http://albertawilderness.ca daily 1 2011-05-06T16:13:59Z http://albertawilderness.ca/Act-Now/action-alerts/2013-06-14-awa-wilderness-wildlife-defenders-protect-onefour The federal government recently announced its plan to close the Onefour Research Station in southeastern Alberta. Onefour is home to at least 23 federally listed species at risk. We need your help to convince the federal and provincial governments to designate protection for Onefour as either a National Wildlife Area or provincial Heritage Rangeland Natural Area. Please take a moment to ask the Prime Minister and Premier to ensure that the Onefour Research Farm receives protected area status. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Public Lands Archive Grasslands Archive Protected Areas Archive 2013 Action Alerts Archive Action Alert Alerts Archive 2013-06-14T21:45:39Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/front-page-stories/2013-06-13-zama-city-pipeline-spill-raises-questions-about-disclosure The recent pipeline spill of over 9.5 million litres of industrial waste water north of Zama City raises disturbing questions regarding the Alberta ERCB timeliness when informing the public about this kind of incident. Despite the fact that the spill was first reported to the Government of Alberta by Apache Canada Ltd. on June 1, it was another ten days before this knowledge became public. Even then it was only after the spill was reported to a television station that any government announcement was forthcoming. No publisher snichols Front Page News Pipelines Archive Bistcho Archive 2013 News Archive Hay-Zama Archive 2013-06-14T03:32:31Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/publications/wla/2013/2013-06-11-vol.-21-no.-2-wild-lands-advocate Stay Out of the Water: Toxic Tailings Ponds and Threats to Wildlife | Caribou Protection in Jasper National Park: A Tale of Two Ski Areas | Logging to Supply Timber vs. Logging to Supply Water: Is there a Difference? | Greater Sage-Grouse: Failing Them Shouldn’t Be An Option | Conservation Forecast for the Rocky Mountain Parks: Partly Sunny Risk of Thunderstorms No publisher snichols Front Page News 2013 WLA Archive 2013 News Archive 2013-06-11T19:33:01Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/Act-Now/action-alerts/2013-06-11-awa-wilderness-wildlife-defenders-help-shine-a-light-on-more-clearcutting-in-alberta2019s-forests Dear Wilderness Defender: AWA is asking you to help shine a light on a “science experiment” proposed for the headwaters of Alberta’s Castle that AWA believes to be misguided. The purpose behind the project is to conduct “research on the impacts of forest management strategies on watershed values in the eastern slopes headwaters region.” Simply put, the plan is to clearcut the slopes, while measuring water volumes in the creek to see whether this causes runoff levels to increase, in essence “creating” water. No publisher snichols Front Page News Bull Trout Archive News Archive Rocky Mtn Foothills Forests Archive Castle Archive 2013 News Archive 2013 Action Alerts Archive Headwaters Archive Action Alert Alerts Archive Southern Eastern Slopes Archive 2013-06-11T19:15:46Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/Act-Now/action-alerts/2013-06-07-awa-wilderness-wildlife-defenders-bats-need-your-help ‘White-nose syndrome’ is decimating North America’s bat populations in eastern Canada and the US; it may spread to over a million Alberta bats in just a few years. To obtain the critical research and habitat protection needed to stop this epidemic and save these bat populations, your voice is needed. Please write a note asking Environment Minister Peter Kent to act on scientists’ urgent recommendations made over a year ago to designate three hibernating bat species as Endangered. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Species At Risk Archive 2013 Action Alerts Archive Action Alert Alerts Archive 2013-06-14T05:10:04Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/news/2013/2013-06-04-engo-news-release-too-much-backcountry-access-brings-death-to-15-more-grizzlies-in-2012 Latest numbers from the provincial government show that 15 more grizzlies died in Alberta last year, bringing to 195 the total number killed in the last decade (or almost 28 percent of the known population). This is far, far too many in a province where the latest official numbers show only 700 total bears province-wide (well below internationally-recognized thresholds for sustainable populations). The majority of grizzly deaths last year were likely due to the proliferation of roads, trails, pipelines and other forms of backcountry access. Province-wide the level of access to grizzlies’ backcountry habitat significantly exceeds the maximums established in the government’s 2008 Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. No publisher snichols Front Page News Species At Risk Archive Grizzly Bears Archive 2013 News Archive News Release 2013-06-04T16:12:05Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/grasslands/archive/2013-06-04-awa-letter-badlands-motorsport-resort-proposal-on-rosebud-river AWA has recently been apprised of the application made by Badlands Motorsports Resort to have their Area Structure Plan adopted by Kneehill County under Bylaw 1597. We believe the proposal will have negative impacts on important and environmentally significant areas. The proposed resort is situated at the edge of the Rosebud River , and the intended development will overlap with the undisturbed coulees and riparian areas along that river that form a part of the Drumheller Badlands. These undisturbed natural areas form an ecologically sensitive area that is important to the natural well-being of this province, its wildlife and wild waters, and are not an appropriate place for a development of this scope and magnitude. No publisher snichols Front Page News Grasslands Archive 2013 News Archive 2013-06-04T18:21:41Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlife/species-at-risk/archive/2013-06-03-awa-letter-lac-ste.-anne-rv-proposal-in-western-grebe-habitat It has come to our attention that an RV development proposal before the county of Lac Ste. Anne will be situated near the breeding and nesting habitat of Western Grebes at Lake Isle, Alberta. We believe the proposal will have negative impacts on important and environmentally significant areas. Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRD) lists Western Grebes as “Sensitive” and notes: “Locally distributed in the province; their gregarious nature make them vulnerable to nest disturbance, and other disturbances such as oil spills.” Not only will these sensitive grebes be at risk from the proposed disturbance associated with the development; we believe other species may also be impacted. No publisher snichols Front Page News Wildlife Archive Species At Risk Archive 2013 News Archive 2013-06-04T16:13:44Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/front-page-stories/2013-05-30-awa-offers-condolences-tribute-to-wildlife-biologists On the tragic occasion of the deaths of Alberta ESRD wildlife biologist Kristina Norstrom and her helicopter pilot, and the serious injury of ESRD biologist Simon Slater, AWA wishes to pay tribute to them and to all wildlife biologists for the risks they take to advance knowledge and stewardship of wilderness and wildlife, which benefits all Canadians. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News 2013-05-31T14:41:43Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/Act-Now/action-alerts/2013-05-24-awa-wilderness-wildlife-defenders-thanks-and-next-steps-needed-for-little-smoky-caribou You have made a difference! In early May, the Alberta government deferred new mineral rights sales in the Little Smoky and A La Peche caribou ranges north of Jasper Park! Please take a minute to thank Ministers McQueen and Hughes and press them for the next on-the-ground habitat steps needed for these caribou to survive. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Caribou Archive Little Smoky Archive Action Alert Alerts Archive 2013 Action Alerts Archive 2013-06-14T05:10:17Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/forests/rocky-mountain-foothills-forests/archive/2013-05-17-fish-and-forests-fact-sheet-a-sustainable-vision-for-the-future-of-albertas-forests Alberta’s Eastern Slopes forests between the mountains and the grasslands have ecological importance far greater than their physical area. Healthy forests serve an invaluable role in collecting, storing and filtering water, and slowly releasing it into creeks and rivers. Once, management of these forested lands placed a firm priority on the production of a sustained and healthy water supply. More recently, this management priority has been undermined, and the primary use of forests has become the production of a sustained supply of timber. Native fish populations including endangered bull trout and West Slope cutthroat trout need healthy forests. They need the cold, clear, shady headwater creeks that sensitive forest management provides. We need to return to a model of ecosystem-based forest management that nurtures Alberta’s headwaters. Only then will we have a truly functioning ecosystem that will supply clean water for all Albertans to enjoy. No publisher snichols Front Page News Kananaskis Archive Public Lands Archive Bull Trout Archive News Archive Forests Archive Rocky Mtn Foothills Forests Archive 2013 News Archive Headwaters Archive Castle Archive LUF Archive Southern Eastern Slopes Archive Grizzly Bears Archive Fact Sheet Livingston-Porcupine Archive 2013-05-17T19:50:35Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/news/2013/2013-05-15-awa-news-release-time-for-alberta-forest-industry-to-stop-logging-critical-caribou-habitat As the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement (CBFA) marks its three year anniversary at the end of this week, companies are still logging in threatened Alberta caribou habitat. CBFA promised to accelerate protection of caribou and other boreal species at risk, but even though it was signed by most of Alberta’s forest industry, it has not delivered in Alberta. Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) and Keepers of the Athabasca call on the forestry industry to stop logging in Alberta critical caribou habitat until sustainable populations are attained. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Caribou Archive News Archive Boreal Forest Archive 2013 News Archive Little Smoky Archive News Release Oil Sands Archive 2013-05-16T21:03:09Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/issues/wildlands/areas-of-concern/little-smoky/archive/2013-05-08-awa-asks-alberta-to-defer-new-forestry-plan-approvals-in-little-smoky-1 To be consistent with the Alberta government's recent decision to defer new mineral rights leases, AWA requests ESRD Minister McQueen also defer approval of new forestry plans in the Little Smoky and A La Peche caribou ranges until comprehensive caribou range plans are adopted by the Alberta government in 2014. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Little Smoky Archive Caribou Archive Forests Archive 2013-05-10T17:48:23Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/news/2013/2013-05-07-awas-wildlife-habitat-presentation-to-house-of-commons-environment-committee AWA Vice President Cliff Wallis highlights the key priorities for habitat conservation in Canada. He presented these points on May 7, 2013 to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Grasslands Archive Species At Risk Archive Protected Areas Archive Hay-Zama Archive 2013-05-10T17:28:46Z Report http://albertawilderness.ca/news/2013/2013-05-03-awa-news-release-alberta-defers-new-energy-leasing-in-two-caribou-herd-ranges For the first time, Alberta is deferring the sale of new mineral rights across the entire range of two of its fifteen caribou herds until Cabinet first adopts range plans describing how critical habitat will be protected to recover those two populations. In a letter yesterday to Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), Alberta Energy Minister Ken Hughes stated that effective immediately, new mineral rights sales will be halted across the Little Smoky and A La Peche herd ranges northeast of Jasper National Park until range plans are approved in 2014. AWA welcomes this decision by the Redford government as a good first step in the survival chances of these two caribou herds. No publisher ccampbell Front Page News Caribou Archive Conventional Oil and Gas Archive News Archive Unconventional Oil and Gas Archive 2013 News Archive Little Smoky Archive News Release Oil Sands Archive 2013-05-03T21:17:50Z Report