Report calls for protected wildland parks on headwaters
Eastern Slopes development threatens species
Turning large tracts of land along the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies into parks is the best way to safeguard Alberta’s headwaters and protect the most vulnerable fish and wildlife, according to a report released Wednesday.
The report, Protecting and Connecting Headwater Havens, by Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, asks the provincial government to designate about 2,570 square kilometres between Kananaskis Country and the United States border as wildland parks.
It’s an area that’s not only the headwaters of rivers that provide water to downstream communities, but it also supports fish and wildlife — including provincially threatened species such as grizzly bears and west-slope cutthroat trout.
“What we need to do is to protect and connect a portion of the area where the values for these vulnerable species are most concentrated,” said John Weaver, a Montana-based conservation biologist who wrote the report. “If I can borrow a phrase from my cowboy friends, it’s that the country has been ‘ridden hard and put up wet.’
“There’s been some pretty intensive oil and gas, logging, motorized recreation areas and most all of these species populations have declined over time.”
The report comes as several Alberta environmental groups have been calling on the province to protect the Castle wilderness area in the upcoming South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, a land-use strategy for all of southern Alberta.
Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development spokeswoman Nikki Booth said it will be considered as part of the ongoing process.
“We’re looking at everything,” she said, noting the draft plan is still expected in August and public consultations will be held sometime this fall. The land-use plan will ultimately determine where development can take place and where lands should be protected around critical watersheds.
Weaver, who plans to present his report to government, assessed 6,450 square kilometres of land along the Eastern Slopes of the Rockies to determine its conservation value for the vulnerable species and look at the challenges of increased resource extraction and recreational uses.
He identified six species — bull trout, west slope cutthroat trout, grizzly bears, wolverines, mountain goats and bighorn sheep — that are vulnerable to loss of secure habitat from industrial land uses and climate change.
By protecting the sections of the area as wildland provincial park, Weaver said it would conserve 66 per cent of the habitats on 40 per cent of the land.
Most all of these species populations have declined over time BIOLOGIST JOHN WEAVER
“You get a lot of bang for your buck,” he said, suggesting there’s still time to ensure at-risk fish and wildlife thrive in the areas.
Fish such as native trout are indicator species, which means they are a barometer of the health of the water supply. Wildlife, particularly grizzly bears, are umbrella species that ensure biological diversity on the landscape.
Key areas identified in the report for protection include the Castle area, lands on the north and south of the Crowsnest Pass, the headwaters of the Oldman River and the headwater basins of the Highwood River.