Category Archives: Alberta News

Creating a Bighorn Country for all Albertans

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November 23, 2018 Media inquiries

Alberta is consulting on a proposal for Bighorn Country that would conserve natural landscapes while boosting economic development, tourism and recreation.

Premier Notley and Minister Phillips announce consultation plans for Bighorn Country at the Van Vliet Complex on the University of Alberta campus.

Located between Banff and Jasper national parks, Bighorn Country includes the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River that provide clean drinking water to more than one million Albertans. Its rugged terrain, scenic vistas and array of rare plants and wildlife make it a popular recreation and tourism destination.

In the spirit of Kananaskis Country, the province is proposing a mix of parks and public lands that would preserve natural landscapes while supporting a wide range of world-class tourism and recreation opportunities. Albertans are invited to review the proposal and provide feedback by Jan. 31.

“Forty years ago, Premier Peter Lougheed created Kananaskis Country due to increased pressures on the eastern slopes. Now, Kananaskis provides amazing experiences and opportunities, showing that investments in Alberta today mean our children and grandchildren will have wild spaces to enjoy in the future. We are asking all Albertans to help us create a place for everyone.”

Rachel Notley, Premier

“This mix of parks, recreation areas and public land-use zones has the potential to be the greatest tourism development opportunity the area has ever seen. We know how much Albertans value nature and time spent outdoors. This proposal will create new jobs, enhance mountain recreation and preserve the wilds of the Bighorn backcountry for generations to come.”

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks

To ensure the right balance of Indigenous, economic, environmental and social values and goals, all interested parties can provide input on the future of the Bighorn Country through an online survey available from Nov. 23, 2018 to Jan. 31, 2019.

New land designations in Bighorn Country would better protect headwaters and biodiversity, support continued traditional land-use by Indigenous Peoples, and provide high-quality outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism opportunities.

The proposal supports all current recreation activities (such as camping, hunting, hiking, fishing, climbing, mountain biking, horseback riding and off-highway vehicle use) that have been enjoyed by local user groups for years, and would ensure these activities continue for generations to come.

“I take my Outdoor Education students to the Bighorn area every year. Through activities like camping, hiking, paddling and rock-climbing, these young Albertans develop their knowledge, skills and positive attitudes while connecting with their peers and their environment. By appreciating the natural beauty of the Bighorn, our students recognize the importance of environmental conservation and strong recreation opportunities for future generations. I want to thank the government for announcing this consultation and highlighting how important this area is to our province.”

Gord Thorpe, Outdoor Education teacher, Londonderry School

“Preserving the Bighorn Country is a true gift to outdoor explorers who share a common love for the Rocky Mountains. Whether it’s hiking, backpacking, scrambling, mountaineering or rock-climbing, our members revere the Bighorn for its natural beauty and mountain experiences. This amazing place is a major source of drinking water, a home for wildlife and a quiet place for everyday people to soak it all in. We welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on this park proposal and for investments in new mountain experiences that excite the mind and challenge the body.”

Neil Bosch, president, Alpine Club of Canada

“Bighorn is one of Alberta’s last pristine wilderness spaces, treasured by nature lovers, campers and RV users alike. By setting aside this jewel and expanding camping areas with modern, electrified sites, more Alberta families will be able to go enjoy this space for generations, which supports Alberta businesses and the provincial economy. I’m thrilled to see this government invest in new recreation spaces, and the RVDA is eager to take part in the consultation.”

Dan Merkowsky, executive vice-president, Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association of Alberta

To conserve this landscape and manage growth of numerous activities in the area, the government is proposing new, expanded or amended parks, recreation areas and Public Land Use Zones.

Key proposals include

  • A proposed investment of $40 million over five years in operations and capital infrastructure.
  • Establishing the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park to conserve nature and allow low-impact backcountry recreation experiences provided by both the public and private sector.
  • Creating three new provincial parks – The David Thompson Provincial Park, The North Saskatchewan River Provincial Park, and the Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park – to offer front-country experiences that come with infrastructure investments such as campgrounds and staging areas for recreation activities like hiking, paddling, horseback riding, and more.
  • Establishing three Provincial Recreation areas – Snow Creek, Bighorn Dam and Hummingbird – to accommodate future demand for commercial development while offering staging areas for off-highway vehicle (ATV and snowmobile) access to designated trails.
  • Expanding and designating Shunda Provincial Recreation Area to offer a range of public and private-sector nature-based tourism and recreation development and investment opportunities.
  • Amending the Kiska/Willson Public Land Use Zone and establishing a new West Country Public Land Use Zone east of the Bighorn that would continue to permit industrial development such as forestry and energy uses while supporting new and existing designated trails. Management planning in the new zone would be done with stakeholders over two years.
  • The refurbishment of 240 existing campsites and the construction of more than 150 new campsites. This would also include investment in parking lots, trails and staging areas.
  • Direct consultation on extending tourism leases beyond 25 years to bolster private investment in tourism infrastructure, providing greater certainty on long-term investment opportunities.
  • Direct consultation with local off-highway vehicle organizations to engage on the investment model for sustainable trail development.

