Government threatens Alberta’s natural heritage, economy by allowing logging in Castle Crown
Edmonton – Harry Chase, Alberta Liberal Critic for Tourism, Parks and Recreation, says the government’s stubborn refusal to stop logging in the Castle Crown threatens water, wildlife, tourism and Alberta’s international reputation.
“Instead of listening to the concerns of hundreds of Albertans and eighty percent of the region’s residents, this government is allowing logging to continue instead of protecting a vital natural region,” Chase says.
The Castle Crown watershed is a critical source of water for the province. It receives more precipitation than anywhere else in Alberta, providing phenomenal runoff for irrigation and drinking water. And as noted by Sustainable Resource Development Critic Laurie Blakeman earlier this year, logging activities are placing Alberta’s already threatened grizzly and black bear populations in extreme jeopardy.
“Water and wildlife sustain not only our economy, they make life itself possible for human beings,” Chase says. “It’s incredibly shortsighted to allow logging in such a sensitive ecological region. Do we really need fence posts and wood chips that badly?”
Chase says that the Castle Crown should be designated a provincial park, which would offer the region true protection from development.
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For further information, contact:
Earl J. Woods, Senior Communications Advisor
(780) 904-5430
Denis Lapointe, Director, Southern Alberta Liberal Caucus Office
(403) 860-4330