2009-2010 Annual Report

Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action

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ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION

ANNUAL REPORT 2009 - 2010

Alberta Wilderness Association Box 6398, Station D, Calgary, Alberta T2P 2E1

Provincial Office – Hillhurst Cottage School 455 – 12 St NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1Y9

Phone 403.283.2025 • Fax 403.270.2743 Email: [email protected] Web server: AlbertaWilderness.ca

Contributions to the Annual Report by AWA board and staff members are gratefully acknowledged.

COVER PHOTO – MIDDLE SANDHILLS, CHRISTYANN OLSON

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

WILDERNESS FOR TOMORROW ...... 9 WHO WE ARE ...... 10 Board of Directors ...... 12 Staff ...... 13 MISSION, VISION, VALUES, OBJECTIVES ...... 13 Vision ...... 13 Values ...... 14 Objectives ...... 14 WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP AND OUTREACH ...... 16 Conservation ...... 15 Wild Spaces AWA's Areas and issues of concern ...... 17 Wild Alberta Map ...... 16 Boreal Region ...... 18 Primrose-Lakeland ...... 18 McClelland Lake...... 19 Hay-Zama...... 19 Peace River ...... 20 Bistcho ...... 21 Caribou Mountains ...... 21 Rocky Mountain Region ...... 22 Willmore Wilderness Park ...... 22 Kakwa ...... 22 Bighorn Wildland ...... 23 South Ghost - Ghost-Waiparous...... 24 Kananaskis Country ...... 24 Crown of the Continent Ecosystem ...... 25 Castle Wildland ...... 25 Livingstone-Porcupine ...... 26 Parkland Region ...... 26

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Rumsey ...... 26 Wainwright Dunes ...... 27 Grasslands Region ...... 27 Middle Sand Hills ...... 27 Suffield National Wildlife Area ...... 28 Milk River-Sage Creek ...... 29 Cypress Hills ...... 29 Pakowki Lake ...... 30 Milk River Management Society ...... 30 Prairie Conservation Forum ...... 31 Foothills Restoration Forum ...... 31 Water ...... 33 Forests ...... 34 Grizzly Bears ...... 35 Caribou ...... 37 Black Bears ...... 38 Wolves...... 38 Game Farming ...... 38 GOVERNMENT POLICY ...... 39 Public Lands ...... 39 Protected Areas - Provincial ...... 39 Protected Areas - Federal ...... 40 Land-Use Framework ...... 40 Wetland Policy ...... 41 Water for Life ...... 41 Species at Risk ...... 42 Federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) ...... 42 Greater Sage-grouse ...... 42 Westslope Cutthroat Trout ...... 43 PROTECTED AREAS PROGRESS ...... 44 Alberta’s Protected Areas ...... 44 Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park ...... 45

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Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park ...... 45 INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ...... 47 Commission for Environmental Cooperation ...... 47 Temperate Grassland Conservation ...... 47 Northern Plains Conservation Network ...... 48 Twinning of Two Significant International Ramsar Sites ...... 48 STRENGTH AND CAPACITY ...... 49 Wild Lands Advocate ...... 49 Alberta Wilderness Resource Centre ...... 50 www.AlbertaWilderness.ca ...... 50 Alberta Wilderness and Wildlife Defenders ...... 51 Hikes Talks and Tours Outreach Program ...... 51 Music for the Wild ...... 52 Hillhurst Cottage School ...... 52 Newcomers Program ...... 52 Community Relationships ...... 53 Earth Day ...... 54 International Biodiversity Day ...... 54 FINANCING WILDERNESS PROTECTION ...... 57 Revenue ...... 57 Expenditures ...... 58 ALBERTA WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE LEGACY CIRCLE ...... 61 Bequests ...... 61 Lifetime Giving ...... 61 Wilderness and Wildlife Benefactors (Lifetime giving greater than $20,000)...... 61 Memorial Tributes ...... 62 Donations in Memoriam 2009-2010 ...... 62 Alberta Wilderness and Wildlife Trust ...... 62 Annual Wilderness and Wildlife Trust Guest Lecture ...... 63 Wilderness Defenders Awards ...... 64 HOPE FOR TOMORROW ...... 64

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WILDERNESS FOR TOMORROW

The 1960s Bob Dylan song The Times They Are a-Changin’ is, it seems to me, a song that asked for change, gives a sense that change is coming and became an anthem for change. Some of us are part of the generation that embodied and pushed for change, not only in the sixties but ever since. Dylan’s song was covered by Herbie Hancock in 2010, and is as relevant today as it was in the sixties, as we work through each day at AWA. The protests are perhaps a little more sophisticated than the pickets of the sixties when we marched down Banff Avenue to protest expansion at Sunshine Village, and our technology allows us to reach thousands of people with the click of a button but I believe we still need a protest anthem like Dylan’s to help us and all those who support us keep the faith and make the difference.

AWA is 45 years old this year, born of protestors and people who cared, people who heard Dylan’s song and believed. Today, we have no doubt about the difference that has been made by this association and by the people who are AWA. Our number of supporters around the world has reached the 10,000 mark – what an excellent landmark for this historic year. As you read this annual report you may find yourself wondering about realities we have to share as AWA’s year 2009 – 2010 draws to a close. How on earth could some of these disappointing decisions be made? Why aren’t decision makers listening? What more can we do? And yet, we are encouraged with the progress made for wildlife and in the increasing understanding of the importance of biodiversity to our basic health and wealth. This is the International Year of Biodiversity and the growing awareness of our wild lands, wildlife and wild water is enough to give us faith that things can and will change.

As we pushed even harder this year to defend grizzly bears and their habitat, member support made all the difference. NoMoreGrizzlies.com was perhaps a desperate satirical campaign, but it was a great success and we believe it had a lot to do with the government finally, after eight years, designating our grizzly bears as a threatened species. There are fewer than 700 grizzlies in Alberta from a historical high of up to 9,000. Now that the designation is in place, we know our work to secure habitat continues.

It was a risk taking the federal Minister of the Environment to court. But saving sage-grouse was worth that risk. AWA spearheaded a court case with our colleagues, which forced the minister to recognize critical sage-grouse habitat. This too was a desperate last measure; the numbers of dancing sage-grouse decline every year. This year only 39 males danced at their traditional “leks” and despite winning the court case, we are left monitoring the work being done to be sure critical habitat is protected for these fine birds. Alberta is on the brink of losing its last sage-grouse; our work continues.

Our First Nations colleagues have taken a hard line on Woodland caribou habitat and we have supported them by demanding that the federal Minister of the Environment use emergency protection provisions in Canada’s Species at Risk Act to protect caribou habitat in northeastern Alberta. Despite years of working to have a recovery plan developed, and recommendations made for caribou recovery in Alberta’s West Central region, our provincial Minister of Sustainable Resource Development hasn’t implemented recommendations of the Alberta Caribou Committee, choosing instead to analyze how to define “intact habitat” rather than protecting the precious little there is left. We must remain tireless and tenacious in demanding conservation strategies for our caribou.

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As I write this annual report for the historical record and for each one of our members and supporters, I am happy to say we are cautiously optimistic as we move forward to the coming year. We know we have sound arguments, excellent, dynamic, well-prepared staff, board members and volunteers to help in these difficult political and financial times. We know with the help of our supporters, we can be the force to ensure a wilderness legacy for tomorrow – the times they are a-changin.

Christyann Olson Executive Director

Wilderness for tomorrow. Banff National Park PHOTO: NIGEL DOUGLAS

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WHO WE ARE

Although often beneficial for wilderness preservation, economic slowdowns as experienced in 2009 can cause financial problems for non-governmental organizations like the AWA. However, we came through it even stronger which suggests that we are doing things right.

Firstly, we owe thanks to our loyal and generous members and friends who have continued to support us, despite the challenging economic situation. AWA benefits from sound financial management, coupled with conservative budgeting, which will allow the board to focus on long-term finances, consequently protecting us in an uncertain future.

While we have a cadre of highly professional staff who are dedicated to the cause of wilderness protection, and who have been with AWA for many years, ever increasing in experience and wisdom, without slowing down, we could not achieve our mission without the equally dedicated, and faithful, volunteers who are involved in all our activities.

Moreover, AWA has an increasingly diversified membership that includes many new Canadians. In the past year we have successfully partnered with an immigrant services group to launch the “AWA Newcomers to Wild Spaces Program.” This has been a rousing success, as evidenced by enthusiastic comments from participants; and reinforces the board’s view that its own greater diversification should be a priority.

We have even resorted to humour with our “NoMoreGrizzlies.com” campaign, and – while we can’t be sure that they understood the sarcasm – it may have helped to shame the Alberta Government into designating the grizzly bear as a “threatened” species. This was certainly one of our successes this past year, while many more challenges lie ahead.

Most importantly we are inspired. We will not be stopped; because we know that we are on a critical mission for future generations. As Aldo Leopold so aptly reminds us, “The richest values of wilderness lie not in the days of Daniel Boone, nor even in the present, but rather in the future.”

Heinz Unger President

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Heinz Unger, Cochrane Past-President: Richard Secord, Edmonton First Vice-President: Cliff Wallis, Calgary Second Vice-President: Jim Campbell, Calgary Secretary/Treasurer: Frank Calder, Edmonton Directors: Vivian Pharis, Cochrane Clint Docken, Bragg Creek Owen McGoldrick, Calgary Dan Muhlbach, Calgary Chris Saunders, Calgary Director Emeritus: Herbert G. Kariel, Calgary

AWA’s board of directors is composed of dedicated volunteers with specific attributes and skill sets that support the needs of the organization and the staff. We are fortunate to have a full complement of board members based on this approach to creating a governance board. Elections for the board are held annually in November at the Annual General Meeting.

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STAFF

Executive Director: Christyann Olson, BN, MSc Conservation Specialists: Nigel Douglas, BSc Carolyn Campbell, BA, BEd, MA, MBA Wild Lands Advocate Editor: Ian Urquhart, PhD Administrative Associate: Diane Mihalcheon Resource Centre Specialist: Steve Swettenham, BA, BSc, BEd, MDE Talks, Hikes and Tours coordinator: Paul Sutherland, BSc, MBA Special Projects Associate: Sean Nichols, BSc

A hallmark of AWA’s strength is its ability to adapt, reorganize, and be relevant in times of change. AWA has an excellent staff, complemented by individuals on its board of directors who volunteer and provide tremendous support to the research, advocacy, and outreach work that is required throughout the province. Core staffing was supported by casual and contract staff throughout the year to assist with specific projects. Paul Sutherland was hired as a coordinator for our talks, hikes and tours programs on a contract basis. This has proven to be a very successful strategy and a very strong outreach program has evolved. Sean Nichols has been working on specific projects and providing administrative support. Steve Swettenham’s full time work was completed on July 31, 2010 and he has returned to France, where he is available for contract work to support our information systems needs.

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MISSION, VISION, VALUES, OBJECTIVES

Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action

For more than 45 years, AWA has spoken in defence of those who have no voice: wild lands, wildlife, and wild waters throughout Alberta. From grassroots beginnings in the kitchens of backcountry enthusiasts, ranchers, and outfitters, we have grown into an independent province-wide conservation organization, well-recognized for our tenacity, integrity, and longevity. When necessary, we are uncompromisingly outspoken and willing to engage politically on provincial conservation issues.

Our work spans the entire province, and we represent a wide diversity of more than 7,000 members and supporters throughout Alberta and around the world who care about protecting the province’s wild places.

AWA is a non-profit, federally registered, charitable society with a provincial office in Calgary, which houses our Wilderness Resource Centre, the province’s most comprehensive archive and growing collection on conservation in Alberta.

VISION Protected Wilderness There will be a comprehensive system of protected wild areas.

Decision-making Society There will be a society with decision-making processes, policies, and laws that recognize the value of nature for its own sake.

Effective and Credible Advocates AWA will be an effective and credible advocate that fosters awareness and helps Albertans protect wild areas and wildlife.

Independent AWA will have sufficient resources to speak independently on wilderness issues.

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VALUES Ecocentredness We recognize the inherent importance of nature and humankind’s place in it, and the role of the AWA is to be an advocate for that which cannot speak for itself.

Integrity We conduct our advocacy with truth, honesty, and respect for others, and within the full limits of the law.

Respectfulness We develop rapport with individuals and communities through active listening, openness, and free access to information in a democratic way.

Participation We promote effective environmental decision making through an empowered and knowledgeable public that is inclusive of all segments of society.

