Protected Areas and Spruce Grove Presentation to o Cou ouncil il - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Conservation Blueprint and Headwaters: Protected Areas and Spruce Grove Presentation to o Cou ouncil il Alis lison Ronson Executive Director, CPAWS Northern Alberta January 18, 2016

Overview • Introduction to CPAWS Northern Alberta • Conservation Blueprint of Northern Alberta • The Bighorn backcountry and headwaters protection • Land Use Planning in Alberta: the North Saskatchewan Regional Plan

CPAWS • A nation-wide non-profit conservation organization • The only charity in Canada focused solely on protecting public lands and waters • 90% of land is publicly owned in Canada (41% by the federal government, 48% by provinces) • 60% of land in Alberta is provincially owned

Protected Areas • Only solution to long-term protection of endangered species • Science shows we need at least 50% conservation of landscapes – protection on 50%, conservation on the rest! • At current level of protection in Alberta, we will lose 50% of our species • Protect against climate change, provide ecosystem services • But where are priority areas for conservation in Alberta?

• What: a mapping analysis with 300 “conservation values” to illustrate areas of high conservation value • Result: Scientifically sound illustration of priority areas for protection and conservation in Alberta • Why Care? Shows that headwaters regions of Alberta are critical! • Spruce Grove’s drinking water comes from the Bighorn Backcountry , the source of 90% of the water in the North Saskatchewan River watershed Conservation Blueprint of Northern Alberta

20% of 50% of 80% of conservation conservation conservation features protected features protected features protected

The Bighorn Backcountry • Designated as Public Land Use Zones • Alberta’s last intact forest and the source of drinking water for every community in the North Saskatchewan Region • Provides habitat for Grizzly Bear, Mountain Goats, Bighorn Sheep and Peregrine Falcons, and for endangered Lake Sturgeon and Whitebark Pine • Great recreational opporutnities

What happens upstream… … can have devastating effects downstream

Land Use Planning in Alberta • Governed by Alberta Land Stewardship Act • 7 planning regions in Alberta • Lower Athabasca and South Saskatchewan regional plans already completed • North Saskatchewan regional plan underway An Important Opportunity for Headwaters Protection and Public Engagement on Conservation Issues

The Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park

The Bighorn Wildland Provincial Park • CPAWS Northern Alberta and the Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative (Y2Y) would like to see the Bighorn as a Wildland Provincial Park Wildland Provincial Parks: • Allow recreational use such as camping and hiking • Allow hunting • Allow off-highway vehicles and snowmobiling but enable provincial management of activities such as these! • Are managed for protection of the ecological integrity of the region

What can Spruce Grove do? • Ask the province for protection of the city’s headwaters during regional planning for the North Saskatchewan Regional Plan • Consider writing a letter of support for CPAWS’ “Protect Alberta’s Headwaters” campaign • Have CPAWS deliver a workshop to Spruce Grove residents about the importance of protected areas and headwaters protection

Thank You Alison Ronson aronson@cpaws.org