@albertawilderness.bsky.social
๐ฟAlberta's oldest wilderness conservation group! We advocate for wildlife and spaces to be protected and connected, forever. Pitch us essays, cartoons, opinions and more for our Wild Lands Advocate magazine (outreach@abwild.ca) ๐albertawilderness.ca
๐ฃNEWS: A logging company (West Fraser) has proposed a 32% increase in its annual allowable cuts for a swath of PUBLICLY-owned forest in SW Alberta. Its logging plan also overlaps with critical habitat of at-risk grizzlies and trout.
We've written a letter:
albertawilderness.ca/c5-forestry-...
๐
This event is happening TODAY at 7 p.m.! Join us in person at our AWA office in Calgary or attend virtually โ sign up for free here: albertawilderness.ca/product/awa-...
29.09.2025 17:31 โ ๐ 2 ๐ 1 ๐ฌ 0 ๐ 0
๐ขWant to hear about inspiring Indigenous conservation work in Alberta? We have an event THIS MONDAY, Sept. 29 that covers exactly that. Sign up for free to attend in person or virtually here:
albertawilderness.ca/product/awa-...
#yycevents #yegevents
Today we and @albertawilderness.bsky.social filed an appeal to the Alberta courts to challenge the decision that was made to CANCEL a public hearing for a coal mine in Alberta. ๐: cpawsnab.org/all-news/env...
We argue that the AER's CEO, who made the call, did not have the authority to do so.
NEWS: We + @cpawsnab.bsky.social filed a case with the provincial court to argue that the energy regulator CEO overstepped his authority when he sided with Summit Coal Inc to cancel a PUBLIC hearing,
Companies should not be allowed to bypass public accountability.
shorturl.at/e4yeW
#coal ๐
The bottom line:
Oilsands reclamation is slow, partial, and will likely not recreate the natural ecosystems that were destroyed. Such is the case for McClelland Lake wetlands, which weโve tried to protect for decades and which, if destroyed, wonโt be restored in our lifetime.
The areas the premier flew over very likely looked nice and green because they have lots of tall trees. But green areas donโt always mean "healthier."
Wetlands are natural to the area and resist wildfire. Losing them forever is not healthy for our ecosystems. โ
Reclamation is supposed to put the land back to the way it was, but research shows reclaimed areas remain ecologically different from natural forests even decades later.
Carbon-rich wetlands ("peatlands") are hardest hit: first mined for oil, then often replaced with trees. โ
Photo credit: Melanie Dene from Indigenous Climate Action
The premierโs recent comments about oilsands reclamation aren't backed by research.
Reclamation efforts are SLOW. After 60 years of oilsands operations, only 0.1% have been officially certified by the AB government as reclaimed โ about 1 square kilometre. โ
Do Albertaโs โreclaimedโ oilsands become โhealthier and more resilientโ lands than before industry dug them up? The premier says yes, but experts disagree. ๐งต
18.09.2025 22:41 โ ๐ 6 ๐ 4 ๐ฌ 2 ๐ 2Did the CEO have the authority to dismiss the Alberta Energy Regulator panel? If so, what's the point of having a panel if the CEO can intervene and make the final call?
As @nigelb.bsky.social + Shaun Fluker point out, the answer will impact future energy project proceedings
shorturl.at/JE7Nl
Here's how we got here:
- A provincial regulator panel DENIED the company's request to cancel.
- The (upset) company used political pressure to appeal to energy minister + regulator CEO to cancel.
- CEO sidesteps the regulator panel and cancels the hearing.
shorturl.at/JE7Nl
@nigelb.bsky.social
Even tho' the AER's CEO overturned a decision of its hearing commissioners in Aug, another part of the AER still (sept 9) writes letters saying that decisions of such commissioners "may only be reviewed by the Court of Appeal of Albertaโ.
@albertawilderness.bsky.social @cpawsnab.bsky.social #abpoli
A former Alberta government biologist has a warning: Coal companies are polluting rivers and watersheds, and government isnโt stopping them.