Tenacity We will steadfastly advocate for nature in a manner true to our principles through innovation, persistence, and passion.

Passion We are free to feel, demonstrate, and encourage an emotional and spiritual connectedness with nature.

OBJECTIVES To promote the protection of wildland areas, wildlife, and wild rivers in Alberta and to preserve them in their natural state.

To safeguard and restore the wild, natural ecosystems of Alberta.

To enable Albertans to communicate effectively with government, industry, and other sectors of society on matters concerning the wild, natural ecosystems of Alberta.

To educate Albertans on the value, ecologically sustainable use, and conservation of wilderness and of natural lands, water, and wildlife.

To foster among Albertans a sense of connectedness to and passion for wild places, wildlife, and Alberta’s natural landscapes.

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WILDERNESS STEWARDSHIP & OUTREACH

“Wilderness exists where large areas are characterized by the dominance of natural processes, the presence of the full complement of plant and animal communities characteristic of the region, and the absence of human constraints on nature.” – Alberta Wilderness Association

AWA board of directors and staff have developed an action plan that provides specific strategic goals and priorities for the work we strive to achieve each year. This year we have significant success to report in our conservation and education programs, and yet there is so much more to do. As humans continue racing to harness nature in Alberta, it is our work to keep the vision of true wilderness alive and to see it protected on the ground.

The work of staff conservation specialists includes developing expertise in geographic regions and specific issues of concern throughout the province. Conservation specialists are supported by research and administrative associates.

We work with individuals, organizations, and industry, to achieve effective, ecosystem-based management of wild lands, wildlife, and wild waters. When necessary, we are uncompromisingly outspoken and are willing to engage politically on issues concerning wilderness conservation in the province.

The following pages provide a brief review of our work in an exciting and rewarding year. We have not achieved our vision and greatest goals of protection for critical Wild Spaces; yet we are encouraged by the progress made.

CONSERVATION

"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land." Aldo Leopold

Alberta is facing a crisis. Critical ecosystems for species like the Greater Sage-grouse are in jeopardy. With only 39 males dancing in the spring of this year, unless we can motivate our government to take action, they are predicted to become extinct in the next year or two at most. It is a state of affairs that continues despite warnings and knowing the consequences of decisions being made - it seems we don’t really believe extinction will happen. It is a tragedy of our times and we must believe in taking action and taking a stand on conservation, on the protection of biodiversity and in the power we have to create a state of harmony with our natural world.

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WILD SPACES – AWA AREAS AND ISSUES OF CONCERN

"Only after the last tree has been cut down. Only after the last river has been poisoned. Only after the last fish has been caught. Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten." Native Cree Prophecy

WILD ALBERTA MAP

Wild Spaces and Areas of Concern are the names we use to refer to areas that are critical to a network of protected representative landscapes in Alberta. These areas and the networks they can create are the basis of our Wild Alberta map. This map has evolved through the years from initial hand-drawn “bubbles” to today’s more refined version that uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to detail known critical values, including Environmentally Significant Areas (ESA) in Alberta’s landscapes. This map is shared regularly with colleagues in government, industry, and the environmental field to create a better understanding of critical ecological values and to recognize the significance of Alberta’s natural capital. It is perhaps one of our most effective educational tools.

The map is available in large poster format and has been provided to a number of schools throughout the province. It is posted on our website to create greater accessibility. As we continue to refine each Area of Concern, the individual maps are also posted to our website. Throughout this year our major effort has continued to focus on the individual AWA’s Areas of Concern maps. We were pleased to share our maps and the work we had done in the Lower Athabasca regional planning process, and to have support from Global Forest Watch to develop more comprehensive maps of that region. We are hopeful that we can have more effort dedicated to our areas of concern maps and refine our resources in this area as the years go on.

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AREAS OF CONCERN

BOREAL REGION

PRIMROSE-LAKELAND 2 The magnificent lakes and forests of the Primrose-Lakeland Area of Concern cover about 6,000 km , extending east of Lac La Biche to the Saskatchewan border. Lakeland Provincial Park (147 km2) and 2 2 Lakeland Provincial Recreation Area (PRA; 443.3 km ) were established in 1992, leaving 5,400 km with no legislated protection. This area belongs to the large Central Mixedwood Subregion of the boreal forest, which is under-represented in our system of protected areas. AWA’s vision is for a significantly larger expanse to be placed within formally protected areas, and for a management plan emphasizing sustainable low impact tourism and recreation to conserve its rich biodiversity. A key to making progress on these goals, we believe, is through the broader process of Lower Athabasca (northeast Alberta) regional land-use planning. AWA placed significant effort on informing the Regional Advisory Council with our conservation recommendations in summer 2009, including an explanation of the importance of protecting more of the Lakeland area.

AWA was involved in several specific regional issues. We were proud to support AWA member Tom Maccagno’s initiative to seek expansion of Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park to encompass the other islands in the east basin of Lac La Biche; this proposal was successful and the expansion was formally approved in April 2010. We presented our ongoing research on the significant risks to groundwater from in situ (drilled) bitumen development in the region to First Nations and other community members in Lac La Biche and Cold Lake. We also worked with other ENGOs in opposing Forest Stewardship Council re-certification for forests leased to Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac), due to little progress on caribou habitat protection and protected area opportunities generally in the region.

Thanks to several photographers from Edmonton’s Images camera club who generously donated many excellent photos documenting the beauty of Lakeland, we created a slide presentation and premiered it before an Edmonton audience in May 2010. We will continue to use these images for our Primrose- Lakeland outreach work. As the Lakeland region is renowned for birding, we are compiling recent research on forestry, energy and recreation impacts on bird populations to help with outreach for Lakeland. An Edmonton AWA talk featured University of Alberta’s Dr. Erin Bayne presenting his research on boreal bird diversity, development impacts and reclamation efforts; we hope to have Erin present in Calgary in the coming year. We will continue to strengthen connections with area residents and raise awareness of the rich biodiversity of Lakeland among all Albertans through our talks, hikes and publications. We will also continue to advocate for expanded Primrose-Lakeland protection as the Lower Athabasca regional plan moves towards completion.

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MCCLELLAND LAKE Few places in Alberta’s northern forest rival the McClelland Lake wetland complex for the striking beauty of its patterned fens, featuring long rows of treed peat ridges separated by pools of shallow water. Situated about 85 km north of Fort McMurray, its peat soils support rare plants and provide a stopover point and breeding grounds for many bird species along one of North America’s major 2 migratory flyways. AWA’s vision is for the entire 330 km McClelland watershed to be designated a Provincial Park, with its two patterned fens designated Ecological Reserves. Of high ecological and biophysical importance, it is the sole site within Alberta’s surface mineable area for which AWA is seeking protection.

AWA continues to strongly oppose the portion of the Fort Hills mineable tar sands project that includes the eventual mining of the upper half of the McClelland watershed, which we believe will interrupt the complex surface and shallow groundwater interactions and destroy the delicate fens. As part of our overall effort to influence land use planning in the Lower Athabasca (northeast Alberta) region, AWA’s conservation recommendations to the Regional Advisory Council emphasized the importance of protecting the McClelland Lake wetland complex. We also advocated for McClelland Lake while participating in the Athabasca river water withdrawal management framework and in public outreach regarding a provincial wetland policy. Our research on land use planning conservation tools in the new Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA) led in autumn 2009 to our proposal that a conservation directive be applied to McClelland Lake, including compensation for tar sands lease holders. After the acquisition of Fort Hills lead operator Petro-Canada by Suncor, AWA presented our concerns to Suncor about the effects of mining in the McClelland watershed, as well as our conservation directive proposal. We also stated our concerns about logging in the McClelland watershed to Alberta Pacific Forest Industries Inc.

In the next year we will meet with other lease holders in the region to advocate for McClelland watershed, and engage in public and investor outreach about wholly inadequate peatland reclamation techniques and the importance of protecting this remarkable area. We will also continue to highlight the importance of protecting the McClelland Lake wetland complex as part of a broader provincial wetland policy and as the Lower Athabasca regional plan moves towards completion.

HAY-ZAMA The Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland continues to be a key area of concern for AWA in northwestern Alberta. The Hay-Zama Lakes complex is a lowland wetland region, encompassing marshes, lakes, swamps, river deltas, woodlands, and wet meadows. In 1982 the region was designated an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971). A portion of the area (486 km2) was established as a Wildland Park under the Provincial Parks Act in 1999. In addition to providing habitat and a movement corridor for woodland caribou and other ungulates, the complex is used by a wide array of waterfowl, shorebirds, and marshbirds. The area is an ecological island in a highly

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As an active member of the Hay-Zama Committee (which includes representatives from the First Nations community, government, Ducks Unlimited, and the energy industry) AWA is working to accelerate the winding down of industrial activities, particularly in high-risk zones. AWA promotes the Hay-Zama Committee’s consensus-based, collaborative process as a model for phasing out industrial activities within protected areas.

In August of 2009, as part of the MOU twinning Hay-Zama Lakes with Dalai Lakes Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, AWA Executive Director Christyann Olson and Vice-President Cliff Wallis were part of a delegation that visited the Dalai Lakes and Daurian Steppe regions. The delegation included the Dene Tha’ Chief, the Assistant Deputy Minister of Parks and Protected Areas and three Alberta planning and conservation staff. AWA sponsored a community-based workshop looking at ways to protect biodiversity of the region. Representatives of the Mongolian people with their traditional nomadic lifestyle, municipal and higher levels of government, and conservation staff participated and discussed ways to reach cooperation between industry, the herding lifestyle, and the protection of the region.

In accordance with the MOU twinning Hay-Zama lakes with Dalai Lakes Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, Wuliji, a staff person at the Dalai Lakes Reserve, was in Alberta for a two month work-study program. His time was spent learning about parks and protected areas management strategies and practice, working relationships with First Nations peoples, and learning how ENGOs operate in the Alberta and cooperate with First Nations and government departments. AWA was integrally involved in creating a successful work experience for Wuliji.

PEACE RIVER The Peace River is one of the most diverse and productive river valleys in the Parkland and Boreal Forest of Canada. It is a nationally significant waterway that supplies water to the Peace-Athabasca Delta, one of the largest freshwater deltas in the world. The valley provides key year-round habitat for moose, elk and deer, as well as significant habitat for rare birds of prey such as golden eagles, bald eagles, and osprey. The river contains high species diversity of fish and its banks support diverse vegetation, including prairie grasses and cacti. The south-facing slopes of the river valley constitute the last remaining habitat for prairie and parkland vegetation, which has been virtually destroyed by agricultural development in the Peace River district and throughout Alberta.

Throughout the past four decades there have been proposals for a hydroelectric dam across the Peace River in the vicinity of the historic Fort Dunvegan. In 2008 a joint Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA), Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) and National Resource Conservation Board (NRCB) panel and hearing process led to the approval of a Glacier Power proposal to build a run-of–the-river project near Dunvegan. AWA opposed the project due to its likely adverse effects on local fish populations and the alteration of ice formations which wildlife use for crossing in winter.

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At the time of writing this Annual Report, project update pages on TransAlta’s website (http://www.transalta.com/communities/alberta-river-basins/dunvegan) report the following: "Through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc. and Glacier Power Ltd., TransAlta is proposing to build a run-of-the-river hydro facility across the Peace River about two kilometres upstream of the Highway #2 bridge crossing at Dunvegan [...] The geotechnical and engineering work previously undertaken has not provided all the data necessary for us to complete the design and we will be taking the rest of 2010 to collect more data.” AWA is pleased that this project has been delayed while TransAlta reviews and recognizes data gaps. We will monitor the development of this proposal.

BISTCHO The Dene Tha’ of Chateh and Hay-Zama have expressed interest in seeing the Bistcho Area of Concern protected as a Wildland Park. AWA looks forward to opportunities to work for the protection of this area in northwestern Alberta. AWA hopes that the model of the Hay-Zama committee’s consensus-based, collaborative process will be applied to move forward with protection for Bistcho, however no progress has been made in this fiscal year.

CARIBOU MOUNTAINS Caribou Mountains Wildland Park (5,910 km2) is located just west of Wood Buffalo National Park in northern Alberta. The area contains sensitive wetlands, fragile permafrost, and rare fens and palsas. The relatively undisturbed, lichen-rich forests provide crucial habitat for an important population of endangered woodland caribou that ranges over almost all of the Wildland Park. Up to 120 wood bison live in the Wentzel Lake area.

