The Centre welcomed 169 participants from seven countries to the HUMMA Conference, the first in a planned five-year series of Mountain Communities Conferences. This series is based on the premise that mountain communities around the world share common issues and can benefit from the sharing of solutions.

In every part of the globe, mountain environments draw visitors and residents in ever-increasing numbers. In some mountain regions of the United States, population growth over the past decade was three times the national average, with similar trends evident in some Canadian mountain communities. Every year over four million people visit Canada’s Banff National Park and in the United States more than ten million visit the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and environs. Internationally, mountain areas face cultural and environmental impacts as sports-oriented mountain tourism grows in popularity.

The HUMMA Conference theme recognized the growing importance of human use management — changing people’s behaviour through the use of example, education and regulation — to the conservation of mountain areas. Participants considered how to measure and how to mitigate impacts as simple as a footprint or as complex as the cumulative effects of human presence in a wildlife corridor.

Conference subthemes included optimizing recreation and tourism, optimizing access, minimizing ecological impact and minimizing cultural impact. A plenary panel introduced each subtheme area, with panelists such as Edwin Bernbaum (USA), Ted Manning (Canada), Chris Rose (Australia), Bob Aitken (Scotland), Alison Gill (Canada), and many others. Following a lively discussion and debate, participants broke into sub-groups to consider a variety of real-life case studies relevant to each theme.

The total of eighteen case study subjects ran the gamut from Recreational Use in Misty Fiords, Alaska, to Ski Operations in National Parks, to Managing Day-Use near the Town of Banff, to Cultural Impact in Rajaji National Park, India. Professional facilitators worked with the case study presenters to make sure that the problem or issue was clearly identified. Each working group (12 – 15 people) then explored the problem and suggested approaches that might work. Finally, they shared their top ideas with other groups.

The working groups were enthusiastic in grappling with the issues presented. Many of the presenters were so enthusiastic about the ideas they heard from their groups that they tore the completed flipcharts from the hands of conference organizers, preferring to type them up themselves in order to get early access to the information!

Conference Gets Top Marks

The intended outcomes for conference participants were to

• Provide them with access to a range of experts in this field

• Equip them with information and ideas so that they can more effectively respond to and implement human use management initiatives in their home areas

• Provide hands-on experience in the case study sessions to illustrate how that information and those ideas can be applied to practical management problems

• Provide the opportunity to add to their network of personal contacts to continue their exploration of this field after their return to their home areas.

Conference participants rated the conference very highly: "I was so impressed with the conference — from the quality of the speakers (and participants) to how well organized the tours were," Kathleen O’Neill, Coordinator, Muskwa-Kechika Advisory Board. "It was the best conference I've been to in ages. Every speaker was excellent — and well chosen for their expertise," Carolyn Wild, WILD International. "The most organized and interesting conference I have been to for years," Pamela Lichtman, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance.

HUMMA was organized and hosted by the Banff Centre and sponsored by Parks Canada, with planning assistance from IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. The Rivendell Foundation, the Arthur B. Schultz Foundation, and the Community Lottery Boards of Alberta provided scholarship assistance for 18 participants.