Bighorn Country—A Good Idea We Shouldn’t Squander

Note: In November of 2018, Alberta Environment and Parks opened a discussion about its proposal for the protection of the headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River, or Bighorn Country, an area that has been needing protection from abuse for many years now. There is much controversy about the proposal as many don’t want to change their behavior or understand land stewardship. Concerned for the success of this proposal, a group of ad hoc retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife biologists, technicians and officers, wrote the following open letter. Please feel free to share. And if you are an Albertan with concern for Bighorn Country, please fill out the survey. The deadline is now February 15, 2019.

Don Meredith

—Open Letter—

                                                                                   January 2, 2019

The Honourable Rachel Notley                           The Honourable Shannon Phillips
Premier of Alberta                                                 Minister of Alberta Environment and Parks

Bighorn Country—A Good Idea We Shouldn’t Squander

Dear Premier Notley and Minister Phillips:

We are retired provincial Fish and Wildlife biologists, technicians and officers. Collectively, we have spent 1,106 years of our careers managing and conserving Alberta’s fish and wildlife populations. It hasn’t been easy. In retirement with no bonds to government or industry, we continue to care about the future of renewable resources and want to provide a legacy for future generations. We offer this advice on the Bighorn Country Proposal, based on our observations and experience.

The juggernaut of industrial development and agricultural expansion, the proliferation of roads and trails, the explosion in use of motorized recreational vehicles, years of political and bureaucratic neglect and the overarching issue of climate change has made the task of conserving fish and wildlife at times difficult, sometimes impossible. For those who doubt we have ongoing issues, look at the number of species at risk in this province. For example, all native sport fish species up and down the Eastern Slopes have declined, are continuing to decline and most are designated as “threatened”. That indicates our land management has failed and if we continue on the same path, one of the indicators of landscape health and a major attraction for people will disappear. That revelation should alarm all of us, not just biologists.

As part of our training and experience, we realize there are limits to our resources, and we overuse them at our peril. Unfortunately, this is not a commonly held perception, or a popular one. Our landscapes and watersheds have been neglected, we expect too much of them and they are coming apart at the seams. Less than 2% of our upper and lower foothills ecoregions are protected from industry and human destruction. Yet, these are the areas that provide our drinking water, control flood waters at their source and maintain water supply during droughts. Shouldn’t we be protecting these areas vital to our well-being now and in the future?

The Bighorn Country proposal, like the Castle and the land-use plans for the Livingstone-Porcupine Hills, is an appropriate answer to the question: What do we want of our public lands? It can’t be a free-for-all anymore. We have tested the limits and many indicators, especially fish and wildlife populations, have signalled to us we’ve exceeded ecological thresholds. To lose species that are currently threatened or endangered, or to threaten our future water supply because we can’t see beyond our own selfish wants, means we don’t understand stewardship.

The combination of Wildland Provincial Parks and Public Land Use Zones in Bighorn Country will provide a balance of recreational opportunities, while protecting the ecological integrity of the landscape, its biodiversity and source of our drinking water. The plan is not perfect and will require ongoing consultation and updating, but it is the best chance we have to conserve an important component of our Alberta wild heritage for future generations.

Sincerely,

37 retired Alberta Fish and Wildlife biologists, technicians and officers, as follows:

Robert Adams, fish & wildlife officer/director, 1960–1993
Per Andersen, wildlife habitat biologist, 1978-87
Morley Barrett, wildlife biologist/fisheries director/ADM, 1969-2001
Ron Bjorge, wildlife biologist/director, 1975-2016
Ken Bodden, fisheries biologist, 1983-2012
Steve Brechtel, wildlife/habitat biologist, 1974-2006
David Christiansen, fisheries/habitat biologist, 1977-2014
Ken Crutchfield, habitat biologist/fisheries director, 1972-2002
Ernest “Buck” Cunningham, biologist, 1959-1965
Gary Erickson, wildlife biologist, 1966-2002
Dale Eslinger, wildlife biologist, 1984-2014
Lorne Fitch, fisheries biologist, 1971-2006
Rudy Hawryluk, technician, 1970-2009
Carl Hunt, fisheries biologist, 1964-1997
Jon Jorgenson, wildlife biologist, 1978-2015
Gordon Kerr, wildlife biologist/director/ADM, 1960-1981
Rocky Konynenbelt, fisheries technician, 1976-2016
Allan Locke, fisheries biologist, 1981-2013
Ken Lungle, wildlife biologist, 1970-2008
Bob McClymont, biologist, 1978-2011
Ray Makowecki, fisheries biologist, 1966-1997
Brent Markham, wildlife biologist, 1972-2003
Don Meredith, wildlife biologist, 1978-2002
Rod Paterson, fisheries biologist, 1959-1971
Duane Radford, fisheries biologist/director, 1966-2002
Kirby Smith, wildlife biologist, 1976-2010
Harry Stelfox, wildlife biologist, 1980-2005
Jim Stelfox, fisheries biologist, 1979-2013
John Stelfox, wildlife biologist, 1955-1966
Bob Stevenson, branch director, 1980-1992/archivist
Jim Struthers, fish & wildlife officer, 1964-1997
John Taggart, technician, 1978-2010
Bruce Treichel, technician, 1974-2010
Daryl Wig, fisheries/habitat biologist, 1978-2012
Bill Wishart, fish & wildlife biologist, 1957-1987
Hugh Wollis, wildlife biologist, 1977-2013
Ken Zelt, fisheries biologist, 1968-2000

Comments are always welcome (below).