Speak Up for Caribou: Public Sessions Start April 16, 2025

April 16, 2025

Alberta’s draft Upper Smoky Sub-regional Plan puts two of the province’s last remaining southern mountain caribou herds at serious risk. If approved, the plan would allow clearcutting and expanded industrial development in their critical winter habitat – pushing these threatened populations even closer to extirpation.

How can you help caribou today?

Attend a virtual information session or an in-person open house, these sessions are one of your opportunities to ask questions and voice concerns about what this plan means for the future of threatened caribou populations. You can also complete the online survey or send an email.

Virtual information session:

Public webinar 1: April 16^th, 6 to 8 pm (MDT). Register here to join the Teams webinar.
Public webinar 2: May 6^th, 6 to 8pm (MDT). Register here to join the Teams webinar

Public in-person open house

Grande Prairie: April 23^rd, 3 to 7 pm. Teresa Sargent Hall, Montrose Cultural Centre (No registration needed)
Grande Cache: April 30^th, 3 to 7pm. Multiple Purpose Room #4, Grande Cache Recreation Centre (No registration needed).

Key messages: What You Should Know About the Draft Upper Smoky Sub-Regional Plan

The Alberta government’s draft Upper Smoky Sub-Regional plan puts two threatens caribou herds – Redrock Prairie Creek and Narraway – at serious risk of extirpation (local extinction).
If approved, the plan would allow U.S.-based logging company Weyerhaeuser to clearcut nearly all remaining winter habitat in these caribou ranges. The first years of timber cutting would eliminate the ability of the Redrock-Prairie Creek and Narraway caribou to exist in their winter ranges.
The draft plan also proposes expanded oil and gas development and identifies zones for potential coal development, all within critical caribou habitat.
These developments would further destroy the old-growth and undisturbed forest caribou need to survive, forcing them into mountainous terrain year-round – where food is scarce, and avalanche risk is high.
Although the government continues to cull wolves, predator control alone cannot save caribou if their habitat keeps shrinking. Long term survival depends on habitat protection and restoration.
Caribou require at least 65% undisturbed winter habitat to survive and recover. Neither of these populations is anywhere near that threshold – and the draft plan would push them even further away from it.
The draft plan includes no clear targets or strategies for how it will support caribou survival or recovery.
Approving a plan that increases disturbance in already threatened habitat contradicts decades of scientific research and undermines Alberta’s commitment to species at risk.

Here is what we are wondering:

Public engagement sessions are a great way to voice your support for caribou protection. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

How exactly will this plan help recover caribou?
How much habitat will be lost to logging, oil and gas, and other developments?
If habitat disturbance is the biggest cause of caribou decline, why are there no limits on the amount of disturbance and access roads within caribou range?
The plan talks about restoration of some disturbances in caribou habitat. Will these meet the minimum requirements for caribou habitat? If so, will it be soon enough to recover the caribou populations?
What protections will be put in place for caribou critical habitat?
Is there a timeline for reaching the 65% undisturbed habitat target?
Why is only one of the proposed coal zones restricted to underground mining? Does this mean surface mining will be allowed in the eastern slopes?

Send an email or complete the survey

You don’t have to be an expert to share your feedback on this land use plan. Complete the online survey or send an email. Let them know that you do not support clearcutting the remainder of caribou critical habitat. Ask how this plan will affect caribou survival – and how long Alberta plans to keep culling wolves while allowing U.S.-based Weyerhaeuser to log the little habitat that remains.

Send an email to EPA.SRPRegDetailsRP@gov.ab.ca and

Minister of Environment and Protected Areas – epa.minister@gov.ab.ca

Minister of Forestry and Parks – fp.Minister@gov.ab.ca

Minister of Energy and Minerals – Minister.Energy@gov.ab.ca