The Final Push

Photo, courtesy Yellowstone to Yukon 
Conservation Initiative/Stephen Legault

The Final Push

Kevin Van Tighem writes:

"Tomorrow is the deadline for public comments on the draft land use plan for the South Saskatchewan region. If you don't have time to wade through the draft plan but want to encourage the government to address the conservation shortcomings of the draft here are some points that you might want to cut and paste into an email to LUF@gov.ab.ca ------

1. Alberta's surviving native prairie should be protected from sale, cultivation and new surface disturbance. Ranching is compatible with conserving the many species at risk on the prairie, but further damage to grasslands isn't.

2. The Castle area has the highest biodiversity in the region and produces a third of our water. It needs protection as a Wildland Park.

3. Off-highway vehicle abuse of our foothills and Front Ranges is out of control and needs to be reined in. Use should be restricted to a few properly-designed trails that don't damage watersheds and wetlands or disturb grizzly and trout habitat. New regulations enabling citizens to initiate prosecutions of offenders would help improve enforcement which is currently very weak.

4. Clearcut logging should no longer be permitted in our river headwaters. New guidelines should require canopy retention methods that enable trees to continue intercepting rain and providing shade for the spring snowpack.

5. Financial incentives that encourage private property owners to restore and maintain wetlands and native grassland and to conserve habitat for species at risk should be put into place as soon as possible.

6. Dry dams and other river engineering should not be considered until the health of the headwater landscapes has been full restored. If there is a need for new dams, trapping of beavers should be prohibited so we can get dams where they are most useful, at no cost to the taxpayer."

More info at Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative and at CPAWS Southern Alberta