2006 - 2007 ANNUAL REPORT Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action Alberta Wilderness Association 1 ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION Annual Report 2006 - 2007 © 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] AlbertaWilderness.ca Contributions to the Annual Report by AWA board and staff members and final editing by J. Hildebrand are gratefully acknowledged. Cover Photo Along Powderface Trail CHRISTYANN OLSON ii Table of Contents WILDERNESS FOR TOMORROW ...... 1 NUCLEAR POWER ....................................... 34 WHO WE ARE ................................................... 3 PUBLIC LANDS ............................................. 35 WATERSHED PROTECTION .................... 35 BOARD OF DIRECTORS .......................... 5 PROTECTED AREAS PROGRESS ............. 36 MISSION, VISION, VALUES & STRENGTH AND CAPACITY .............. 37 OBJECTIVES ....................................................... 7 Vision .................................................. 7 ALBERTA WILDERNESS RESOURCE Values .................................................. 7 CENTRE ........................................................... 38 Objectives ............................................ 8 Program Goals .................................... 8 WILD LANDS ADVOCATE ........................ 39 WWW.ALBERTAWILDERNESS.CA ......... 39 WILDERNESS CONSERVATION, WIN (WILDERNESS NETWORK) ........... 40 STEWARDSHIP & EDUCATION ......... 9 STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM ....................... 40 WILD SPACES, WILD LANDS ................. 10 COMMUNITY WORK PLACEMENTS ..... 41 AREAS OF CONCERN ................................ 12 Bighorn Wildland .............................. 12 Primrose-Lakeland ........................... 15 FINANCING WILDERNESS Crown of the Continent Ecosystem 16 PROTECTION ................................................. 41 Prairie Grasslands and Parkland Ecosystems......................... 22 REVENUE ........................................................ 42 Northwest Alberta ............................ 26 NorthernAlberta ............................... 28 EXPENDITURES ............................................ 43 Northeast Alberta ............................. 29 STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ALBERTA’S WILDLIFE – POSITION ........................................................ 43 SPECIES AT RISK ....................................... 30 TATEMENT OF PERATIONS ............... 45 Bison .................................................. 30 S O Grizzly Bears ..................................... 30 ALBERTA WILDERNESS AND Caribou ............................................. 31 ILDLIFE RUST ......................................... 46 SARA ................................................ 31 W T Wildlife Economies ........................... 32 Annual Guest Lecture ....................... 46 Wilderness Defender Awards ............ 47 FORESTS.......................................................... 33 Mountain Pine Beetle ........................ 33 Forest Fires ........................................ 34 HOPE FOR TOMORROW ....................... 41 ALBERTA WILDERNESS ASSOCIATION Wilderness for Tomorrow “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” Henry D. Thoreau ot a day goes by without the hope and vision we carry for Wild Alberta being challenged by the stark reality of development and unsurpassed growth in Alberta. As we struggle with learning all we need to know, N hoping that the strategies we employ and the work we do will make all the difference, we are aware of a degree of simple believer’s faith. It is a belief that in some naïve and innocent way, wisdom will prevail and there will be wilderness for tomorrow. The passion of our founders burns in each one of us at AWA as strongly as it ever did, and we believe in achieving a wilderness legacy. Our very existence, our well-being, and our own personal health depend on wilderness. We must make a difference; we must work tirelessly as individuals, as an association, and as colleagues with other conservation and like-minded groups, with industry, government, Albertans, and with seemingly unlikely allies. Constantly challenged to measure our success, we must have an impact and be an important, relevant part of present-day society and the far-reaching decisions being made about Wild Alberta. The inextricable links among water, wildlife, and wild lands are constant reminders of the need for staff to discover and know every corner of Alberta, and we have – on foot, in the air, in cars and buses, and on horseback. We know we need to grow in membership and in recognition throughout the province. Our slow and steady growth through 42 