Due to the area’s isolation, and lack of good biological information, the Caribou Mountains are vulnerable to exploitation. The area contains substantial geophysical exploration disturbance. Timber harvesting has occurred along the southern edge of the caribou range, and trapping, hunting, and guiding-outfitting occur in the park. The park’s caribou herd has declined by more than 40 percent since 1995, and increased motorized access would further stress this endangered species. If the insulating organic cover is disturbed by human activity, the permafrost beneath can melt, damaging vegetation, soils, and water flow regime.

In 2006 AWA participated in the local advisory committee in order to finalize the draft management plan for the park. In early 2007, AWA submitted extensive suggestions to the Alberta government, with a view to maintaining the area in its relatively undisturbed state. As of August 2010, despite assurances, the draft management plan has still not been produced.

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ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION

WILLMORE WILDERNESS PARK At more than 1 million acres, the Willmore Wilderness Park remains the king of Alberta’s protected areas network. Designated a park in 1959 by the provincial government, Willmore has seen little tourism or recreational development, leaving the area pristine for backcountry enthusiasts to explore. Traditional activities such as trail riding, hunting, and trapping are allowed in the park, continuing the rich heritage of aboriginal peoples and early outfitters.

The Willmore is dear to the heart of AWA as a shining example of what wilderness can and should be, though there have been battles over continued protection of the area in the past, and constant vigilance is required if protection is to be honoured in the future.

AWA met with Alberta Parks and Protected Areas Deputy Minister Bill Werry and his team, to express extreme concern and disappointment in proposals to build a number of new wardens’ cabins in the Willmore; existing cabins are already used routinely as a destination by some visitors to the park who seem to have little recognition that this park is meant to be primitive and without fixed roof structures for its visitors. Alberta Parks did agree that all new structures would be secured and unavailable to the public and that signage at the trailhead would be improved to inform those who use the cabins that they are not for public use except in emergency. AWA continues to press for a management plan for the Willmore Wilderness Park, as the foundation underlying any future developments in the park. There is a real danger that the many individual small decisions being made about Willmore Wilderness will produce a cumulative effect that diminishes the wilderness resource the Willmore Wilderness Act was written to protect.

Proposals to add the Willmore Wilderness Park, and other areas adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Parks, to the Rocky Mountain World Heritage Site seem to have stalled, due largely to opposition from one local organization. AWA continues to be an enthusiastic supporter of designation and commemoration of the Willmore by the United Nations Educational Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

KAKWA The Kakwa region is adjacent to the northernmost border of Jasper National Park along the border of British Columbia. This area covers the most northerly portions of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta and includes South Kakwa and Caw Ridge. The area varies from mountainous terrain and alpine meadows in the south to rolling hills covered in forest in the north and east. AWA has called Caw Ridge “Alberta’s Serengeti” due to the plentiful and diverse wildlife populations the ridge supports and nurtures.

In 2009 AWA finally received information from a 2008 application under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and received copies of selected correspondence concerning mining

22 development proposals on Caw Ridge. AWA learned how the concerns of local Fish and Wildlife staff that exploration would have serious implications for threatened caribou populations on the ridge have been consistently ignored over a number of years.

AWA continues to oppose development on Caw Ridge and at present applications for coal mining are in process. AWA is frustrated by the limited definition of “directly affected” that government agencies are applying to decisions of whether our Statements of Concern will be considered in decisions to allow permits for exploration - not only here on Caw Ridge but whenever applications for resource extraction or impacts to public land issues are being considered by the regulators.

BIGHORN WILDLAND AWA has had a long-standing interest in the Bighorn Wildland ever since the organization’s earliest days in the 1960s. At more than 4,000 km2, the Bighorn is a large and intact wilderness that retains its ecological integrity largely due to the absence of roads and industrialized access, yet it remains largely unprotected.

AWA continues to monitor the motorized trail network in the area of the Upper Ram/Clearwater Forest Land Use Zone, as we have done since access was given to motorized recreationists in 2002. Despite proof of continuing illegal access, and evidence of heavy erosion in many places, no initiative to reduce trails or close severely impacted trails and access has been taken by the Alberta government. AWA continues to await the release of a government report detailing the findings from its five year review of motorized access in the area. This year AWA conducted two trips to download TRAFx units buried at strategic points on the Upper Ram Clearwater motorized Access Trail system. Concern over ongoing illegal use, and associated erosion and significant sedimentation and siltation from motorized crossings of streams, remains paramount in our push to have these trails clawed back. Our work in this area is dependent on volunteers and we will maintain our presence monitoring the motorized access and damaged sites. A presentation focusing on protection of headwaters has been developed and presented to a number of audiences.

AWA met with Minister Morton and SRD representative Bruce Cartwright to present AWA’s ongoing concerns and our five year assessment of the access management in the Bighorn. Little action has resulted but we have annual meetings with the SRD staff responsible for the area and believe some good in terms of monitoring and signage has come of it. There appears to be no interest on the part of the SRD staff to claw back inappropriate trails. AWA will be investigating and learning more about identified grizzly bear habitat in the Bighorn Wildland area in the coming year.

A presentation was made to the Panther Advisory Group this year. The group comprised of citizens and industry representatives was not perhaps as familiar with AWA and its vision as was once understood. The meeting provided an opportunity to meet and present AWA’s perspective on protection for the Bighorn Wildland and the Panther area.

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Since 1994, AWA has worked to open and maintain the Historic Bighorn Trail between Crescent Falls on the Bighorn River and the Wapiabi, Blackstone and Chungo Gaps. An annual summer trail maintenance trip is run; in past years there have been more than a dozen volunteers involved, but now, the trip is managed with up to four participants, complete with nine pack and saddle horses. Some winters are easy on the landscape allowing the participants to ride and cut through most of the trail in an 8-day period. Other years, winter storms may have wrecked selective havoc on sections of the trail, forcing them to concentrate efforts. In July 2010, an outfitter’s report directed the group north to the Chungo Creek section. It took several days of concentrated work to cut out at least 80 trees across the trail and to nip out as many new trees threatening to choke the trail as possible. It took two days to travel by horse from the Wapiabi Gap to the lower Chungo Camp, and then two days back. In 2010 approximately half the entire trail was surveyed for problems and worked on.

SOUTH GHOST - GHOST-WAIPAROUS AWA is represented on the Ghost Stewardship Monitoring Group. Our main interest is to ensure that wilderness, wildlife, and water quality and quantity are considered in all decisions that are made in the region that is adjacent to - and forms the transition zone for - the South Ghost area.

With the Ghost Watershed Alliance Society, AWA is working on an ecosystem-based planning and conservation project for the Ghost River Watershed. The project has involved the community in examining what sustainable forest management is, and how such a model could be applied in the Ghost Watershed. A workshop was sponsored in the fall of 2009 followed by field surveys and work with Herb Hammond of the Silva Foundation on contract. The project is supported by the Calgary Foundation and the RBC Bluewater Foundation. A final report of our joint work with Herb Hammond has been posted to the AWA website. It has been a stepping stone to work that will continue with ALCES Landscape and Land-Use Ltd. studies.

The South Ghost continues to be a spectacular venue for AWA’s day hikes program.

KANANASKIS COUNTRY AWA continues to monitor management in Kananaskis Country, and to work towards further protection and better management.

Forestry issues have also been an important focus: over-reaction to the perceived pine beetle threat is a real risk to forest health in southern Alberta, and AWA is working hard to ensure that science rather than economic interest is the driving force behind management related to the beetle. The Alberta government planned to spend $43 million on fighting pine beetles in 2009-10. Severe winter temperatures are predicted to have eliminated the treat to the forest in this region of Alberta.

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AWA played an active part in a long drawn-out Energy Resource Conservation Board (ERCB) hearing into plans by Petro-Canada to drill 11 new sour gas wells in the Highwood area of Kananaskis. A 37 km-long pipeline would also be constructed, running south across a number of creek crossings to its Savanna field, near Plateau Mountain. The formal ERCB hearing for the application ended in January 2009, but final approval for the application was only granted in June 2010. Opponents to the proposals have lodged formal objections, and AWA continues to be closely involved in the application.

AWA continues to work as steward for the Plateau Mountain Ecological Reserve, and Kananaskis Country remains an important focus of AWA’s summer hikes program, with hikes in winter and summer. Plans were made to coordinate with Suncor, operator of two gas wells in the Ecological Reserve, to clean up old industrial debris on the site.

CROWN OF THE CONTINENT ECOSYSTEM

AWA continues to work towards protection and better management of wilderness throughout the Crown of the Continent ecosystem, particularly in those areas we have identified as wild spaces. From Waterton National Park to southern Kananaskis Country, AWA has been working on a number of collaborative initiatives.

The Crown of the Continent region is a crucial mountain ecosystem, covering 44,000 km2 of land across Alberta, British Columbia and Montana. In Alberta, Crown of the Continent land stretches from southern Kananaskis Country south to Waterton National Park. It approximates to the Southern Eastern Slopes region, headwaters of the South Saskatchewan River system; source of clean water across southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Five of AWA’s Areas of Concern fall within the Crown of the Continent / Southern Eastern Slopes Region: South Ghost, Kananaskis Country, Livingstone-Porcupine, Castle and Waterton Parkland. Opportunities to work with colleagues in the United States and British Columbia may be possible in the coming year.

CASTLE WILDLAND The Castle area, where AWA cut its teeth as a fledgling organization in the 1960s, continues to be a major focus. AWA continues to work in a coalition of groups calling for legislated protection in the Castle area. AWA was a signatory to the October 2009 Castle Special Place Conceptual Proposal for Legislated Protected Areas which was submitted to the Alberta government on behalf of the Castle Special Place Citizen’s Initiative.

AWA has continued its dialogue with Shell Canada to work towards improved management in the Castle Area, particularly reclamation of old wells and industrial roads.

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The new C5 Forest management Plan (see Forests below) was finally passed in July 2010, but did nothing to respect the non-forestry values of the region. AWA and local residents have been very active in protesting against plans for clearcut logging in the Castle region. AWA has identified a need for education of suppliers of wood products as to the source of timber, and is working with Alberta Foothills Network to investigate the possibility of a market action campaign based upon these contacts.

LIVINGSTONE-PORCUPINE The Livingstone-Porcupine is another major focus of AWA’s work, and collaborative projects with landowner organizations in the region has been a major element. There has been some improved protection in the region, with the finalization of the OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland, and preparation of a draft management plan. AWA has also been working to ensure that the Land-Use Framework plan for the South Saskatchewan Region has a strong emphasis on watershed protection in the region, and to date the planning process appears to be recognizing the importance of healthy headwaters.

AWA strongly opposed plans to create a large open-pit magnetite mine on the flanks of the Livingstone Range. Local opposition to the mine has been strong since the first proposals surfaced in 2003, and AWA will continue to object to renewed plans to develop this beautiful, pristine area.

AWA is represented on the Foothills Restoration Forum, which is looking at best practices for restoring fescue grasslands. AWA strongly believes that avoidance of disturbance must take priority over any mitigation of damage.

AWA is volunteer steward for the Beehive Natural Area in the headwaters of the Oldman River. AWA supporters carried out site visits of the Natural Area. This is a popular venue for our hikes program, as is the Whaleback area.

PARKLAND REGION

RUMSEY Aspen parkland once stretched over 255,000 km2 of the Prairie Provinces. In Alberta, the Central Parkland Natural Subregion sweeps in a wide arc from Airdrie to north of Edmonton, and east to Lloydminster and Provost. Today, the Rumsey Natural Area and Ecological Reserve (together, the Rumsey Block) are surrounded by a checkerboard of cropland. In fact, Rumsey is the only large, relatively undisturbed area of aspen groveland on hummocky disintegration moraine left in world. It represents a landscape that is almost extinct and provides a valuable ecological benchmark.

AWA believes that the entire Rumsey block must be managed as one unit and the public must be engaged in the management of the area. Central to this is the continued call for a full and publicly

26 accountable management planning process for Rumsey. This year we were promised by the Deputy Minister Bill Werry that a management plan would be developed. The promise has not been kept and we continue to ask for progress on the plan. It is our understanding that Energy, Sustainable Resource Development and Parks and Protected Areas have made some progress in understanding the issues in the Rumsey area and made agreements to work together on this plan. We have been reassured that there will be work on the plan in September - AWA will continue being the watchdog on this promise.

