Posts

Death by “Data Deficient”: The Disappearance of Wolverines in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes

By Steph Weizenbach / 22 July 2022

BY GILLIAN CHOW-FRASER

Olaus Murie once wrote, “I wonder if there is another inhabitant of northern wilderness that so excites the imagination.”1 The species he was referring to? None other than the wolverine.

More than 60 years later, the same thought ran through my mind as I tracked through the foothills of Alberta’s Rocky Mountains. Would this be the day? Would I be able to catch even a brief glimpse of a wolverine’s bushy tail in the distance?

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Trails Act Heading in the Wrong Direction

By Steph Weizenbach / 1 February 2022

The UCP government has proposed legislation to govern trails on public land in Alberta.

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Space: A Frontier No Longer?

By Steph Weizenbach / 28 January 2022

BY LORNE FITCH

Outer space may still be a frontier, but the space we call wilderness is getting increasingly crowded. The refrain I hear, from people who remember the Eastern Slopes from a previous era, echoes Yogi Berra’s enigmatic statement that “No one goes there, it’s too crowded.” I know I’m reluctant to visit there now, based on my memories of a place much quieter, with less traffic and fewer people.

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Alberta’s Coal Policy Reinstated

By Susan / 8 February 2021

Today’s announcement demonstrates that grassroots voices can make a real difference in ensuring that Alberta’s special places remain protected.

This is s a welcome reprieve for future development in the Eastern Slopes. We urge concerned citizens to continue to press for a full stop on exploration and development activities until public consultation is completed and appropriate protections are in place.

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Coal at What Cost? Alberta’s Endangered Whitebark Pine Under Threat From Benga’s Proposed Coal Mine

By Rick Schneider / 6 February 2021

Kelsey Fleming reviews the implications of the Benga coal mine on Alberta’s endangered whitebark pine.

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Red Deer River Naturalists requests public consultations on proposed coal developments

By Rick Schneider / 3 February 2021

The Red Deer River Naturalists Society has requested that the government reopen the public consultation processes for the North Saskatchewan River Regional Plan and enable the public to comment on the cumulative effects of coal development.

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Province Pushes the Pause Button on Coal Development

By Susan / 27 January 2021

Energy Minister Sonya Savage has announced that the province will cancel 11 recently issued coal leases and pause future lease sales in the Eastern Slopes.

Unfortunately, a pause is not the same as a stop.

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Society of Grasslands Naturalists Raises Concerns About Land-Use Decisions in the Eastern Slopes

By Rick Schneider / 26 January 2021

The Society of Grassland Naturalists has raised concerns about land-use decisions in the Eastern Slopes. They urge the premier to adopt an integrated approach to planning that involves public consultations.

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A Fisheye View of Cumulative Effects in Alberta’s Southern East Slopes

By Susan / 22 January 2021

BY SARAH MILLIGAN

The southern East Slopes region is both busy and ecologically significant. However, no landscape can provide an inexhaustible supply of benefits to humans. And in the southern East Slopes region, there are growing indications that a tipping point has been reached.

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