The Bighorn Bow Corridor area of the Municipal District surrounds a valley containing the Bow River and its tributaries that penetrate the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains. It provides east-west access for major transportation routes and utility lines, being the Trans Canada Highway, the Canada Pacific Railway mainline, natural gas pipelines and power lines.
Ecology of Region
The Municipal District Bow Corridor area is characterized by the Alpine, Subalpine and Montane Subregions of the Rocky Mountain Natural Region. The ecological integrity of the Municipal District Bow Corridor area is important for many wildlife species, as it contains significant wildlife habitat, fish spawning areas and migratory bird flight paths and staging areas. A number of wildlife movement corridors have been identified that provide a link between Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park.
Development
Development within the Municipal District Bow Corridor area is generally nodal and is primarily contained within the hamlets of Dead Man’s Flats, Exshaw, Harvie Heights and Lac des Arcs. In addition to residential development, most of these hamlets contain various types of commercial or light industrial development, tourism facilities and recreational residences. The Municipal District Bow Corridor area also contains recreational developments such as golfing, equestrian and tourism opportunities.