Cochrane RCMP is reminding residents to stay off of private land after a young male was injured in a cliff jumping incident near Jumping Pound.

Corporal Troy Savinkoff says every year at about this time, they have to remind community members of the dangers and risks associated with this private area. 

After an incident last Friday (June 8) it seems like the perfect opportunity.

Stuart Brideaux, Public Education Officer with AHS shares they responded to a call for help around 8 pm Friday evening. "Crews from Cochrane responded to a case in the vicinity of Jumping Pound Terrace, kind of the slope down to the river for reports that a male in his mid-teens sustained an injury after jumping off into the water."

Once crews made their way down the slop it was determined, "it was a soft tissue injury to his knee and he was otherwise in stable condition."

Brideaux gave thanks to KES (Kananaskis Emergency Services) for the use of their helicopter to assist in the rescue. "He was then brought to a waiting ambulance where he was taken to Children's Hospital again in stable condition with the one isolated injury."

Corporal Savinkoff shares while he is glad the only injury the teen sustained was minor in nature, the area in question continues to be a problem and a constant battle for RCMP members to enforce. "Every year it's a complaint, it's not just people enjoying the sun down there by the river. They're damming the river, drinking, starting fires and jumping off that cliff which presents its own danger. We've had concerns about forest fires and that it could damage people's homes on that Toki Road portion."

It's a difficult situation shares Savinkoff. "When you are dealing with a natural waterway there's a thing called the riparian zone which nobody can own so that includes the water itself and the gravel area adjacent to (kind of like the flood area adjacent to a river), however, all the area around that property including the cliff itself is owned by the Toki Conservation Society and they own that land and they are trying to retain and keep it."

Although the area is well signed and no parking signs are erected and very visible it doesn't seem to deter people. While Savinkoff doesn't want to be the ogor, he says the problem is some of the people they have encountered in that area are extremely aggressive to RCMP members. 

The risk of fire in that area is extremely concerning says Savinkoff as the area in question is difficult to access, hence the use of the KES helicopter.

"Every year we deal with the no trespassing, we do a little bit of a blitz where we write out no trespassing tickets to some of the people down there and again it's private property there shouldn't be any people down there."

The property, known as 'Tokijarhpabi Nature Reserve' has been declared “Ecologically Sensitive” by Environment Canada. Its grasslands, shrublands, and riparian areas are essential for the survival of a wide variety of species including coyotes, the grey wolf, red fox, black bears, grizzly bears, cougars, Canada lynx, and bobcats.