To find out more about the proposed Big Country Initiative and provide feedback online, please visit talkaep.alberta.ca.

Bighorn facts

  • The Bighorn region extends from Banff National Park eastward towards Drayton Valley. It includes Clearwater County and most of Brazeau County.
  • The region forms the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River and Red Deer River, which supply clean drinking water to over 1.5 million Albertans.
  • The Bighorn area encompasses beautiful mountain ranges, alpine lakes, foothills, massive river valleys and forests, which are home to numerous species at risk, including grizzly bears, harlequin ducks and bull trout.
  • The proposed designations represent significant economic opportunity for local communities in the region. For example, tourism and recreation in Kananaskis Country generates $141 million of Alberta’s GDP annually and supports more than 2,400 jobs.
  • The new and expanded parks and protected areas would add almost 400,000 hectares of protected land, increasing overall protection in Alberta from 14.6 per cent to 15.2 per cent.
  • The Bighorn Country proposal presents further opportunities for cooperative management with local First Nations and Metis peoples to ensure traditional activities, sacred sites and treaty rights are part of parks planning, and celebrated in the visitor experience.
  • Random camping would be supported through the creation of designated rustic camping spots with basic public safety and service amenities, as was done in the Castle area.
  • Existing designated trails for off-highway vehicles would be maintained in Bighorn Country, as they have been responsibly developed by many local user groups. The proposal also outlines opportunities for future investment in designated trail systems.
  • Existing grazing would be honoured throughout the Bighorn region.
  • There would be no impact on active industrial leases within the proposed Public Land Use Zones and no forestry tenure within the parks and protected areas is being proposed.

Related information

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Media inquiries

media@gov.ab.ca

780-422-4905

 

Creating world’s largest boreal protected forest

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Press Release
May 15, 2018 Media inquiries

The largest contiguous area of boreal protected land in the world has been established in northern Alberta.

The Government of Alberta partnered with The Government of Canada, the Tallcree First Nation, Syncrude and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) on the conservation of more than 6.7 million hectares (67,000 sq. km) of boreal forest.

The creation of the Kazan, Richardson and Birch River wildland provincial parks connects the federal government’s Wood Buffalo National Park to other existing wildland provincial parks.

The new and expanded wildland provincial parks are: Kazan, Richardson, Dillon River, Birch River and Birch Mountains. In total, these northern Alberta parks contribute more than 1.36 million hectares to the province’s protected area network.

This is the largest addition to the Alberta Parks system in its history, and will constitute the largest contiguous protected boreal forest in the world under the guidelines of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

“Our government is committed to protecting our land, water and forests for future generations. Preserving these areas has allowed Alberta to establish the largest contiguous boreal protected area in the world. This historic achievement shows what can be accomplished when governments, First Nations, industry and environmental organizations work together.”

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks

“The environment and the economy go together – that’s why our government is investing in protecting nature and wildlife habitat. It’s encouraging to see governments, Indigenous peoples, industry and conservation groups working together to protect this significant part of Alberta’s boreal forest as an important natural legacy for Albertans, Canadians, the world and future generations.”

Catherine McKenna, federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Identified in the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan (LARP) in 2012, the new parks were fully reviewed to ensure there are no economic impacts on natural resource industries or communities. Industry tenures in the parks were compensated years ago, leaving the lands free for protection.

For the five new and expanded wildland provincial parks, the Government of Alberta proposes to enter into cooperative management arrangements with Indigenous communities. Indigenous advice and knowledge will inform decision-making and management of these lands and the province will provide resources to support this process.

“Our government is listening to the Indigenous peoples of Alberta who share a deep connection with this land. This opportunity for cooperative management will help to enrich and strengthen the planning, management and operation of Alberta’s provincial parks, while also implementing our commitment to reconciliation and our respect for Indigenous heritage and traditional knowledge.”

Richard Feehan, Minister of Indigenous Relations

“This collaboration between the Nature Conservancy of Canada, the governments of Canada and Alberta, and industry are aligned with the Tallcree Tribal Government’s values regarding the preservation of the boreal forest. The boreal forest holds greater value to the First Nation for exercising our traditional way of life and the quiet enjoyment of our treaty rights.”

