Province Bighorn Country public info sessions are on again

From the Province of Alberta

Bighorn Country public info sessions restart

The Provincial Government has rescheduled four public information sessions on the Bighorn Country proposal for Feb. 1 – 4.

In order to ensure Albertans have information on the proposed mix of parks and public lands in the Bighorn region, public information sessions are now scheduled for Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Red Deer and Sundre. Participants will have the opportunity to talk to program staff, view maps of the region, and submit feedback directly at more than 30 information stations.

“Many Albertans are deeply passionate about the Bighorn – that’s why we are consulting with all Albertans on a proposal for Bighorn Country. Already, we’ve engaged more than 50,000 Albertans and restarting these information sessions will allow us to reach even more. These sessions will make sure Albertans can ask questions, learn more about the proposal and share their views.”

Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks

Public information sessions will be held:

Drayton Valley

Friday, Feb. 1
Clean Energy Technology Centre Map
5400 22 Avenue
Drayton Valley
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Edmonton

Saturday, Feb. 2
Polish Hall Map
10960 104 Street
Edmonton
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Red Deer

Sunday, Feb. 3
Westerner Centre Map
4847A 19 Street
Red Deer
1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Sundre

Monday, Feb. 4
Royal Canadian Legion Map
135 6 Street SE
Sundre
4 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Each of the sites have undergone a safety and security review. People can also review the proposal and provide feedback online by visiting talkaep.alberta.ca. The deadline for submitting feedback is Feb. 1

Quick facts

Bighorn Country includes public lands from the boundary of Banff National Park eastward towards Drayton Valley. It includes Clearwater County, most of Brazeau County and the current Bighorn Backcountry management area.
The Bighorn region is recognized for its scenic beauty and natural diversity. It includes scenic mountains and foothills, rare plants and key habitat for numerous species at risk such as grizzly bear, wolverine, harlequin duck, Athabasca rainbow trout and bull trout.
The headwaters of the North Saskatchewan River and Red Deer River are located within Bighorn Country, providing clean drinking water to more than one million Albertans.
Sharing this busy landscape is a wide variety of recreation and tourism activities. Hunting and fishing are popular, as well as camping, hiking, off-highway vehicle use, horseback riding, ice climbing and cross-country skiing.
The Bighorn Country proposal includes new, expanded or amended parks, protected areas and public land use zones. This system of public lands is intended to provide a range of opportunities that suits the settings and demands of the region.
The proposal means no significant change to recreation activities, but offers $40 million in new investment to improve services and infrastructure such as campsites, parking lots, trails and staging areas.
The proposal supports continued practice of traditional uses and the exercise of treaty rights by Indigenous Peoples.

Tourism Development

Tourism is an important contributor to the region’s economy and Bighorn Country possesses unrealised tourism potential.

Modifying existing land designations could provide for different types of tourism development. Combined, these could support new opportunities, directly bene tting businesses and the local economy. Appropriate commercial recreation and tourism development could be identi ed through the parks planning process, including public consultation and engagement.

Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park

• Would conserve nature and allow low-impact backcountry recreation activities and services provided by both the public and private sectors.

• Focus on high-quality hunting, shing and other nature-based recreation experiences.

• Equestrian and off-highway vehicle use would continue, where appropriate, on designated trails.

Snow Creek Provincial Recreation Area

Minor expansion would allow development of winter tourism activities, potentially including a Nordic ski trail system.
Could provide a staging area for snowmobiles to access adjacent trails.

Kiska-Willson Public Land Use Zone

Would continue to provide a large network of trails for motorized and non-motorized use.
Would continue to support exploration for, and development of, coal, limestone and other resources.
The northern portion would provide commercial recreation and tourism opportunities, while the southern portion would focus on low-impact backcountry recreation and tourism.

West Country Public Land Use Zone

Trails and camping areas would remain open. Future recreation management planning is needed to thoughtfully manage impacts of recreation activities on other land uses and the environment.
Would continue to permit industrial uses, such as forestry and energy, and existing public land recreation areas would remain.
Recreation planning may include new trails, staging areas and other infrastructure, including support for commercial recreation and tourism development.

Bighorn Dam Provincial Recreation Area

Focus would be on providing trails, staging areas and campgrounds to suit different recreation and tourism uses.
OHV and snowmobile use would be permitted on designated trails, and a staging area would link campgrounds to the existing trail network in surrounding areas.

Hummingbird Provincial Recreation Area

An important campground and staging area that provides access to the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park or the Kiska-Willson Public Land Use Zone.
Focus would be on providing trails, staging areas and campgrounds to suit different recreation and tourism uses.

