A wise and compelling presentationCCS hosted another successful Speaker Series featuring Dr. Jodi Hilty, president and chief scientist of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y). Specializing in ecological corridor and large landscape research, she has 30 years of experience managing large landscape conservation efforts. She is author or editor of four books and wrote the 2020 International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Guidelines for Conserving Connectivity. Click on the 10 images below, left to right, to follow the flow of the presentation. The first three introduce the Y2Y Initiative and its large landscape projects; the next three depict "centuries of loss, decades of progress"; the 7th to 9th emphasize "setting and achieving HUGE goals"; and the 10th, a shocker, we call “the soon-to-be-known Economics of Nature!" Summary of key pointsConservation efforts are critical to the health and wellbeing of animals and humans alike. We live in the wildest large mountain region in the world, and have both the opportunity and the responsibility to protect it for future generations. All of us here tonight are crucial to the Y2Y story. Multiple citizen science projects (e.g. the local “Roadwatch” data collection of animal deaths by collision) and the regional interventions of huge non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) (e.g. the NCC’s protection of lands west of Coleman, the “Jim Prentice Wildlife Corridor") contribute greatly to the progress of conservation. But we have come to know their limitations as well. The “Pluie the Wolf” story of one radio-collared wolf’s two-year migration across two provinces and five US states, encompassing an area 15 times greater then Banff National Park, taught the Y2Y that large landscape conservation is imperative; isolated and unconnected parks do not provide sufficient wildlife protection to maintain healthy populations. Y2Y has worked with nearly 800 partners on its many projects since launching in 1993. It collaborates with communities large and small, governments, Indigenous nations, private industry, other conservation NGO’s, and a range of academic institutions. Its vision is built on principles that “Nature is the Best Use of the Landscape”; “Science and Proven Experiential Knowledge” are most worthy of trust; and “Nature Positive Communities” are the root source of people and organizations that energize conservation work at all scales. This model has been adopted or adapted across other regions in North America and well beyond. Articulating a strong and true vision with working at all scales is what creates enduring conservation. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a legally-binding international treaty adopted in 1992 and signed by 150 nations with the most notable exception being the US. A more recent Conference of Parties (COP15) convened in Montreal in 2022, leading to Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy, a national framework that outlines actions to protect 30% of Canada’s lands and waters by 2030 and achieve a 2050 vision of Nature on a path to recovery. Y2Y will succeed in protecting 30% of its vast 1,295,000 sq km landscape by reaching its 50 million acre target in collaboration with partners, as always, noting that its progress is 2 times faster than the rest of North America and that 25% of its protected lands are already managed or co-managed by Indigenous peoples, a key goal of CBD and COP15. Connection of wildlife protected areas is an essential goal for the Y2Y Initiative. A 2012 scientific paper demonstrated that tissue samples from grizzly bears in close but transboundary regions with traffic corridors had genetically distinct DNA pools, a strong inference that these bear populations were not well connected. The documented success of road crossing structures with animal-guiding fences has accelerated their planning and installation in key locations across North America, including the Highway 3 corridor in BC and Alberta. Significant progress is also reported in the “bridging projects” that work to restore the connection between Yellowstone and the transboundary Rockies of Glacier National Park (e.g. the Bitterroot Recovery Zone at the Idaho/Montana border, one of the six designated grizzly bear zones in the lower 48 states). Nature-positive communities are the lifeblood of conservation advocacy and the very definition of a “coalition of the willing”. These are the testing grounds for developing and scaling effective human-wildlife coexistence opportunities and well managed outdoor recreation plans for both rural and urban landscapes. Every city that protects more of its green space experiences a corresponding uptick in its economy. People, pets, and prospective newcomers simply prefer a place where they can “go outside and be amazed!” Access to Nature increases the Quality of Life. Looking forward with confidence is not only possible, but entirely realistic. The Unknown Economics of Nature are becoming known, and that may make all the difference. In Alberta the government document “Plans for Parks” projects annual provincial income from outdoor recreation will be greater than the income from the oilsands! The outdoor recreation economy is very large and growing faster than the overall economy, creating jobs in many different industries. In the US, outdoor recreation generated $454B in 2021, $640B in 2023. That represents 2.3% of the entire Gross National Product (GNP) of the US and is 3.5X the size of air transportation, 3.5X the size of motor vehicle manufacturing, 2X the size of agriculture and forestry combined, and more than 1.5X the size of oil and gas development and mining combined! Who says we can't afford to choose conservation over commerce? Simply not true! Nature is and will always be the best use of our landscape! acknowledging other visionaries & Organizations:
Happily, a live video of the entire presentation was captured by the Conservation Society and is available for small group or individual viewing (an offer graciously endorsed by Dr. Hilty). For more information email CCS President Brenda Davison at: [email protected] Saving our Planet’s Last Wild Mountain Region Begins With Y2YOU! To learn more about Y2Y's impact and continuing projects, click here for their website.
