Conservation groups welcome Parks Canada’s decision to extend backcountry access closures for the entire snow season in Jasper’s Tonquin and Brazeau caribou ranges, where caribou are on the brink of extirpation. Read more about Jasper National Park Takes Next Step to Help Caribou Survive Winters
Alberta Wilderness Association strongly opposes the proposal to legalize elk hunt farms – fenced facilities where captive elk are shot by so-called “hunters.” The Alberta Elk Commission has lobbied the Alberta government on hunt farms – what they call “cervid harvesting preserves” – since at least May 2020.
“These hunt farms are unethical and contrary to the concept of fair chase,” says Devon Earl, Conservation Specialist at AWA. “Many hunters and non-hunters alike are appalled by the idea of shooting animals that are effectively penned with little to no ability to escape.” Read more about Cervid Harvesting Preserves: Very Distasteful Jam
Edmonton, AB – A new CPAWS report reveals stark impacts on species at risk habitat for proposed logging in an intact piece of forest near Grande Cache, Alta. CPAWS Northern Alberta became aware of plans by West Fraser (Hinton) to log roughly 2,660 hectares of timber in the A La Peche caribou range when local trappers flagged concerns over the impacts on threatened woodland caribou and endangered Athabasca rainbow trout. Read more about New CPAWS report reveals proposed logging will have direct impacts on caribou and trout habitat in old-growth forest near Willmore Wilderness Park
A newly released Government of Alberta map confirms long-term plans for substantial logging within at-risk caribou ranges in west-central Alberta (see Figure 1). Of particular concern, the map confirms plans for an imminent harvest on both sides of Moon Creek — an area currently valued for its intact old-growth forests, which support threatened caribou and endangered Athabasca rainbow trout. Read more about Government Map Confirms Plans to Log Old-Growth Forests Near Grande Cache, Increasing Risks to Threatened Caribou
On Saturday, July 17, the Government of Alberta announced a new Forest Management Agreement (FMA) with Crowsnest Forest Products Ltd. (affiliated with Spray Lakes Sawmills) in the forest management unit C5 west of Lethbridge. This agreement leads Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) to continue to question Alberta Forestry’s commitment to sustainability given the ongoing timber-centric management of forests. Read more about Forest Management in Alberta: Sustainable or Suspect?
In the coming weeks, the Alberta government is expected to decide whether to honour the phase-out of motorized recreation in southern Alberta’s Castle Parks per the Castle Management Plan or to backslide and make changes to allow this damaging form of recreation to continue. Based on the high ecological impacts, and Albertans’ strong support for a complete phase-out, Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) and the Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition urge the Alberta government to remove off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation trails in the Castle. Read more about Castle Parks Need Protection from Motorized Off-Highway Vehicles
CALGARY/TERRITORIES OF THE BLACKFOOT AND PEOPLES OF TREATIES 6 AND 7, HOME TO MÉTIS NATION OF ALBERTA, REGION III Read more about Indigenous, landowners, environmental groups on both sides of the provincial border pleased to see Minister Wilkinson designate Tent Mountain for a federal impact assessment.
Ottawa, ON/Edmonton, AB – A new UNESCO World Heritage State of Conservation report on Wood Buffalo National Park, released publicly June 21, 2021, has found that “the previously-expressed Committee concerns continue to remain severe and the threats [to the park] have increased”. The report considers it likely that the property now meets the criteria for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Read more about Key challenges for Wood Buffalo National Park still of utmost concern