years needs an exponential increase to make our voice relevant and well-known throughout the province. Today, we represent 172 communities throughout the province – five more than last year. Next year there will be more. Day-to-day, the work is as hard as it comes. The outcomes are not always significant in the measure of land conserved or wild species saved, but we know we are making a difference. The staff and Board of Directors are a passionate, formidable force, and we strategically plan our direction and the use of our human and financial resources. Our vision for the future is clear. We are dependent on our members and supporters for their assistance financially and on the ground as advocates and community leaders. None of our accomplishments would be possible without their support and that of the non-profit, foundation, corporate, and government sectors. This annual report reviews the work we have achieved and underlines the promise of ongoing work to defend Alberta’s wilderness. Christyann Olson, Richard Secord, Executive Director President 1 2 Who We Are The Alberta Wilderness Association was formed in 1965 by backcountry enthusiasts, ranchers, and outfitters in southwest Alberta. Born of frustration and concern about changes to habitat and the loss of wilderness, people like Steve Dixon, Floyd Stromstedt, and William Michalsky led the way for conservation in Alberta. Since then AWA has grown to include a wide diversity of individual backgrounds and skills in its membership and its staff. More than four decades of dedicated volunteerism, philanthropy, and belief in the vision of AWA have contributed to the rich culture that is AWA. Today Steve Dixon remains a voice for conservation and others like my colleagues Cliff Wallis, Vivian Pharis, and Christyann Olson are tenaciously forwarding AWA’s mandate and representing the public interest for conservation. AWA has always had a clear vision about the protection needed for our diminishing wilderness and our threatened and endangered wildlife and watersheds. In November AWA launched a new web page www.savethegrizzly.ca. The grizzly population stands at less than 500 bears in Alberta. Years from now, people will judge the decisions we made when we still had a chance to protect our lands and save the last grizzlies in Alberta. Today there is an even greater urgency, and the scars of just one more incursion leave a bleak picture on the landscapes of Alberta. AWA remains Alberta’s frontline advocacy organization advancing the establishment of truly protected wilderness areas. For more than 40 years, AWA has helped people to recognize these diverse and unique wilderness values in Alberta. Preserving wilderness may someday be seen through the eyes of our children, politicians, and historians as the most important contribution societies made to the health of our global environment and planet. AWA is people who know the value of wilderness and who work to protect those values. – Richard Secord, President 3 4 Board of Directors President: Richard Secord, Edmonton Past-President: Cliff Wallis, Calgary First Vice-President: Heinz Unger, Cochrane Second Vice-President: Vivian Pharis, Cochrane Secretary/Treasurer: Cliff Wallis, Calgary Directors: Hyland Armstrong, Elkwater Frank Calder, Edmonton James Campbell, Calgary Gerald Hall, Calgary Owen McGoldrick, Calgary Director Emeritus: Herbert G. Kariel, Calgary Board members at AWA Wild West Gala, Calgary September 14, 2007. (left to right) Christyann Olson, ED; Richard Secord, President; Heinz Unger; Jim Campbell; Jerry Hall; Owen McGoldrick; Frank Calder; Vivian Pharis; Cliff Wallis 5 6 Mission, Vision, Values & Objectives Defending Wild Alberta through Awareness and Action lberta Wilderness Association (AWA) is the oldest wilderness conservation group in Alberta dedicated to the completion of a protected areas network and the conservation of wilderness throughout the A province. Founded in 1965 in rural southwest Alberta by backcountry enthusiasts, ranchers, and outfitters, AWA has grown into a province-wide organization. With more than four decades of success, it is known for its tenacity, corporate memory, and integrity. AWA is a non-profit, federally registered, charitable society. It has a provincial office and resource centre in Calgary and active members and volunteers throughout Alberta. The staff of the Association includes professionals and specialists in management, conservation biology, economics, education, outreach, communications, and accounting. VISION There will be a comprehensive system of protected wild areas. There will be a society with decision-making processes, policies, and laws that recognize the value of nature for its own sake. AWA will be an effective and credible