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How refreshing it is to be in the company of other people, perhaps new to us and different in the many ways that people are different, nonetheless showing up in force to combine their energies into creating new experiences for students and stewards of the outdoors. Two inspiring examples follow: The third annual Willow Creek Outdoor Adventure (moved indoors by a determined rainstorm) convened on May 15th in the Stavely Community Centre with over 200 students and support staff in attendance, there to interact with 17 participating organizations that brought compelling science-based information and insights to the rapt and active audience.
A motley crowd of eager hikers gathered at the trailhead of the 2-kilometer Star Creek Falls Loop Trail off Willow Drive in West Coleman. It was May 30th, the appointed day for a celebration of a ribbon cutting which would open the newly rebuilt trail. Jenice Smith, coordinator of the Crowsnest Hiking Association and the project itself, welcomed all the guests (some had volunteered for the project), dignitaries from local, regional, and provincial conservation associations, and school kids of all ages. She dispersed raffle items to lucky winners, introduced s short list of speakers, oversaw the ribbon scissoring, shooed us off to navigate the new trail, and delivered on her promise to roll out some tasty cake, drinks and pamphlets at day’s end.  L to R: Heather McCubbin, Herald Kane, Brenda Davison (current board); Judy and Rick Cooke, Kean Mitchell (former board members)  Jenice Smith (Coordinator, Crowsnest Hiking Association) welcoming guests  L to R: Don and Connie (AB Hiking Association), youngest and “wisest” ribbon cutters (Judy Cooke with clippers), AB Lands rep, Heather McCubbin  Brenda Davison with the trail signage donate by CCS
It has been long known and thoroughly documented that aquatic life is endangered by silt, selenium, sulphates, nitrates and heavy mineral contaminants leached from open-pit coal mines into polluted waterways stretching long distances from the source. This massive water quality problem continues to draw intense attention from neighboring provinces and across international boundaries.