WAINWRIGHT DUNES AWA serves on the advisory group for the Wainwright Dunes and to monitor implementation of the management plan approved in 1999 for this nationally significant parkland sand dune and wetland wilderness. A site visit was concerning in terms of missing and broken fencing that allows free ranging of cattle. Overgrazing of higher spots in the dunes is evident. Amphibian researchers were present at the time of the site visit and their lack of willingness to walk into the Ecological Reserve was a disappointment to our naive understandings, as we watched them drive their two four-wheel drive vehicles into the reserve that is clearly marked with signs that no motorized access is allowed.

GRASSLANDS REGION

MIDDLE SAND HILLS The Middle Sand Hills Area of Concern lies forty miles north of the city of Medicine Hat, to the west of the South Saskatchewan River, and to the south of the Red Deer River. It is approximately 2,480 km2 in size. Relatively untouched until recent years, the near-native conditions in the Middle Sand Hills area are reminiscent of the great plains as they once were. The extensive mixed grasslands, sand hills, coulees and wetlands that comprise the Middle Sand Hills Area of Concern are home to 1,100 native prairie species, including 13 federal Species at Risk and 78 provincially listed “at risk” species.

A large portion of the Middle Sand Hills Area of Concern lies within the boundaries of the Canadian Forces Base (C.F.B.) Suffield military reserve. As such, the military is intricately tied to the history, and fate, of this wildland. Since 1971, the Department of National Defence has recognized the fragility of the area and has zoned the eastern part of the base out-of-bounds for military training.

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SUFFIELD NATIONAL WILDLIFE AREA The Suffield National Wildlife Area (NWA), designated as a federally protected wildlife refuge in 2003, lies within CFB Suffield and is one of the last six remaining large native grasslands left in the glaciated northern plains. The NWA comprises 458 km2 of rare unbroken prairie containing landscapes of national significance, including sand hills, ancient glacial coulees, and the stunning South Saskatchewan River valley. Home to more than 1,100 species of plants and animals, the NWA is a haven for 94 species of concern, 18 of which are federally-listed species at risk of extinction. It also contains numerous historical sites such as medicine wheels, bison kill sites, and stone cairns. Many of the area’s dinosaur remains and fossilized trees remain unclassified.

Just two years after the designation of the Suffield NWA, EnCana proposed drilling up to 1,275 additional wells and constructing 220 km of pipeline in this endangered prairie landscape, essentially doubling the number of wells in the NWA. In addition to the construction of roads, pipelines, and other infrastructure necessary for EnCana’s proposed development, the project would increase the current well density to, in some cases, 16 wells per square mile. The negative impacts on habitat – and the wildlife that depend on it – would be devastating.

AWA is part of a seven-group environmental coalition asking the federal government to prohibit all new industrial activities in the NWA. During the past two years, AWA has contributed a significant amount of volunteer and staff resources to the Suffield Coalition’s efforts.

The EnCana proposals went to a Joint Review Panel hearing in October 2008, and the hearing recommendations were finally announced in January 2009. The final decision on whether or not to approve the application lies with the federal Minister of the Environment. The Panel recommends “that certain key requirements must be met before the proposed project or a variation of it could proceed.” The three requirements were as follows:

1. Critical habitat for two wildlife species at risk, the Ord’s kangaroo rat and the Sprague’s pipit; as well as three plant species at risk, the tiny cryptanthe, the small-flowered sand verbena, and the slender mouse-ear-cress; must be finalized. 2. Once critical habitat is finalized, the proposed project facilities should not be located in the defined critical habitat for these five species, unless otherwise permitted under the Species at Risk Act. 3. The Suffield Environmental Advisory Committee, established under the 1975 Agreement allowing gas production in the present-day National Wildlife Area, is not able to oversee a development of this magnitude at present. Its role must be clarified and it must be resourced adequately by the governments of Canada and Alberta to be able to ensure proper regulatory oversight of the proposed project.

As of August 2010, the federal Minister of the Environment had still not made a decision as to whether the development would be approved or denied.

AWA maintains that industrial development in a federally protected wildlife refuge such as the Suffield NWA should not even be considered. In this fiscal year, EnCana split its holdings into two companies, the

28 leases within Suffield now belong to Cenovus, the new company. We are working toward increased protection and more ecologically sensitive management of the larger Middle Sand Hills Area of Concern.

AWA, as part of the Suffield Coalition, was disappointed to learn that the Crown stayed the case against EnCana on charges of violating Canada’s Wildlife Act. EnCana was scheduled to be tried on March 19, 2010, almost five years after installing a section of pipeline in the CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area without a permit (in March 2005). Numerous adjournments and a preliminary hearing were held in Medicine Hat, but now there will now be no trial.

MILK RIVER-SAGE CREEK The Milk River-Sage Creek Area of Concern is comprised of three main units:

Cypress Hills — a montane outlier with forests and lush fescue grasslands; Pakowki Lake — an area of sandhills and a large playa lake that is very productive for waterfowl and shorebirds in wetter years; The balance of the area, a diverse area encompassing the Milk River Canyon and associated badlands as well as some of the most extensive native mixed grassland, silver sagebrush and ephemeral wetland habitat in Canada.

The Milk River-Sage Creek area is one of the least fragmented, most extensive, and most geologically and biologically diverse grassland landscapes on the glaciated plains of North America. Its uplands, wetlands, and valleys constitute one of the largest undisturbed grasslands in Canada. The 5,000 km2 Milk River-Sage Creek area is a natural diversity hotspot in the grasslands of southeastern Alberta.

For generations, this wilderness has been protected by its isolation and by grazing patterns that have perpetuated the richness and diversity of the native grassland. Those factors are changing rapidly. There is a high degree of urgency to protect the area. The extreme southeastern corner of Alberta was once the forgotten corner but it is forgotten no more. Recent activity by oil and gas companies around the Cypress Hills gives every indication that it will turn parts of the study area into highly developed landscapes like the rest of Alberta.

AWA believes the future of the area as wild place and as a refuge for native plants and animals that have long disappeared from much of the Great Plains rests in our hands.

CYPRESS HILLS The Cypress Hills, which span the southern Alberta-Saskatchewan border, are recognized internationally as a significant natural area. The upper portion of the hills is part of the Montane Natural Subregion, having been left unglaciated during the last ice age. The hills are surrounded by native grassland, and the meeting of the diverse communities of flora and fauna from these two natural regions creates a unique and valuable ecological resource.

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In the Cypress Hills Fringe Area Structure Plan, Cypress County initially recognized the importance of preserving a buffer zone around Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park. When wind farms were proposed in the Fringe, AWA was among those who spoke out in favour of the intent of the Fringe plan, which opposes industrialization in the area. Following a public hearing, however, county councilors decided to allow wind farms in the Fringe, contrary to the guidelines and intent of the Fringe plan. AWA is monitoring the project proposal and, along with environmental colleagues, continues to oppose development in the Fringe Area.

Although AWA supports alternative energy development, such development is not always as “green” as it may appear. A wind energy operation in the Fringe would seriously degrade the area’s natural features. New roadways required for construction and maintenance of the turbines would introduce non-native species, and bird mortality from the turbines could lead to the elimination from the area of species such as the endangered burrowing owl. The ecological values of this significant, largely unfragmented area of native prairie should not be compromised for an industrial development that could be placed in more appropriate locations on land that is already disturbed.

PAKOWKI LAKE The Pakowki Lake Area of Concern is located southeast of the Cypress Hills and north of the Milk River, in the Grassland Natural Region. An area of national environmental significance, it encompasses the large, intermittent lake itself, as well as the surrounding prairie uplands and a large sand dune–wetland complex, including extensive bulrush marshes. Pakowki Lake is an important staging area for migrating shorebirds and provides a nesting area for birds that occur in few other places in Canada. The area is also important for the rare and uncommon plants found in the sand dune and wetland habitats. A number of endangered species live in the Pakowki Lake region, including the greater sage-grouse, which has been federally listed as endangered.

None of the Pakowki Lake Area of Concern has provincial or federal protected status. Pakowki Lake is designated an Important Bird Area (IBA). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified Pakowki Lake as a Category IV Habitat/Species Management Area, meaning it should be managed mainly for conservation of habitats and biodiversity. The Pakowki sandhills are public land held under grazing lease; some cultivation has taken place on adjacent parcels of privately owned land.

AWA believes Pakowki Lake should be formally recognized for its national environmental significance with legislated provincial protection. The sandhills and adjacent grazing areas appeared in reasonable condition during a 2010 site visit, and water levels in the lake were encouragingly high.

MILK RIVER MANAGEMENT SOCIETY After 26 years of involvement, AWA continues to participate, as a member of the Milk River Management Society, in formal stewardship of the Milk River Natural Area. This rolling grassland in extreme southeastern Alberta contains a wide variety of habitats supporting hundreds of native species,

30 some of which are endangered. AWA works alongside representatives from the local county, the ranching community, Southern Alberta Group for the Environment, and provincial government agencies.

The decision to form the society and take out a lease for the area came out of the management planning process in the 1980s. As part of its mandate, the society is responsible for administering the grazing contract and long-term research monitoring, which has been ongoing since the early 1990s. This region is perhaps the longest continuously monitored grassland site in the province, at least in terms of biodiversity.

The Management Society has installed traffic counters to establish current levels of vehicle usage. An old wellsite road gives vehicles access to the edge of the Milk River Canyon, leaving 80 percent of the Natural Area upland free of vehicle traffic. However, EnCana Corporation has developed a number of wells right next door, with gravel track access almost to the corner of the Natural Area. The Natural Area is currently unregulated with respect to vehicle use. The society is concerned that this could open the area to increased and undesirable use. Formally monitoring vehicle use will provide baseline information so that concerns can be expressed promptly if increases are detected.

The society generally meets twice a year and will continue to manage this area with maintenance of ecological integrity as a priority. Over the years, the local representatives have taken ownership, responding appropriately to threats to the area. Along with the Hay-Zama Committee in the far northwest of the province, the Milk River Management Society is an excellent example of collaborative management of a protected area.

PRAIRIE CONSERVATION FORUM The Prairie Conservation Forum is a large voluntary coalition of stakeholder groups whose members are interested in the conservation of native prairie and parkland environments in Alberta. The Forum, which has been in existence for over 17 years, is currently involved in the implementation of the Alberta Prairie Conservation Action Plan. AWA is a sponsor of the Forum and participates in quarterly meetings of the group that includes a diverse membership of those concerned with prairie conservation.

FOOTHILLS RESTORATION FORUM AWA participates on the Foothills Restoration Forum. The multistakeholder group is looking at best practices for restoring fescue grasslands. AWA strongly supports three main principles for minimizing disturbance in native prairie. First, avoidance of disturbance must take priority over any mitigation of damage. Second, if avoidance is not possible, disturbance should be minimized and third, incremental environmental effects must be avoided. The forum provides opportunity for informed debate and discussion.

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ISSUES

WATER AWA’s vision for water is that for the well-being of all living things, Alberta has healthy, natural ecosystems in its river headwaters; there is plentiful clean water for all Albertans; province-wide awareness and stewardship of water as a precious, life-giving resource; and effective, ecosystem-based management of Alberta’s watersheds, groundwater, river valleys, lakes, and wetlands. A cornerstone of AWA’s conservation work since its inception has been to encourage wiser land use choices because of the link between healthy watersheds and abundant clean water.

The headwaters regions are the heights of land in the mountains and foothills from which most of our river flows and groundwater originate. These are key areas for the accumulation, purification and slow release of surface and ground water, and provide crucial wildlife habitat.

Following from successful Eastern Slopes headwaters workshops in 2008/09, AWA extended our outreach concerning headwaters science and management principles into regional watershed and land use planning. We joined in headwaters community meetings in the North Saskatchewan and Red Deer River watersheds to discuss land use impacts. We presented to groups in Edmonton and Red Deer on our Bighorn recreational trail monitoring study, emphasizing that the extensive erosion and trail damage we found indicates that the sensitive watershed region is not being stewarded as promised by the provincial government. We joined the Red Deer River Watershed Alliance’s Technical Advisory Group to provide input on wildlife and biodiversity as it commenced its integrated watershed management planning process. We are also a Steering Committee member of the Bow River Basin Council as it begins its Phase 2 watershed management planning addressing land use, including that of wetland, riparian and headwaters regions. AWA collaborated with the Ghost Watershed Alliance Society to hold workshops on ecosystem-based management and produce a report on the state of the Ghost River Watershed. AWA’s early support and participation in the Upper Bow Basin Cumulative Effects Study helped in achieving the completion of Phase 1 of the project this year; the study modeled the effects of the last hundred years of human impacts on the natural capital of the Bow watershed between the headwaters and the City of Calgary, and projected the effects of “business as usual” going forward in the next seventy years. AWA also advocated for headwaters protection in the Castle watershed as an Eastern Slopes priority land use within the South Saskatchewan region’s land use planning.

