CPAWS Southern Alberta

Friends!

We are urging the Ministry of Tourism and Sport to reject Silvertip Gondola's request to become an All-Season Resort Area 🐾

This designation would REMOVE land from the Wildland Provincial Park.

In addition to being an utterly inappropriate use of the All-Seasons Resort Act, such a designation would weaken 's protected area system, and disrupt important wildlife habitats and corridors 🐿️🌲🪶

Recent polling indicates that 95% of Albertans are concerned about biodiversity loss and 77% support setting aside MORE land to protect wildlife habitat.

A gondola and associated infrastructure — including expanded motorized activity — up Mount Lady MacDonald in NO way reflects the values of Albertans 🏔️

✍️To take action, visit: https://action.cpaws.org/page/192984/action/1

Yesterday, YourAlberta (Government of Alberta) approved the Fortress Mountain Resort All-Season Resort.

It's no exaggeration to say that we're gutted.

is a beautiful, beloved place that many of us have spent our lives recreating quietly, and sustainably, in. It's home to at-risk species, like and , and many other iconic Alberta critters.

While conditions were attached to the approval, they are minor and will in NO way be enough to mitigate the severe environmental impacts of a development of this magnitude.

Kananaskis is now seeing upwards of five million visitors per year, surpassing even National Park’s historically high visitation. Layering additional infrastructure, and further increasing visitation, puts potentially insupportable pressure on wildlife habitat, ecological connectivity, as well as the recreational experience that Albertans value.

Please continue to let the Minister of Tourism and Sport, and your Member of the Legislative Assembly, know that this project must not move forward.

To learn more and take action, visit our website https://cpaws-southernalberta.org/fortress-mountain-decision-raises-concerns-over-the-future-of-kananaskis-country.



Photo Credit: Mitchell Leong

Last week, we had the privilege of attending the 12th annual Ecosystem Protection Association Summit ⛰️

Every year is a gathering of Indigenous and non-Indigenous community who all work on the conservation of ’s land, water, and wildlife.

This year’s theme, Cultural Keystone Species, explored the flora and fauna that are not only ecologically important to Southern Alberta, but culturally foundational to the preservation and restoration of Niitsítapi ways of knowing and being 🍃🦅🌱

Alongside old friends and new, we:

🦦 Painted KEPA’s new tipi with Api'soomaahka (Running Coyote) of Naapis Garden
🪶 Took part in a once in a lifetime tipi transfer ceremony in the shadows of Ninastako and Pinakoyiim, Chief and Seen From Afar Mountains,
🌻 Listened, learned, and shared knowledge about intergenerational efforts to protect and conserve flora and fauna,
🦬 Heard about early, exciting efforts to rematriate bison to lands, and
💛 Had the best time with some of the best people.

A heartfelt thank you to Kaaahsinnooniksi (Elder) Ninna Piiksii (Dr. Mike Bruised Head), Api'soomaahka, Makoy’ooh’kinni (Elliot Fox), the Oldman Watershed Council, and the countless others who dedicated their time and energy to organizing these three special days!

We're hiring a Water Conservation Educator! 🐟

The Water Conservation Educator is a new, fixed-term position with CPAWS Southern Alberta. The position runs from August to December of 2026, with the possibility of extension.

The successful candidate will develop and deliver education experiences to support watershed health and water conservation, supporting our knowledge building strategic goal of educating and engaging a diverse community about conservation for long-term support 🦆

Skills honed on the job would support career development in the fields of education, watershed conservation, youth engagement, and community outreach.

💙 To learn more and apply, head to: https://cpaws-southernalberta.org/careers/water-conservation-educator/

Photo Credit: Amber Payliss | The Bug Parade

Are you interested in learning more about habitat for at-risk native trout and how to assess threats to that habitat in ? Join us for free volunteer training, led by an expert fisheries biologist, in the field 🥾🌲⛰️

This all-day small group training will take place in the region.

You will learn about how to identify and assess habitat for at-risk native trout species, how to identify threats to habitat from logging roads and crossings, and how to assess concerns with logged areas.

This training will be especially valuable if you are an angler, backpacker, camper, hiker, or anyone who spends a good deal of time on the land already, as it will help you gain awareness and understanding of how the places you love are being impacted 🪵

If you're interested, please fill out the form below and be aware that this will be a full day involving navigating roughly 8 kilometres of uneven terrain, walking up and down riverbanks, and slopes of differing steepness. Trail and weather conditions are liable to be variable.

🔗 https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_E_htMoy9k6wIQGICivKclO3H722XEdKj2_-_nh6YzZUQUQ4V0o2U1YzNUhOVVJDVTZVV1BFTDhNMC4u

A gentle reminder to submit your feedback by this Friday for YourAlberta (Government of Alberta)'s Ghost-Kananaskis Land-Use Planning input 🥾

This plan will be in effect for *at least* 10 years and will guide how land management decisions in these beloved, valuable regions are made.

🔗 All info and links here: https://cpaws-southernalberta.org/survey-guide-ghost-kananaskis-sub-regional-plan-engagement/

It is imperative that the final Ghost-Kananaskis Subregional Plan protects headwaters, preserves biodiversity, and supports responsible low-impact recreation hat reflects the interests and values of , local communities and the public good 🌲🐿️🍃

We know there's been no shortage of letters, petitions, and surveys to send, sign, and fill-out and we are, as ever, deeply appreciative of your continued support for the land, water, and wildlife of .

If you want to show your support for , a coal-free future for our , and , we have some colourful and fun sticker sheets available online 🏔️

$10/each and all proceeds go towards the conservation of land and water in 💙

https://www.tenderlivingfarm.ca/products/a-coal-free-future-sticker-sheet?_pos=1&_sid=eaf27e470&_ss=r

Thank you so much to everyone who came out to our Scale of Change Film Screening with Hooké last Wednesday!

We had over 110 folks attend to watch three documentaries on water, fish, fishing, parks, protected areas, and nature and to hear the inimitable spoken word poetry of Audrey Lane Cockett 🍿🎬❤️

We are so grateful to have had two of the film directors in attendance — Renaud Furlotte and Juliette Larocque — for generous door prizes from Hooké, and for delicious beverages from Born Brewing and Wild Life Distillery.

Cheers to an evening of conservation film, and to many more days and nights spend in community, celebrating the wild spaces and species we love 🍻

📷 Amber Payliss [The Bug Parade] and James Early