Read Lorne Fitch's opinion article here:
albertawilderness.ca/lorne-fitch-...
#mountainsnotmines #coal
๐
A coal company wrote to Alberta Energy + Minerals Minister demanding a public hearing be cancelled. Then head of the provinceโs energy regulator Rob Morgan took the unprecedented step of overruling his own hearing commissioners to side with the company.
www.theenergymix.com/alberta-regu...
๐
+ Consider joining us for a road trip to explore the beautiful valley of Bighill Creek and learn how gravel mining and oil production are impacting the area.
albertawilderness.ca/product/adve...
If you want to learn more about mature assets, check out these great explainers from reputable sources like @thenarwhal.ca (thenarwhal.ca/alberta-regu...; thenarwhal.ca/danielle-smi...) โ
05.09.2025 17:26 โ ๐ 3 ๐ 2 ๐ฌ 1 ๐ 0AWA is also part of the Coalition for Responsible Energy (C4RE) alongside landowners, scientists, academics, & Indigenous + civil society organizations. We also support the efforts of partner organizations such as the environmental law charity Ecojustice.
Want to learn more? โ
What is AWA doing about it?
Alongside our partners, we've been working to increase public awareness of this issue. Each year, we hold educational field trips with a professional geologist to abandoned well sites. Our next outing is Sept. 13: albertawilderness.ca/product/adve... โ
Whatโs happening now?
The AB gov't proposed a โmature assets strategyโ in April, developed w/out consulting the public or any enviro groups + w/ limited Indigenous participation. If adopted, it'll put costs on taxpayers instead of polluting companies who profit from wells. โ
There are nearly 474,000 oil and gas wells in Alberta. At least half of them are drying up or no longer producing (according to the provincial energy regulator). At some point, they will all need to be cleaned up.
Whatโs happening now? โ
Why do oil wells need to be closed properly?
When sealed improperly, they can emit harmful toxins into the land, air, and water for decades, posing a serious health and safety risk to people, wildlife, & ecosystems โ
Why arenโt oil & gas wells being cleaned up?
2๏ธโฃbig reasons:
-Companies go bankrupt before cleaning up
-AB gov't doesn't collect enough funds from companies to guarantee cleanup. Under 1% of the estimated up to $88 billion needed has been collected.
Why does this matter? โ
Here's the short version of mature assets:
Generally speaking, these are oil & gas wells that are drying up and not as profitable as they once were. Companies are supposed to pay to seal off these wells + reclaim the land, but in reality, this often doesnโt happen.
Why not? โ
What are โmature assetsโ? Why is the term showing up in the news more and more these days? And what do you need to know about them?
Read on to find out more ๐งตโ
So, in summary:
Yes, black bears can kill caribou calves, but there is no evidence that allowing hound-hunting of black bears will effectively support caribou recovery.
Why doesnโt hound-assisted black bear hunting protect caribou?
Reason 5๏ธโฃ: Ecological simulations conducted at the University of Alberta demonstrated that removing black bears did not effectively conserve caribou numbers (era.library.ualberta.ca/items/8b392f...).
Why doesnโt hound-assisted black bear hunting protect caribou?
Reason 4๏ธโฃ: Studies in other areas, such as Banff, show that black bears primarily feed on vegetation and berries, with only the occasional elk or deer killed and scavenged (www.jstor.org/stable/3872932).
Why doesnโt hound-assisted black bear hunting protect caribou?
Reason 3๏ธโฃ: Even when there is habitat overlap between caribou and bears, research suggests caribou choose to stay separated during the vulnerable calving season (harvest.usask.ca/bitstream/ha...).
Why doesnโt hound-assisted black bear hunting protect caribou?
Reason 2๏ธโฃ: In Alberta, elevation and habitat mostly keep caribou and black bears apart (and even when they donโt, caribou spend most of their time in bogs, where hounds are not effective) (sci-northernalberta.ca/wp-content/u...).