In the Athabasca and Beaver River watersheds, we presented our research on groundwater risks from in situ tar sands development to First Nations and other community members in Anzac, the town of Athabasca, Lac La Biche and Cold Lake. AWA joined with other groups in opposing the precedent-setting application by Nexen Inc. to sharply revise its Long Lake in situ water plan towards reliance on the Clearwater River water for its freshwater requirements instead of local groundwater sources as it had pledged to do. AWA also participated on the multi-stakeholder federal-provincial committee recommending long-term withdrawal rules and monitoring of Athabasca River water withdrawals by tar

33 sands mines, which completed its work in early 2010. With other ENGO partners, we strongly advocated for an absolute cutoff of withdrawals during low winter flows. To aid in transparency and decision making, AWA developed a model to present compliance costs of various rules in the context of other capital costs incurred by tar sands companies. We presented on the overall work of this committee to community members in the town of Athabasca in March 2010. We also had the opportunity to present at a climate change adaptation conference in Austin Texas on the innovative modeling of climate change-affected river flows by this Athabasca committee.

In early 2010 the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) launched an inquiry to examine opportunities to “streamline” regulatory processes for hydroelectric power generation projects. AWA commissioned two original reports to inform its own participation in this inquiry. One study detailed the impacts of hydroelectric projects - from large dam reservoirs to micro-hydro run-of-river projects - on riverine ecosystems, the other study examined impacts to river corridors and uplands from hydroelectric projects that could further jeopardize Alberta’s meeting its biodiversity commitments. These were submitted to the AUC in July 2010. In the coming year AWA will participate in inquiry workshops and submit final comments on the importance of an overarching protected areas strategy plus rigorous environmental assessment and cumulative effects management of hydroelectric developments.

Since November 2007, AWA has held a seat on the Alberta Water Council, a multi-stakeholder committee created by the Alberta government to provide advice on meeting the goals of its Water for Life provincial water strategy. Through Council board participation, AWA works to advance in particular the “healthy aquatic ecosystems” goal, which has made less progress than other Water for Life goals since the strategy’s inception in 2003. In summer 2009, AWA worked closely with other environmental organizations to ensure that protection of environmental flows in rivers formed part of the Council’s recommendations in reviewing the water allocation transfer system. AWA partnered with World Wildlife Fund-Canada in developing a proposal for an instream flow needs provincial assessment framework as a potential Water Council team project. Through our ongoing active participation in the Alberta Environment Network’s Water Caucus, AWA encouraged the development and discussion among environmental organizations of other new proposals relating to improving aquatic ecosystem health. In the coming year we will support the new Water Council teams working on non-point source pollution and riparian policy. Our ongoing efforts to champion a clear “no net loss” wetland policy for Alberta are outlined in the Government Policy section.

FORESTS AWA continues to push for a reassessment of how forests are managed in Alberta, particularly in the Eastern Slopes, source of clean water for much of the province. This principle seems to be gaining traction, even in government circles. Discussions around the province’s developing Land-Use Framework are focusing more on watershed protection, particularly in the South Saskatchewan region. Increasingly,

34 other uses, such as forestry operations, will only be considered appropriate where they do not clash with this primary objective.

The draft Land-Use Framework document (see below) states that “Historically, watershed and recreation were deemed the priority uses of the Eastern Slopes. These priorities should be confirmed, and sooner rather than later.”

Unfortunately, these new priorities were seemingly ignored when the Alberta government released the final management plan for the 352,200-hectare C5 Forest in southern Alberta. The C5 Forest covers the area from southern Kananaskis Country to the northern border of Waterton Lakes National Park. A draft management plan for the C5 Forest was released in 2006, and was roundly criticized for its out-of-date focus on managing the entire forest with a blinkered focus on supplying timber. Then-Minister of Sustainable Resource Development, Ted Morton, appeared to agree when, in March 2007, he suspended implementation of the plan “with an eye to shifting priorities to better consider environmental protection” (Calgary Herald, March 13, 2007). But the newly-released final C5 Forest Management Plan does not seem to have lived up to those grand words. Instead it looks very much like the same old old-fashioned approach, based on clearcut forestry: a forestry management plan rather than a forest management plan. AWA has been calling for a number of years for an end to industrial- scale forestry south of the Trans Canada Highway. These forests have so many values, and provide us with so many services that it makes no sense that all of these values should be subservient to producing a supply of low-quality timber.

AWA also continues to push for a better sense of perspective in Alberta’s “war on pine beetles.” Though selective cutting and burning of affected trees is entirely justifiable, clear-cut logging of unaffected areas ahead of any future beetle attack is not acceptable, and indeed there is no scientific evidence to suggest that it works.

GRIZZLY BEARS Grizzly bears were finally designated a threatened species by the Alberta government in June 2010. This comes eight years after the threatened status was first called for by the government’s Endangered Species Conservation Committee. The government’s decision came hot on the heels of the release of a major new report, Grizzly Challenge: Ensuring a Future for Alberta’s Grizzlies. The report, released by AWA and six other organizations (CPAWS, Y2Y, Wild Canada Conservation Alliance, Sierra Club Canada, David Suzuki Foundation and Natural Resource Defense Council), and authored by biologist Jeff Gailus, was released at a packed news conference at the Calgary Zoo in May 2010.

Since the threatened designation, the emphasis has shifted to habitat management. The only way that grizzlies will persist in Alberta in the long term will be if major changes are made to the way access, and specifically motorized access, is managed in the province.

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AWA’s Save the Grizzly campaign – www.savethegrizzly.ca – was an important focus of AWA’s grizzly work, and a bold new satirical campaign – No More Grizzlies – was also launched.

A new website (www.nomoregrizzlies.com) and a series of provocative radio and web-based advertisements garnered considerable media and public interest and no doubt had a degree of influence on the government’s decision to list the bears as threatened. We are continuing to use the graphic design work as we hope to increase awareness and generate greater public support.

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CARIBOU Alberta’s woodland caribou herds have historically occupied two thirds of the province ranging from the west-central foothills to the boreal forests of the north. Once abundant in the mid 1900s, populations have suffered two major population declines, one in the late 1940s and again in the early 1970s. The population has not recovered from this last decline.

The conservation community, including provincial biologists, has recognized the need to protect this species since the 1940s. Over the past 30 years several management plans and committees have been created to address the population decline; however, changes to industrial practices that would protect caribou have been limited to a few years of deferred logging.

Even then the government has recently directed forest companies to ignore commitments to caribou habitat protection while petrochemical development in caribou habitat continues. These actions contravene both industry- and government-established guidelines. The possibility of Alberta’s woodland caribou being extirpated remains.

AWA worked throughout the year to raise the profile of the perilous plight of the province’s caribou. In November 2009, AWA and other provincial conservation groups distributed copies of a provincial government recovery plan for Alberta’s endangered woodland caribou. The Action Plan for West-Central Alberta Caribou Recovery authorized ongoing logging and oil and gas development in the caribou home ranges north of Hinton and Grande Cache, despite more than two dozen Alberta government and science reports, consultations and recovery plans for caribou released since the late 1970s that show industrial impacts on forests and wildlife as the root cause of caribou decline.

In February 2010, AWA and Alberta conservation groups called for an emergency order from the Federal Environment Minister to enforce habitat protection for the endangered woodland caribou herds in the foothills and tar sands. In August 2010, Ecojustice, acting on behalf of AWA, the Pembina Institute and the Sierra Club of Canada Prairie Chapter, filed a letter to Environment Minister Jim Prentice, demanding that he use emergency protection provisions in Canada’s Species at Risk Act to protect caribou habitat in northeastern Alberta. The letter supported a demand made by local First Nations in July, when the Beaver Lake Cree Nation, Enoch Cree Nation, Chipewyan Prairie Dene First Nation and Athabascan Chipewyan First Nation demanded that the minister provide emergency protection for herds on their traditional lands.

Following on from the demise of the Banff National Park caribou herd in 2009, one of Jasper National Park’s three remaining populations, the Maligne Valley herd, has crashed to just four members. The new Management Plan for Jasper National Park did not address this population, despite calls from AWA and other organizations to close the Maligne road to winter use which would offer some protection to the caribou herd.

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BLACK BEARS Alberta’s much-maligned wildlife management sustained another bloody nose in August 2009, in a scene reminiscent of the bad old days of the 1950s. Twelve black bears were shot and killed by Fish and Wildlife officers at a rubbish dump in Conklin near Fort McMurray. Over the past summer, the bears had become used to feeding on the easily-accessible garbage and, quite incredibly, nothing had been done to stop them. Although most of the justifiable public outrage was directed at wildlife officials who made the decision to shoot the bears, it is difficult to conceive why the situation was ever allowed to get so bad in the first place. AWA is outraged that no-one in government, industry or the local community took the responsibility to ensure the dump was properly fenced.

According to a spokesman for Sustainable Resource Development, quoted in the Edmonton Journal, between 75 and 280 bears have been killed each year since 2001. As Kerry Diotte of the Edmonton Sun pointed out, “there was no news release […] There would have been no news of it at all had it not been for an angry whistle-blower.” The worry is that the only lesson that has been learned is to make sure that next time garbage-habituated animals are killed, officers take care to be more discreet, and do it when there is nobody watching.

WOLVES The inter-relationship between wolves and their mostly wild ungulate prey is an essential part of healthy ecosystems, especially for wildlife that occupy large, intact tracts of wilderness. AWA opposes the killing of wolves by the Alberta government in the name of caribou conservation, while nothing has been done to protect caribou habitat.

GAME FARMING AWA supports living wildlife economies that promote the conservation of wildlife populations in their natural habitats and as a public resource. AWA opposes the privatization, domestication, and commercialization of wildlife, including game farming. The first cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in Canada were traced to a Saskatchewan game farm that imported animals from South Dakota in the U.S. in the 1980s, but the disease went unnoticed until 1996.

A number of cases of CWD have been recorded in Alberta, along the border with Saskatchewan. A March 19, 2010 Alberta government news release stated that “...12 new cases, along with an emaciated deer found in June, bring the total to 13 new cases of chronic wasting disease found in 2009.” In early 2010, AWA wrote to Minister Mel Knight to request an update to the government’s official website and source of information about CWD as it had not been updated since 2005. AWA received no response but checking the website, saw that it was updated in June 2010 and now states that “The cumulative total of confirmed cases of CWD in wild deer in Alberta is 75.” (http://www.srd.alberta.ca/BioDiversityStewardship/WildlifeDiseases/ChronicWastingDisease/CWDUpd ates/Default.aspx)

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GOVERNMENT POLICY

"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment." Ansel Adams

PUBLIC LANDS AWA’s vision for Alberta’s public lands is for large tracts of forest, grassland, mountain wildlands, and natural waterways, all with intact natural processes, the full complement of wild species, and unencumbered foot access for public enjoyment, sustainable harvest, stewardship, and spiritual renewal. Alberta’s public lands will exist in perpetuity for the benefit of all generations and for the conservation of indigenous wildlife. AWA has been seeking a publicly developed, overarching public lands policy for more than three decades. In the absence of such a policy, we continue to deal with each public lands issue as it arises.

AWA opposes the privatization and sale of public land without public consultation, a practice that is ongoing in Alberta. We believe that public land is one of Alberta’s greatest assets that should be kept in public hands. AWA remains concerned with the lack of public input and transparency of these inter- governmental and private deals.

PROTECTED AREAS - PROVINCIAL New draft parks legislation was released for public comment in June 2010, and proposes significant changes in the way protected areas are managed in the province. AWA took the opportunity to provide its comments, and to encourage supporters to do the same.

Proposed legislation would change the designation of all provincially protected areas, so that all parks would be protected either for grazing (as Heritage Rangelands) or recreation (as Provincial Parks). AWA vociferously expressed our concerns that the protection of land for its ecological value would be downgraded if this new legislation proceeds.

Though lack of clarity in the current protected areas system was cited as an impetus for the changes, AWA believes that the new system would create more confusion, and the province’s protected areas would suffer as a result. The province’s 2008 report, Survey of Albertan’s Priorities for Provincial Parks (sic) does not mention making the parks system easier to understand as a priority. Instead, the highest priority expressed by Albertans is for increased investment in “Land set aside to protect natural areas in an undisturbed state” (72.7% of respondents), yet the new legislation barely addresses this.

