Conservationists have high hopes for land-use plan
As the province gets set to release a land-use plan for southern Alberta, conservationists say they are hoping to see better watershed and habitat protection along the eastern slopes of the Rockies — including the creation of a park in the Castle wilderness area.
The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, which was approved by provincial cabinet on Tuesday, will guide future decisions on development, recreation and the environment in the southern part of Alberta.
It covers 84,000 square kilometres from Calgary to the United States border, and the Rocky Mountains to the Saskatchewan boundary.
Officials with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development won’t comment on the final plan, other than to say it will be released Wednesday in Calgary.
Conservationists, however, said they have high hopes for the revised plan.
“The big measures for us, and a measure for a lot of people, is whether or not the Castle is fully protected,” said Karsten Heuer, president of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.
Several surveys have shown widespread support for the creation of a provincial park in the southwest corner of Alberta — although some residents in the area are worried the province will go too far.
The Castle wilderness area is rich in both wildlife and natural resources. It provides about onethird of the water for the Oldman basin, the source of drinking water for downstream communities such as Lethbridge.
The waterways are home to Alberta’s provincial fish, the bull trout, while the land is critical habitat for provincially threatened grizzly bears.
“It would be very disappointing if it’s not fully protected,” Heuer said.
Kevin Van Tighem, a biologist and conservationist who sat on a committee that provided advice to the province, said he’d like to see the eastern slopes — particularly the Castle — protected to better conserve the headwaters.
In addition, he’s hoping for “tangible measures” to protect what remains of the province’s native grasslands to help save endangered species such as the sage grouse in southeastern Alberta.
“I really don’t know what to think,” said Van Tighem. “I know that good people were working on this, but it’ll be interesting to see how much politics got in the way. “I’m guardedly optimistic.” A similar plan in the Lower Athabasca region around Fort McMurray has been routinely criticized by environmental and First Nations groups since it was released in 2012 because it favoured economic development over conservation.