Rupert Meneen, Chief, Tallcree First Nation

In addition, Alberta plans to integrate an Indigenous Guardian Program into these wildland provincial parks. Under this program, First Nations and Metis peoples will be hired to monitor the areas, help maintain the lands and provide education and outreach to park visitors.

“The new wildland provincial parks ensure Indigenous peoples have places to hunt and fish with their families for generations to come. The Government of Alberta’s commitment to work collaboratively with Indigenous communities to develop cooperative management plans provides a historic opportunity to have Indigenous knowledge and values influence land-use planning.”

Bill Loutitt, CEO, McMurray Metis

Treaty 8’s Tallcree First Nation, in cooperation with the NCC and the Alberta and federal governments and with support from Syncrude, generously relinquished their Birch River area timber licence and quota to enable one of the new parks (Birch River WPP) to proceed.

The Government of Alberta thanks the Tallcree First Nation for working with the government and the NCC to achieve this historic outcome. Alberta and the Tallcree First Nation have agreed to manage the Birch River WPP with mutual benefit toward conservation and economic opportunities.

“Canada’s boreal forest is unique in the world. The ecological value of this region cannot be overstated—this is a conservation achievement of global significance. Through partnership, we have been able to make a significant step forward in advancing meaningful conservation in Canada.”

John Lounds, president & CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada

In addition, the environmental benefits created through the establishment of the Birch River WPP will provide conservation offsets that Syncrude can apply towards future industrial activities.

“Syncrude is proud to play a role in this remarkable initiative that provides both economic and environmental benefits for Albertans and Canadians. This agreement supports our commitment to responsible development of the oil sands resource while contributing to the conservation of the boreal forest for future generations.”

Doreen Cole, managing director, Syncrude Canada Ltd.

“Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc. (Al-Pac) extends our support and congratulates the Government of Alberta as it formalizes the creation of the world’s largest network of protected areas in Canada’s boreal forest. Al-Pac has long recognized the importance of conservation areas as an integral part of managing human activity in the boreal forest for the long-term benefit of both biodiversity and the economy. ”

Elston Dzus, forest ecologist, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc.

Establishing the wildland provincial parks (WPPs) will mean a protected area that is more than twice the size of Vancouver Island (32,000 sq. km), slightly smaller than the province of New Brunswick (72,908 sq. km), slightly bigger than the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia (64,000 sq. km), and 10 times the size of the Greater Toronto Area (7,124 sq. km).

Background

  • In 2010, the Lower Athabasca Regional Advisory Council, consisting of representatives from municipalities, industry, First Nations, and environmental non-governmental organizations, recommended that the Government of Alberta establish the Kazan, Dillon River and Richardson WPPs and expand the existing Birch Mountains WPP.
  • In 2012, the Government of Alberta completed the Lower Athabasca Region Plan (LARP), establishing the Birch River Conservation Area in a section of the A9 forestry management unit (FMU). While the oil sand agreements in the area were cancelled, forestry was permitted.
  • Between 2012 and 2016, the Government of Alberta spent $45 million to purchase oil sands and metallic mineral leases in the identified conservation areas.
  • In March 2018, the Government of Alberta, the NCC, the Tallcree First Nation, and Syncrude signed a Memorandum of Understanding that would see the Tallcree First Nation relinquish its timber licence and quota in the A9 FMU to the Government of Alberta.
  • By Tallcree First Nation voluntarily relinquishing its timber licence and quota, commercial forestry will no longer take place in Birch River WPP.
  • The establishment of the Kazan (570,822 hectares of new land for a total of 659,397 hectares), Richardson (264,727 hectares of new land for total of 312,068 hectares), Dillon River (191,545 hectares) and Birch River (331,832 hectares) WPPs, and the expansion of the Birch Mountains WPP (by an additional 1,563 hectares) create 1,360,390 hectares of new protected land.
  • Birch Mountains WPP is already designated and is now 145,969 hectares in size.

Related information

Multimedia

 

Media inquiries

Matt Dykstra

780-641-9846
Press Secretary, Environment and Parks

 

Alberta establishes the Castle Provincial Park & the Castle Wildland Provincial Park

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Alberta establishes the Castle Provincial Park and the Castle Wildland Provincial Park and is seeking input on the draft Management Plan.
The boundaries of the expanded Castle Wildland Provincial Park and the new Castle Provincial Park have been set, bringing one of the most biologically diverse areas in Alberta under provincial protection.
Learn more…