The Rural Municipalities of Alberta Association (RMA) will be asking the province for enhanced consultations regarding the proposed $40-million Bighorn Country proposal, says association president Al Kemmere.
The proposal would create new, expanded and amended parks, including a new Ya Ha Tinda Provincial Park west of Sundre, as well as protected areas and public land use zones.
It would also include the refurbishment of 240 existing campsites and the creation of more than 150 new campsites.
An online survey, public open houses and stakeholder consultations are now underway regarding the plan. An open house is scheduled for Jan. 14 at the West County Centre in Sundre.
The RMA represents 69 rural municipalities, including Mountain View, Clearwater and Red Deer counties.
RMA board members held a “fairly significant discussion” on the Bighorn proposal at their recent board meeting, identifying several areas of concern, said Kemmere.
“Probably the biggest concern we have is that it is really hard to understand the long-term impacts of the parks situation when we don’t have a real good understanding of their management plan and how they are going to manage the parks in the future to deal with things,” said Kemmere, who is also a Mountain View County councillor.
“It is one thing to create the parks, but if you don’t know how it is going to be managed, there are potentially some negative things that could come out of it if it is not managed properly.”
The association will be contacting Shannon Phillips, minister of environment and parks, regarding the matter, he said.
“We are going to reach out and get a good understanding of the legislative timeline because that seems to be a little bit up on the air,” he said.
“We are also going to talk to them about some enhanced consultation, and in that consultation to share who they see managing the plan on a long-term basis so that we understand what happens.
“Many of our members are affected by this approach to creating parks and in many cases sterilizing land or the use of lands, so we need to have a better understanding.”
Association members want to ensure that the changes won’t create forest fire risk, he said.
“The whole Eastern Slopes in this area, there is a lot of old-growth forest and it is actually a tremendous fuel source for fairly significant fire,” he said.
“If we don’t know how it is going to be managed then we are potentially leaving it at a high risk. We would have hoped there would have been a little more engagement at the municipal level prior to what is appearing to be an almost a preconceived done deal.”
Minister Phillips has said the Bighorn Country plan will benefit all stakeholders.
“This proposal will create new jobs, enhanced mountain recreation and preserve the wilds of the Bighorn backcountry for generations to come,” said Phillips.
Jason Nixon, UCP MLA for the Sundre area, says the province should heed public input provided during the ongoing consultation process.
On the Alberta Environment and Parks website, the province said, "The Alberta government recognizes Albertans' desire for recreational activities such as riding off-highway vehicles, backcountry activities and nature-based tourism. Public Land Use Zones are designed to accommodate and manage outdoor recreation and tourism experiences while also supporting long-term environmental protection and continuing to enable sustainable resource development.
"In addition to the proposed parks and protected areas outlined above, government is also proposing small adjustments to the boundaries of the existing Kiska/Willson Public Land Use Zone, and a new West Country Public Land Use Zone, east of the current Bighorn Backcountry management area.
"Recreation management planning is vital to the Bighorn Country proposal, particularly over the long-term, and public land use zones provide an enforcement mechanism to implement recreation management plans. The government of Alberta is committed to work collaboratively with Indigenous Peoples, municipalities and local stakeholders during future planning to ensure recreation and tourism opportunities are available while still supporting our shared responsibility to have safe and enjoyable experiences."
For more on the Big Country proposal, see talkaep.alberta.ca.