Shunda Provincial Recreation Area

Would expand and consolidate Fish Lake and Goldeye Lake Provincial Recreation Areas.
Focus would be on maintaining, enhancing and providing new facilities and infrastructure to suit diverse recreation and tourism uses.

David Thompson Provincial Park

• Would incorporate the Thompson Creek and Kootenay Plains Provincial Recreation Areas and the Kootenay Plains Ecological Reserve.

• Would offer a number of front country experiences and connect visitors with the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park.

• Focus would be on developing services, facilities and infrastructure to support current and future demand for recreation and tourism opportunities while prioritizing conservation.

North Saskatchewan River Provincial Park

Would protect important natural landscapes that are unique to Bighorn Country.
Would provide opportunities for water-based recreation, hiking, mountain biking and equestrian uses.
Parks management planning would help determine the need for speci c trails and infrastructure to support conservation, recreation, tourism and education.

Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park

• Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park contains diverse landscape types and a wide range of experiences.

• It is an important staging area for the Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park, providing access for equestrian and other recreational uses.

Have Your Say Today

Visit talkAEP.alberta.ca today to give us your feedback on the Bighorn Country proposal.

Consultation will be open from November 23, 2018 to January 31, 2019. Over this period, we will gain your input on the future of the Bighorn area.

If we proceed, further consultation would be held to inform recreation and management planning.

Related Topics:Bighorn Country feature Province of Alberta

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Prior to Trumps inauguration event and announcement was made that Trump would not be imposing the 25% tariffs…

Which means, Canada seriously dodged a bullet here.

And while the Liberals will most likely frame this as, their success in showing, Bad Orange Man, that they’re tough and ready to burn down what is left of our economy, throwing Alberta under the bus, first…through a nuclear option…

Premier Smith rode this challenge out like the true champion we knew that she would be.

It’s hard to say if this was a legality matter in the grander scheme…or if the 25% tariffs would have truly been as big of an impact on the US…

One thing is clear, however…

Smith was ready to go to the tables with the Trump administration and opt for diplomacy over threats…which should be what we expect from our leaders.

And should these 25% tariffs have gone through…I’m more than sure a Plan B would have been brought out in civil conversations, over screeching rhetoric.

“She’s treasonous”, they screeched.

“She’s supporting her friends in Oil and Gas”, they relent.

“She should put Canada first”, they echo…

And let’s just address these…

Is Walmart beholden to Campbells soup? Fruit of the Loom? Kraft?

Or does Walmart sell products that helps keep their doors open?

Walmart is not beholden to any product…just like Premier Smith isn’t. We have 26% of our GDP – the largest portion – owed to Alberta O&G, something that we have a limited trade partner with, due to the Liberal – Anti-Alberta/Anti-O&G/Anti-Pipeline attitude that wants to spend us further in debt with unreliable and expensive “Renewables”.

What does Alberta get from renewables?

A higher cost for energy, in an affordability crisis, created by the same people who continue to push them…sounds like a terrible deal, for Albertans, and something a true leader would Not Favor.

When Walmart sits down to hash out a deal with Heinz, are they committing treason because they haven’t shown their allegiance to their own, ‘Great Value’ brand Ketchup?

No…other provinces have their own industries and resources, which they are free to continue developing independent of the federal government, as is suitable and supportive of their own economies…Alberta isn’t competing with them, nor Canada as a whole.

Alberta through industry and resource, actually supports Canada through a grand imbalance on “Equalization Payments”…

As do we through paying 50% more into the Canada Pension Plan, than we actually get out of the Canada Pension Plan…to the tune of a $334 Billion Dollars.

And as for this “Team Canada”, horseshit…

The title Premier of Alberta, should hold some clues as to who Premier Smith should be advocating for…as she is the Premier of Alberta and Not the Prime Minister, nor leader in the Liberal Party that has created this fiasco, to begin with.

Rail, as they may…other provinces can’t cast a vote in her support, either way…

None of the other provinces, through Members of Parliament, nor through Premiers, came to support Alberta and our economy through a number of Federal Bills that railed on our provincial resources…

Worse yet…these hypocrites cash cheques from our province, while telling us how to diversify our economy…to which I’d state one thing unequivocally…

If we wanted to be a Have Not Province…like you are…we’ll come and ask you for your advice.

Until then…

I’ll hold my Alberta Flag Higher than my Canadian…

And be proud today, of having the only Premier in the country of Canada, worthy of any praise today!