Grave problem: Banff struggling to manage Columbian ground squirrels in cemeteries

Digging isn't a foreign concept in a graveyard, but some industrious rodents are damaging historic burials in the Town of Banff, and officials are trying to find ways to keep the unwanted visitors out. 

Graves settle over time, but with an underground network of tunnels and annual freeze and thaw cycles, the Columbian ground squirrel's handiwork is resulting in sunken graves and toppled monuments in both the Old Banff Cemetery and Mountain View Cemetery. 

"They have been creating significant damage," said Agustina Rocha-Jaje, municipal parks manager. 

The Columbia ground squirrel, often mistaken for a gopher, resides in mountainous terrain and high plains in Canada.

The Old Banff Cemetery was designated a historic resource in 2016. There are more than 2,000 people buried there, one of the first graves is said to date back to 1890.

Plot owners are typically responsible for maintaining the graves and monuments, but spotty record-keeping in many instances means the town has to take on levelling graves and fixing some of the immediate hazards in the cemeteries because the owners can't be found or confirmed. 

"Regarding sunken monuments and graves … there is damage from Columbian ground squirrels," Rocha-Jaje said. "Some of the issues we think are related to having monuments and graves sinking."

Because both graveyards are in a national park, the ground squirrels are fortunate that Parks Canada won't allow poisons or lethal trapping. 

Alberta naturalist Chris Fisher says cemeteries are a great place for ground squirrels. They look for open areas with plenty of things to forage and good cover. 

"They really like to dig their burrows in rocky areas, typically near natural boulders. The headstones and tombstones are really emulating those features," Fisher said. 

Banff municipal parks workers are allowed to live trap the ground squirrels. Parks Canada dictates this should be done only during the periods that the rodents emerge from their burrows. 

According to a relocation guideline document for the area, the ground squirrels hibernate nearly 70 per cent of the year. 

The Town of Banff finds an opportunity to catch the diggers in mid-July. Two employees create a serene environment outside, so the squirrels aren't afraid to peek out from burrows. This means shutting off any power tools they may typically use for maintenance on the grounds. Once the traps are tripped, the two workers follow Parks Canada guidelines for relocation. 

Work to trap and relocate the ground squirrels started in 2018 at the Old Banff Cemetery. The following year, the town started setting traps at the Mountain View Cemetery as well.