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When the proposed legislation will pass through the legislature is not clear, nor whether final legislation will address the numerous concerns expressed by individuals and organizations with an interest in protected areas.

PROTECTED AREAS - FEDERAL Draft management plans were released by the federal government in October 2009 for the six Canadian mountain parks, including Banff, Jasper and Waterton Lakes. AWA provided detailed responses to each of the draft plans, and encouraged our members and supporters to take the opportunity to have their voices heard.

AWA strongly believes that each of the new plans represents a major shift in park management philosophy, from an emphasis on maintaining ecological integrity to an emphasis on increasing visitor numbers. The Banff and Jasper plans both propose to increase visitor numbers by more than 20% over 10 years, while the Waterton plan proposes increasing visitors by 5% by 2012, but none of the plans indicate how this might be accomplished without compromising the natural values of the parks.

The final versions of the management plans were passed in July 2010, and, despite considerable public comment, there were only minimal changes to the original drafts.

LAND-USE FRAMEWORK AWA continued to take a close interest in the province’s Land-Use Framework (LUF) process. The first two LUF Regional Advisory Councils (for the Lower Athabasca and South Saskatchewan Regions) continued to meet throughout the year. (Environmental organizations were invited to submit three nominations for participation on each council, and AWA was one of the groups proposed for the South Saskatchewan council. Frustratingly, all of the environmental nominations were ignored for both councils.) The Lower Athabasca Regional Advisory Council seems to have wound up its work; the South Saskatchewan Council asked to continue meeting until the fall of 2010.

AWA’s message around the Land-Use Framework has remained consistent throughout the three years of the process. The acknowledgement that land-use planning has been conspicuously absent in Alberta for many years, and that the landscape has suffered as a result, is encouraging. But what is needed is real on-the ground changes, and it still remains to be seen whether the Land-Use Framework will ultimately deliver where other similar processes have failed.

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WETLAND POLICY Given historic loss of wetlands in Alberta and their crucial role in flood protection, drought protection, groundwater recharge and biodiversity, it is important that Alberta’s remaining wetlands be protected and conserved. AWA has exerted a major effort into championing a clear “no net loss” provincial wetland policy supported by the vast majority of Albertans via public consultations of 2007. Progress on this policy has stalled since autumn 2008, after the three year process of the Water Council Wetland Policy Project Team yielded a compromise policy supported by 23 of 25 sectors, with non-consensus letters from the tar sands mining and petroleum sectors. In spring 2010, AWA was instrumental in bringing to light a public web site posting by the Alberta Chamber of Resources, a tar sands industry association, that the provincial government had in early 2009 agreed to their key demands to undermine the “no net loss” policy.

Also in spring 2010, AWA helped publicize a leaked provincial wetland policy draft that indeed had removed the “no net loss” policy goal and drastically downgraded boreal peatlands because of unproven assertions that abundant wetlands have less value. We will continue to advocate for a provincial wetland policy that values the critical importance of both boreal and prairie wetlands on the landscape and works to protect them from further loss at a provincial scale.

WATER FOR LIFE Since November 2007, AWA has held a seat on the Alberta Water Council. The Council is a multi- stakeholder committee advising the Alberta government on the implementation of its Water for Life strategy. Water for Life’s three goals are: safe, secure drinking water supply; healthy aquatic ecosystems; and reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy. In the past year we helped develop new policy proposals suited to the consensus and partnership approach of the Council to advance the goal of healthy aquatic ecosystems. In the coming year we will support the new Water Council teams working on Non-Point Source pollution and Riparian policy.

Organizations key to achieving the Water for Life strategy are the regional Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs). AWA has contributed in the last year to the work of WPACs across the province (more details are outlined in the ‘Water’ section). As well, we have supported various watershed stewardship groups on issues ranging from aquifer protection to ecosystem-based forestry management. We remain active participants of Alberta Environment Network’s Water Caucus to discuss and collaborate with our colleagues in other non-government organizations on water issues.

A provincial water allocation review is under way now that has major implications for all three Water for Life goals. It is well established in other jurisdictions’ experience that activating water markets does not provide water needed to sustain ecosystems to provide more water. AWA has consistently stated that real protection of environmental flows in Alberta rivers must occur prior to further market-based changes to the water allocation transfer system. We also support discussion of innovative share-based water allocation systems to improve social and environmental outcomes from water management.

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SPECIES AT RISK AWA has a longstanding focus on protecting the remaining large wildland habitats so that biodiversity, including species at risk, and non-industrial landscapes may survive. Species at risk are the canary in the coal mine with regard to our relationship with the earth. Be they butterflies, snails or the more visible grizzly bear or woodland caribou, their loss is a direct example of society’s failure to manage the environment in a sustainable, renewable way.

Legally, species at risk do not receive adequate protection in most cases throughout Alberta. Recently introduced federal legislation only protects species on federal lands, while provincial legislation only sets up optional recovery plans without legal obligations to protect habitat.

FEDERAL SPECIES AT RISK ACT (SARA) AWA continues to work to try to use the 2002 federal Species at Risk Act to bring about more habitat protection. As there seems to be considerable reluctance on behalf of the federal government to use the legislation to protect wildlife habitat, AWA and other organizations have focused on setting legal precedents to compel the government to use the legislation more actively. Following on from ground- breaking court challenges concerning sage-grouse (see below) AWA and Alberta conservation groups have also called for an emergency order from the federal Environment Minister to enforce habitat protection for the endangered woodland caribou herds in the foothills and tar sands.

GREATER SAGE-GROUSE With just 39 male sage-grouse recorded dancing on leks in 2010, this species edges closer to extirpation in Alberta. And yet AWA and other environmental groups are forced to drag the federal government through each painful step along the road to using the federal Species at Risk Act to protect their habitat. On July 9, a federal court judge in Vancouver ruled that Environment Canada broke the law by refusing to identify critical habitat in a recovery plan for the endangered greater sage-grouse. The lawsuit was filed by Ecojustice in early 2008 on behalf of Alberta Wilderness Association, Federation of Alberta Naturalists, Grasslands Naturalists, Nature Saskatchewan and the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. Later, Environment Canada produces an appendix to its original Recovery Strategy, which identifies a limited amount of sage-grouse critical habitat.

Environmental groups now have to decide whether a new court case will be required to force the government to actually protect this habitat.

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WESTSLOPE CUTTHROAT TROUT A joint federal-provincial multi-stakeholder recovery team was established for westslope cutthroat trout in 2009. The team will take two years to produce a recovery plan for the species. In the past, recovery plans have tended to avoid addressing the hard issue of protecting and restoring habitat for endangered species, so it remains to be seen whether this team will have the tools or the inclination to recommend some of the major policy changes which would need to be made to recover westslope cutthroat trout.

Westslope Cutthroat Trout – this photo captures the underwater home of these native trout in the Oldman watershed. PHOTO: RAY BLANCHARD

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PROTECTED AREAS PROGRESS

ALBERTA’S PROTECTED AREAS

A number of less-used Provincial Recreation Areas were transferred from provincial to municipal jurisdiction. AWA is following this process closely, aware of the precedent that may be being set.

The Government of Alberta’s Alberta Land Reference Manual (www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/landreferencemanual/default.aspx) provides data on number and area of protected areas, as of September 2010.

Name Number Acres Hectares 2010 2009 2010 2009 2010 2009 Provincial Parks 75 75 543,329.53 541,467.97 219,885.04 219,131.73 Wildland Parks 32 32 4,278,338.96 4,278,339.07 1,731,439.59 1,731,439.63 Willmore 1 1 1,135,872.00 1,135,872.00 459,671.04 459,671.04 Wilderness Park Provincial 212 229 210,139.09 210,383.98 85,043.62 85,142.72 Recreation Areas Ecological 15 15 66,329.29 66,329.29 26,843.34 26,843.34 Reserves Wilderness 3 3 249,548.80 249,548.80 100,988.79 100,988.79 Areas Natural Areas 141 143 323,355.82 323,404.00 130,860.79 130,880.29 Heritage 2 2 29,677.84 29,677.84 12,010.47 12,010.47 Rangelands Total 481 500 6,836,591.33 6,835,022.95 2,766,742.68 2,766,108.01

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WRITING-ON-STONE PROVINCIAL PARK Poverty Rock, a 2000-acre parcel of land adjacent to Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, was purchased by the Alberta government, and will be added to the provincial park.

SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL PROVINCIAL PARK Following a 2009 initiative led by AWA supporters in the region, all eight islands in the east basin of Lac La Biche have been added into Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park. AWA supported this expansion of Sir Winston Churchill Park in recognition of the importance of the islands for their botanical diversity, as well as being a significant migratory bird habitat.

A wintry morning Great Horned Owl – PHOTO: N. DOUGLAS

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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

COMMISSION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL COOPERATION The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico and the United States to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law.

AWA continues to emphasize the important role that the CEC Secretariat can play in facilitating activities related to capacity building and information sharing. Last year, AWA corresponded with Canada’s federal Minister of the Environment regarding the need for reinvigorating the Commission’s work on temperate grasslands, and this was incorporated into the 2010-2015 strategic plan. In 2010, AWA wrote the CEC to affirm our support for this work in the strategic plan. AWA looks forward to continuing to advance grassland biodiversity conservation at the continental level with renewed and always valuable efforts from the CEC.

TEMPERATE GRASSLAND CONSERVATION In an effort to increase the rate of progress in conserving and protecting temperate grasslands, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Protected Areas created the Grasslands Protected Areas Task Force, now a Specialist Group, in 1996. This Specialist Group launched the Temperate Grasslands Conservation Initiative (TGCI) in June 2008 at an International Grasslands Congress workshop Hohhot, China in which the AWA participated. The TGCI has described the state of the world’s temperate grasslands and has supported various temperate grassland conservation initiatives. The mission of the TGCI is “To reverse the trend of biodiversity loss and degradation of temperate grasslands by promoting both the designation and special management of representative protected areas and the widespread use of sustainable management practices beyond protected area boundaries, with the goal of at least doubling the current level of protection by 2014.” This work continues to build on various international programs as well as the Hohhot Declaration of 2008 which states: “…temperate grasslands are critically endangered and urgent action is required to protect and maintain the many valuable ecological services they provide.” The TGCI hopes to assist grassland conservation by educating and influencing decision-makers responsible for temperate grassland management and protection. Regionally in North America, the TGCI is working on revitalizing the Northern Plains Conservation Network as well as supporting the work of the Crossing the Medicine Line Network. As part of this educational work, AWA gave a presentation on the TGCI at the Canadian Association of Geographers’ Prairie Summit 2010 in Regina in June 2010.

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NORTHERN PLAINS CONSERVATION NETWORK The Northern Plains Conservation Network (NPCN) is a network of 16 conservation groups from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Nebraska, with a vision for large- scale conservation. The groups are working to conserve and restore some of the wildlife diversity and grandeur of the northern great plains. Two of the important areas identified for conservation are in Canada: Sage Creek in southern Alberta and the Bitter Creek region of Saskatchewan (including Grasslands National Park) and neighbouring Montana. The network builds upon the record of land stewardship in the Plains to enhance existing conservation areas and establish new ones. AWA is a member and supporter of the network. William Henwood in Toward a Strategy for the Conservation and Protection of the World’s Temperate Grasslands (Great Plains Research Spring 2010) wrote "the Northern Great Plains ecoregion is of international significance and can make a valuable contribution to the global restoration of the temperate grasslands biome." The participants of NPCN believe that in the future, wildlife conservation will be an even more important part of the northern plains than it is today. Funding difficulties have meant that the network has not met for some time now, but work toward the vision has continued.

TWINNING OF TWO SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL RAMSAR SITES In August 2010 a representative of the Dalai Lakes National Nature Reserve in Inner Mongolia, Wuliji, came to Alberta and participated in a work study program with representatives of Alberta Parks and Protected areas and AWA. AWA worked to ensure a work study program for Wuliji that was comprehensive and meaningful for his work in Dalai Lake. The international cooperation that has been achieved through the twinning of Hay-Zama Lakes in Alberta and Dalai Lake Nature Reserve is valued and the friendships created from the will to defend natural places significant. It has already resulted in increased resources and protection for each of these two sites involved in this international partnership.

