the nature reserves at any time of year.

“There could be other charges if the dog is off-leash as well,” he said. “The parks bylaw in the city also covers that same offence and deals with bicycles in the nature reserves as well, which does come with a fine, again in the interest of protecting those environmentally sensitive areas and reducing that high-impact activity.”

Deacon-Rogers hopes people understand why those four areas are kept free of dogs and bicycles.

“There are many, many places in Lethbridge where you can walk your dog on-leash, where you can go for a beautiful bike ride in the river valley, and those areas tend to have a bit less biodiversity, so not quite as much variety of animals, not quite as much variety of the plant life that is living there as well.”

There is a paved pathway from the Helen Schuler Nature Centre north to the Highway 3 bridge that’s considered a “bypass” route around the environmentally sensitive area. Dogs and cyclists are permitted there. Deacon-Rogers and Plourde said it’s a matter of observing the signs.