Over
the next quarter century, the Rocky Mountain wilderness was often the centre
of heated debate over provincial government management policy. Environmentalists
became concerned with the escalating tourism traffic, especially in the former
Ribbon Creek village area where construction began in 1986 for Kananaskis Village,
a leisure and recreational complex ultimately including two hotels, a day lodge
and two golf courses.
At the same time, the Nakiska ski hill was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Today,
most of the former Kovach townsite has been overtaken by advancing alpine vegetation.
But remnants of the town can still be found; ghostly reminders of once promising
pioneer dreams, now slowly fading into oblivion.