Dalai Lakes Nature Reserve, Inner Mongolia

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STRENGTH AND CAPACITY

Our members are the force and means of Alberta Wilderness Association. We continue to evaluate operations, develop capacity, and reorganize based on strategic directions. AWA displays leadership capacity by reinvigorating its organization, developing staff skill, and renewing efforts with strategies and tactics to meet our mission. AWA is determined to continue to play a leadership role, build community partnerships, and focus on our grassroots connections. Our members and supporters are of utmost importance. Our more than 10,000 members and supporters throughout the province and around the world are our eyes on wilderness areas in their regions. We depend on local contacts informing AWA staff of potential or active threats to Alberta’s wild places and providing us with local information that may otherwise be inaccessible to us. There is no more important role for AWA than to ensure that our members and the public at large are informed on wilderness issues in a way that motivates people and leads to positive action to defend wild lands and wildlife.

Volunteers are crucial to our success. Volunteers help with office assistance, office building and garden maintenance, and organization of and participation in events such as talks and hikes, casino fundraising, the Climb and Run for Wilderness, and the Wild West Gala.

WILD LANDS ADVOCATE The Wild Lands Advocate (WLA) is AWA’s news journal; it provides information and perspectives on Alberta’s wilderness that will facilitate its conservation through awareness and action. It is crucial to informed public debate in Alberta.

The journal reports news and information about the work of AWA and its supporters. It tells the stories of Wild Alberta, and the people involved, through investigation and personal accounts. It provides timely, accurate, interesting, and useful information to AWA supporters and the general public by using news, stories, and perspectives on issues pertaining to Alberta’s wilderness and AWA’s work. AWA staff takes ownership and leadership for articles in the WLA, and a team effort has increased its readability and relevance. The WLA is published in full colour six times annually. The editor of the WLA is Ian Urquhart. AWA believes it is important to use the services of a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified business for producing all print material and Topline Printing was one of, if not the first print shop to receive that designation in Alberta. Topline has been a supporter of the WLA for many years.

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ALBERTA WILDERNESS RESOURCE CENTRE Wilderness Resource Centre archiving and cataloguing took a great step forward this year. Specifically we were able to move forward on this vital area of preserving our history that we rarely have the funds or time to address. We were able to accomplish three major tasks and we are now in a position to move forward pending further grants and financial support. The work done to this point was supported in part by Suncor Energy Foundation but also required investment of core funds. The archive inventory was completed and paper archive of critical records was digitized where reasonable with paper records sealed and stored. Historical meeting notes and annual reports are almost completed. A bar code inventory system was established, equipment and supplies purchased and bar-coding launched, with this latter work still ongoing. Our on-line catalogue database is partially developed, and continued development and growth of the Electronic Wilderness Resource Centre (EWRC), so that we have top of the line technology and storage capacity, is in place. We are routinely filing in the EWRC, building our collection and the historical records of wilderness in Alberta. We have also instituted a monthly routine for external back up of our EWRC. Paper filing has become a difficult maintenance issue and as we have made a significant transition to electronic filing and storage, staff are opting for electronic storage as much as possible. The electronic system facilitates ease of sharing and secure storage.

WWW.ALBERTAWILDERNESS.CA The ongoing development of our website and the related communication tools required significant upgrade and investment this year. Overall, the need for technology upgrades, security issues, storage and maintenance, the time required to learn new systems, completing adjustments that included enhanced banking access and systems, staff training, writing and revising content for websites, testing and ongoing development required significant time and finances. AWA will be able to manage well for the next few years with the systems we have put in place. The work done took a little more than one year to complete. In the end we have excellent websites, stored off-site and secure from the risks of failing, aging technology. We have a first rate electronic newsletter service that has eliminated difficulty in delivering important messages to members, supporters and those who have self-selected to be on the lists. We have made a giant leap forward in this area in the past year; it has already begun to show its value in time saved by staff, in terms of trying to solve problematic software and equipment and increased security of the four sites. We have received recognition from colleagues and others for our ability to get the news out quickly to a broad audience.

AWA has five websites: www.AlbertaWilderness.ca www.ClimbforWilderness.ca www.SavetheGrizzlies.ca www.NoMoreGrizzlies.com www.GoWildAlberta.ca (our online purchasing and donation site)

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The three list serve newsletters are: General AWA News and Events (3,383 addresses on this list) Media News (380 outlets on this list) Wilderness & Wildlife Defenders (folks who will take action, write letters, respond to issues; 747 on this list)

ALBERTA WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE DEFENDERS AWA’s Wilderness Network was re-branded as the Alberta Wilderness and Wildlife Defenders program. The program continues to give people the opportunity to have an active voice in some of the decisions being made that affect Alberta’s wilderness and wildlife. More than 700 participants are contacted by regular mail service as well as through AWA’s online listserv. Throughout the year, eight alerts were sent out on a variety of issues, including grizzly bear management, the Land‐Use Framework and National Parks planning. AWA receives numerous copies of letters and emails sent by participants as part of this program. The last year has seen a greater AWA engagement with younger and more “net-savvy” Albertans through increased presence on social media websites, including a Facebook profile, which is used to initiate discussion about upcoming events and issues concerning AWA.

HIKES TALKS AND TOURS OUTREACH PROGRAM During this year we were able to contract a coordinator for our Hikes Talks and Tours Program. This model for staffing the planning and implementation of this important outreach program has been very successful and we are pleased with the results. Planning for the next fiscal year is well underway and this model, supported with staff expertise will be continued.

AWA’s hikes program continues to be the summer’s outreach highlight. An ongoing success, this program offers members, staff, and the general public an opportunity to visit Alberta’s Wild Spaces and to learn more about their importance, the issues at hand, and AWA’s work in the area. Mid‐way through the 2010 season, we are once again offering a great program that draws enthusiastic people into Alberta’s wilderness. This year’s program covered ten of AWA’s Areas of Concern, featuring ten day trips, two overnight backpack trips and one bus tour. 106 individuals participated.

AWA’s Tuesday Talks program continues as a wonderful opportunity to visit places in Wild Alberta with experts making presentations about their adventures and research. Each year our program offerings have grown, with staff members being responsible for program development, implementation, and evaluation. We provide a comprehensive and worthwhile experience that is often more than the topics themselves, providing opportunities for like-minded individuals to learn and participate more meaningfully in the actions needed to defend Wild Alberta.

During this year we tried to present a number of evening talks in Edmonton and were disappointed with poor attendance. In order to try and understand what our members and supporters in this area would be more responsive to, we are planning to hold a focus group with a number of them in the coming

51 fiscal year. We were pleased with a successful program presented to Lethbridge members and supporters. It is our long-term goal for this outreach program that we will present programs throughout Alberta and reach more of our members. Eleven outstanding talks formed this year’s talks series, including one in Red Deer, and not counting the ones planned for Edmonton that were cancelled. Talks were attended by 142 people, representing a wide demographic and a variety of interests.

MUSIC FOR THE WILD Launched last year as a pilot, AWA was thrilled with the ability to reach another segment of our society through music. The program provided three musical evenings, with 124 attendees, in support of AWA. With so many of our events dependent on volunteers, this program is fortunate to have a dedicated volunteer to organize it and many musicians who give freely of their time to invite a new cadre of members and supporters to enjoy an evening’s entertainment and learn more about the work AWA does throughout Alberta. To date, these sessions are only being presented in Calgary at the AWA office building, the Hillhurst Cottage School.

HILLHURST COTTAGE SCHOOL This annual report would not be complete without discussing the Cottage School we lease from the city of Calgary that serves as our offices, Wilderness Resource Centre and meeting place. Designated as a Provincial Historic site, AWA maintains and cares for the building. It is at times an onerous task and requires significant volunteerism to augment what financial resources AWA can dedicate to keep the building safe and representative as a historic cottage school building. This year the building is 100 years old and we created a 100 Years Project to have the building painted and spruced up. With the help of the Alberta Job Corps we were able to paint the interior, and the exterior painting is in progress. We plan a celebration in the New Year for AWA’s 100-year-old building and our own 45th birthday!

NEWCOMERS PROGRAM Alberta’s population, due in part to our strong economy, has grown impressively in recent times. Statistics Canada reported that Alberta’s 2006 population was 3,290,350, 25.2 percent higher than it was in 1996. Foreign immigration is an important part of that growth and is changing dramatically the demographic composition of our citizens. To take Calgary as an example, in 2006, 23.6 percent of Calgarians were born abroad. Given the significance of immigration it is imperative that AWA try to expand our membership to include these new Canadians. As an increasingly significant component of the Canadian citizenry they are now, and will be more so in the future, a crucial source of support for our goals.

Recognizing this, AWA, with a grant from Mountain Equipment Co-op, partnered with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) to introduce recent immigrants to Alberta’s natural regions. Part of

52 this introduction came via the classroom. AWA was invited to give a presentation to CCIS’s Language Instruction for Newcomers Classes. 35 students heard about AWA programs and its mission to defend wilderness through awareness and action. They also learned about the diversity of Alberta’s landscape and were encouraged to get out and explore it. But we knew that without a great deal of experience and exposure to Alberta, the idea of exploring our foreign landscapes is very daunting. The basic questions of what to do, where to go, how to get there and what to bring, are even more challenging to answer when you know few people, have limited resources and may have difficulty speaking the language. To help with these concerns the students were invited to join AWA staff and volunteers, as part of AWA’s “Newcomers to Wild Spaces” initiative, on a day trip to Dry Island Buffalo Jump. AWA was thrilled with the outcomes of the day trips and the programs presented to CCIS students and faculty. Two bus trips were conducted and in total 26 new Canadians participated in the field trips. AWA plans to incorporate this program into future annual Hikes, Talks and Tours programming.

COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS Throughout the year, AWA participated in a wide range of community events, including conferences, workshops and talks. This included everything from participating in workshops held by the Society for Range Management and Institute for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment, to presenting to the CAWST Youth Water Summit and the international Conservation Leadership Program, and participating in school Earth Day events.

AWA works as a community partner with the Youth Animation Project. Through this program, groups of “at-risk” youth participate in a full-time three month project, learning animation, social and business skills. AWA has worked closely with this project to provide environmental training and hands-on wilderness experiences to the participants. AWA presented to a new intake of 16 students in February 2010, and six of these students focused on an AWA-related theme as their animation project. The completed animation projects produced by participants in this program have been useful to AWA as another medium for outreach. Some of the graphics have been incorporated into presentations made by staff. As well, the animations are posted to our website. The individuals and their talents have been truly inspiring.

One of the undoubted highlights of AWA’s year was a visit from a group of Grade 4 students from Hillhurst School. They had been doing a school project on endangered species in Alberta and were bursting with enthusiasm to tell us what they had learned. Their work provided details about the status, life cycle and management of the species they researched. Most significantly, they were well aware of the one theme that, unfortunately, was common to all the wildlife they studied, whether they were loggerhead shrikes, swift foxes or prairie rattlesnakes: it’s all about habitat. So we learned that “habitat loss is the main cause of the Northern leopard frog’s decline” and “climate condition, loss of vegetation and loss of sagebrush habitat is the reason for the plight of endangered greater sage-grouse.” Ferruginous hawks are listed as endangered because “humans are disturbing habitat.” If these children are any indication of the levels of knowledge and concern about Alberta’s wildlife amongst our youth, then endangered species in the province will indeed have a more hopeful future. What an inspiration they were to us all!

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AWA participated in a research project with the University of Calgary, Towards a Strategic Approach: Mapping Social Enterprise in Sunnyside Hillhurst, with Celia Lee, for Dr. Noel Keough and Mike Gismondi. The process included in-depth interviews and a report that investigated partners, connections and AWA’s work as part of the community including the neighbourhood of our offices in Calgary, as well as provincially, nationally and internationally.

EARTH DAY AWA’s Annual Earth Day event held at the Calgary Tower is a signature event, held to increase public awareness of wilderness, wildlife and wild water in Alberta. The Climb and Run for Wilderness attracts participants from 2 to 93 years old, with a diverse range of athletic ability. A family day, a corporate challenge day, a fun time, and a serious opportunity to test one’s personal best are all combined in this event. The event is known as the best Earth Day event in western Canada and attracts more than 1,500 individual participants and 150 volunteers annually. The Climb and Run for Wilderness receives significant media attention from such outlets as the Calgary Herald, Global, CBC and City TV as well as many local radio stations. The event attracts people from all over western Canada and the United States and results in $100,000 in donations to AWA. Conservation groups and vendors set up displays throughout the Calgary Tower mall to help participants learn about their work and or their environmentally-focused products.