More recently, an alarming new front in the detection and identification of toxic chemicals in windblown fugitive dust, many of them carcinogenic, was revealed in research reports by Environment and Parks, Government of Alberta; and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta. The research establishes another key conclusion that must be addressed by governments and mining operators alike. Air quality involves much more than "watering the roads to keep the dust down around the immediate mine property." Colin Cooke et al in a 2022 paper concluded: "Mining activities (e.g. blasting, coal processing, rail loading), exposure of coal deposits, and winds, all serve to generate fugitive dust. Emissions of fugitive dust result in poor air quality on and off site and expose mine workers and mining communities to pollutants associated with particulate matter (PM) such as polycyclic aromatics compounds (PACs). [Additionally,] "Fine PM" with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less can be transported atmospherically hundreds, even thousands, of kilometers away from the emission source. Yet extra-regional transport and deposition of fugitive dust and associated pollutants emitted during mountaintop removal coal mining [remain largely] unknown." Also from this paper: "... a sediment core from pristine Window Mountain Lake [in Alberta], about 10 km east of the Elk View Mine and along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, documents since about 1970 [when underground mining was replaced] a roughly 30-fold increase in PAC concentrations, and a compositional profile that matches closely with coal mined in the Elk Valley BC. Selenium concentrations have also increased, paralleling a rise in the Elk River, which drains the coal mines. The source of these contaminants is fugitive coal dust, emitted during mining and carried atmospherically across the continental divide from Pacific to Atlantic drainage basins." "The size of dust particles is directly linked to their potential for causing serious health problems, especially in children, older adults and minority populations, because they can penetrate deep into the tiny sacs of the lungs where gas exchange with the bloodstream occurs. Cardiovascular, lung and other organ health effects may take years to manifest and are often irreversible." Regrettably, neither federal nor provincial governments currently require mines to monitor and report atmospheric emissions of PACs. Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) maintains only "Total Particulate Matter" data (Total PM), the sum of "Coarse PM" and the dangerous "Fine PM" of diameters less than 2.5 microns. In spite of this, the Alberta researchers found another way to reach a second and very significant conclusion: not only had the annual "Total PM" increased more than 10-fold over a five-year study period, paralleling the increase in coal production; but also the windblown atmospheric "Fine PM" accounted for fully 83% of the total, road dust accounting for only 17%. [link https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestlett.2c00677] The danger of windblown fine particle coal dust is real. Reference: Cooke, C. A.; Drevnick, P.E. Transboundary Atmospheric Pollution from Mountaintop Coal Mining. Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett. 2022, 9 (11), 943-948. The Economic and Social Costs of Coal Mine Development (Boom and Bust Cycle) The development of coal towns during booms and their subsequent decline during busts often leads to significant economic and social downsides. These cycles are largely driven by fluctuations in coal demand, prices, and the shift to alternative energy sources. Key economic downsides include:
1. Economic Dependency and Vulnerability 2. Job Losses and Unemployment 3. Decline in Property Values 4. Reduced Public Revenue 5. Economic Stagnation 6. Environmental Cleanup Costs 7. Debt and Financial Instability 8. Social Disparities The School of Public Policy Publications (University of Calgary) published in November 2021 a Research Paper “A MULTIPLE ACCOUNT BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS OF COAL MINING IN ALBERTA”. They summarized: The economic benefits — $440 million in undiscounted incremental tax revenues and $35 million in undiscounted incremental employment earnings — are overshadowed by the costs arising from the displacement of ranching, tourism and the negative environmental effects on water, vegetation, air and wildlife. Compounding these effects is the non-zero probability that the Alberta government will pick up the tab for reclamation costs, and the adverse social impacts on local communities and on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and interests. Therefore, any new coal mine development is unlikely to provide the province with a net benefit. https://www.policyschool.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/EFL53_Coal-Mining_Winter-et-al.pdf The Pembina Institute published the brochure in February 2008. “Boom to Bust Social and Cultural Impacts of the Mining Cycle”: The mining industry has a long track record of booms and busts. When mineral prices rise, new mines are built in a hurry. Host communities benefit from a jump in jobs, infusions of cash, and investment in infrastructure – the “boom.” However, when prices fall, production slows down and some mines close altogether. Communities suddenly find themselves facing unemployment, loss of income and a declining population – the “bust.” What is clear is that the boom and bust cycle can take a heavy toll on communities. When assessing mine proposals, communities need to think critically about how – or whether – they can mitigate negative impacts, and plan accordingly. Busts sometimes result in bankruptcy for mine operators, and mine sites may be abandoned without being properly shut down and cleaned up. That usually leaves taxpayers to pay for environmental restoration, while local communities deal with pollution in the interim. Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment has referred to abandoned mines as an “ecological time-bomb.” https://www.pembina.org/reports/boombust-final.pdf |
AuthorsContributed by Board Members Peter Robinson and Herald Kane. Archives |
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