In the month prior to the climb day AWA holds a Mural Painting Competition that has produced an amazing gallery of murals on the walls of the stairwell. With almost 100 murals featuring wild lands, wildlife and wild water, the opportunity for artists to showcase their talents and for climbers to feel refreshed and inspired, the mural competition yields one of the signature aspects of the Climb and Run for Wilderness.

We believe this event is one of the very best opportunities Calgary has to help strengthen community. It provides opportunities for people of every age, creed and race. It is focused on a healthy environment, biodiversity, and a wealth of clean abundant water, wildlife and wild spaces for all of us. The event provides a challenge and connects AWA with celebrations for Earth Day around the world.

INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DAY Through an awareness campaign, using social networking and earned media opportunities AWA invited Albertans to participate in a “Green Wave”. Partnerships were arranged with a greenhouse that provided wild blue flax seeds, garden societies and other ENGOs as well as a number of schools. AWA focused on the importance of cultivating native species to protect our natural biodiversity and support the theme for 2010, sustainable development.

We developed web pages and an interactive green wave map that allowed participants to submit a record of their participation and see the progress as others joined in the wave from around Alberta. We participated in a major Earth Day event the Climb and Run for Wilderness, and contacted as many possible groups and individuals through social marketing newsletters and postcards. The message of biodiversity and its role in our health and wealth was the central message of our awareness campaign.

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Spirit of the Prairie Chicken by Lori Kearney, Jeff Eisen, Candace Lennie, Nancy Williams

This mural located on the wall of the Calgary Tower staircase is one of the more than 100 murals that from the tallest gallery (we think in the world!) – AWA has been adding murals to the staircase walls for the past seven years. It is a First Nations Chicken Dancer portrayed along with the contrasting, realistic, endangered Prairie Chicken. The mural displays a multi-cultural look that embraces the importance of tradition and species remaining valued for generations to come. PHOTO: K. MIHALCHEON

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FINANCING WILDERNESS PROTECTION

REVENUE

This past year, funds received from donations by members, supporters and fundraising provided 71% of our total revenue; fundraising represents 18% of that and grants made up 14% of the total revenues. Granting agencies in this year included Alberta Government STEP, Wilburforce Foundation, Mountain Equipment Co-Op, Alberta Government Community Spirit Grant, Alberta Utilities Commission, and Alberta Sport Recreation Parks and Wildlife Foundation. We are slowly achieving our strategic goal to decrease dependence on foundation grants.

AWA funding generated through fundraising events is dependent on our annual Earth Day event, Climb and Run for Wilderness; and the Wild West Gala in the fall. The Platinum Sponsor for the Climb and Run for Wilderness was Shell Canada Ltd. Funds raised at casinos are part of this category. Casinos are offered to AWA approximately every two years; our casino held in May was actually paid in the beginning of the 2010 fiscal year and is included as a payable in the 2009 financial statements.

Fundraising and gifts from donors allow AWA to be financially independent and free to speak out for wilderness protection. Membership grew during the year and reached 5398, representing 181 communities in Alberta, 128 nationally and 55 internationally.

Revenue

2%

13%

General donations 18% 53% Grants Fundraising donations

14% Casino Other

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EXPENDITURES

The main focus of our organization is wilderness stewardship, conservation, and outreach; the expenditures in this category include the Alberta Wilderness Resource Centre. This category accounts appropriately for the largest portion of our expenditures (81%). Development costs include expenses incurred in applying for grants as well as actual fundraising expenses. The costs for building a donor base and creating broader awareness of the association and its mandate, “Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action,” are included. General and administrative costs of 10% represent an efficient and carefully managed association, supported significantly by volunteerism. Rent, insurance, telephone, office equipment and supplies, bank charges, audit charges, travel, and non-recoverable GST are included in General and Administration costs.

Expenditures

10% 9% Wilderness stewardship and outreach Development

81% General and administration

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ALBERTA WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE LEGACY CIRCLE

AWA is dedicated to have a more deliberate long-term approach to funding security. The elements that are required are in place.

BEQUESTS It is the Board of Directors’ hope that individuals, members, and supporters will make a bequest in their will naming a gift to AWA. Bequests to AWA will make a significant difference to our long-term security and our ability to plan for the future.

WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE BEQUESTS Daphne M. Smith 1980 Dr. James Birkett Cragg 1997 Anna Nowick 1999 Myrtle Muriel Koch 2001 Ian Ross 2003 Dorothy Barry 2003 William Mayer 2004 Diane Hughes 2005 Harold deVries 2009 Ann Roberts 2009

LIFETIME GIVING AWA works to recognize all donors and the lifetime giving and commitment they make to the association. All those donors who make cumulative gifts greater than $20,000 will be recognized on a plaque initiated for AWA’s 45th anniversary. These individuals will be designated as Wilderness and Wildlife Benefactors.

WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE BENEFACTORS (LIFETIME GIVING GREATER THAN $20,000) Ian Ross Bruce and Eveline Goodall Richard and Vivian Pharis Chris Saunders Joe Vipond and Family Cliff and Terry Wallis Christyann Olson Lorne Fitch Anonymous

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MEMORIAL TRIBUTES Memorial tributes provide another opportunity to contribute to AWA’s long-term funding security. As a further memorial and tribute to those who have been remembered with a memorial gift to AWA by their family and friends, we have wall plaques with their names that hang in AWA’s office and we are remembering them here in our annual Report.

DONATIONS IN MEMORIAM 2009-2010 Albert Chase 1928-2009 Bolek Dvorak 1945-2010 Lena Elder 1914-2010 Hugh Hicklin 1920-2009 David McGill 1929-2009 Grace Olson 1922-2010 Sam Olson 1916-2010 Frank Plowman 1914-2009 Gregory Reay 1954-2009 Ian Ross 1958-2003 Doris Sloan 1920-2010 Joan Vaughan 2009 Elsie Myra Vickery 1915-2010 Arthur Ward 1915-2009 Viola Fyfe 1925-2010

ALBERTA WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE TRUST Alberta Wilderness and Wildlife Trust is a permanent endowment fund for Alberta’s wilderness and an integral part of wilderness for tomorrow. Carefully nurtured, the fund will grow over the generations to come. Years from today, that fund will continue to provide for the care and protection of Alberta’s natural landscapes.

The Trust began in 1986 as a memorial fund established as a tribute to biologist Orval Pall. Throughout the years, families seeking to remember their own loved ones have found solace and strength in devoting resources to the memorial fund, which was dedicated to support the protection of wilderness in Alberta. On the fifteenth anniversary of the fund, AWA established the Trust as an endowment fund with the Calgary Foundation in order to support the long-term sustainability of the Association. The Trust will support wilderness programs and research that contribute to the protection, understanding,

62 and appreciation of wilderness, wild waters, and wildlife. The current fund balance has not grown significantly but is a tribute to numerous small donations from concerned individuals. The fund suffered with the economic downturn and the balance is $20,105.99, August 1, 2010. The endowment fund’s annual distribution of $1040.00 in 2010 is dedicated to the Martha Kostuch Annual Wilderness and Wildlife Lecture and the Wilderness Defender Awards.

ANNUAL WILDERNESS AND WILDLIFE TRUST GUEST LECTURE Each year in November, AWA hosts the Martha Kostuch Annual Wilderness and Wildlife Lecture, given by a renowned guest speaker. Sponsored by the Alberta Wilderness and Wildlife Trust, the Annual Lecture is an opportunity to present the ideas of researchers, writers or those active in a field related to conservation of wilderness or wildlife. The lecture is meant to challenge AWA as well as to inform those attending. AWA presents these lectures in pursuit of its mission “Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action.”

Martha Kostuch was an expert in consensus-based decision making and her work helped join groups that traditionally might not have worked together. She sought ways to make the system work so we could move forward. Kostuch was a “feisty, fine woman, who never hesitated to speak her mind.” When she recognized things weren’t right, she would fight very hard, tirelessly; to make sure that there was a change and that it would be better for all of us.

Kostuch, who died April 23, 2008, was a national leader, an Alberta Wilderness Defender and a woman who leaves a vital legacy. AWA has honoured her legacy and her memory by naming our annual lecture the Martha Kostuch Annual Wilderness and Wildlife Lecture.

This year the annual lecturer was Richard Secord. Richard’s lecture addressed the key environmentally significant cases that have been decided in Alberta in the last 20 years. Richard Secord is a prominent Canadian and Alberta environmental lawyer and past AWA president. In March 2007, he was listed as one of Canada’s Best Environmental Lawyers in the National Post’s Best Lawyers in Canada series. Since 1988, he has appeared in more than 80 energy, utility and environmental hearings, often representing landowners with concerns about oil and gas developments. Richard’s lecture was inspiring, and we learned the dilemma Richard faced as he began his environmental career. The cases we have won have made a difference - one of the most notable being the precedent-setting sage-grouse case that is being used in cases throughout Canada. The cases we have lost have, we hope, made a difference by informing public debate and ensuring closer scrutiny of potentially harmful activities.

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WILDERNESS DEFENDERS AWARDS The Alberta Wilderness Defenders Awards are dedicated to individuals who have particularly inspired us with their love of Alberta’s wild lands, wildlife and wild water, and their efforts and achievements for conservation. The Alberta Wilderness Association presents annual awards, affectionately known as the ERNIEs (Environmental Recognition for the conservation of Naturally Intact Ecosystems), to recognize such individuals.

These individuals have recognized that Alberta’s wilderness is among the most pristine in the world and cannot be taken for granted. They know that our wild places are the source of our health, wealth, and quality of life and that we must take an active role in their conservation. This year, awards were presented to Richard Secord and James Tweedie and Judy Huntley, well-known conservationists and wilderness defenders.

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HOPE FOR TOMORROW

As we close the books on this fiscal year, I am reminded of the hope that comes from the people we meet, the children from whom we learn and the opportunities we have to speak out and take a stand.

This summer, on a warm and pleasant day, I answered the phone in the AWA office to find a young man on the line, wondering if he could come by. His sons wanted to make a donation. A few hours later they appeared and I could hear them climbing the worn stairs of the Hillhurst Cottage School. Asking about the little steps that make the staircase to the second floor truly unusual, and the funny school building with one room - they were clearly interested in this place and the work we do. What a privilege it was for us to meet this young family; the boys had, as many youngsters do, had a Lemonade Stand and they wanted to give the proceeds to help us take care of wildlife. We chatted for awhile. We learned they split the proceeds with AWA and with the SPCA; they talked about why they chose AWA. The family lives in our neighbourhood and knew about us. They bought a family membership with their money, and with the visit, the time they took to get to know us and to consider the difference they could make, these young boys made a commitment to be part of the solutions, to know what struggles we have as a society and to care for wild things. As they left we knew this was a reason to be hopeful, a reason to be optimistic and believe in the generations to come and a reason to know there is plenty for all.

Earlier in the year, I met a wonderful elderly couple. The gentleman once worked for Parks Canada and somehow had never heard of AWA - he was intrigued and instantly became engaged in conversation about wildlife and wildland protection and how sorry he was that we hadn’t met sooner. Sincerely concerned with the welfare of our wilderness and wild animals, this couple knew about the plight of our Grizzly bears. They pondered our satirical NoMoreGrizzlies campaign and agreed how sad it is that we must resort to such a tactic and use stunts to force elected officials to understand. They became members and supporters and faithfully read our Wild Lands Advocate. They are now eager to engage in discussions about how we can make progress in today’s society that knows so little of the importance of protecting our biodiversity that is the basis of the health and wealth with which we are so blessed.

There was hope too as we read the pieces of information that we obtained through a Freedom of Information Access Request, trying to understand how on earth, any self-respecting biologist could approve exploration for coal mining on Caw Ridge. Hope came from realizing the officers responsible had tried to say no to the exploration - they advised against it. They were over-ruled but they tried, and it is enough to make us keep trying to help our elected officials understand that they are in office to represent all the people, and that the trust we place in them to take care of our clean air, our wild spaces, our wildlife and our wild waters must not be broken. We the people care and we will take a stand. There is indeed Hope for Tomorrow.

Christyann Olson, Executive Director

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Annually we offer opportunities for an adventure backpacking in Alberta’s Wilderness. This year’s trip was in the White Goat Wilderness and was led by Nigel Douglas and Paul Sutherland. The group shown here had an excellent four days in this breath taking wilderness. PHOTO: N. DOUGLAS

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