- Caribou Conservation Success
- Senate Bill 31
- In the Field
- Silent Auction
Some fantastic news out of west central Alberta this week, as we have recently learned that West Fraser Hinton has paused its controversial clearcut plan in critical habitat of threatened A La Peche caribou. West Fraser’s decision follows recent revelations that the Alberta government has declared a temporary ‘No Harvest Zone’ in undisturbed caribou habitat of the A La Peche caribou and the adjacent Little Smoky caribou population, until Alberta finishes its land-use plan for the area. West Fraser’s and Alberta’s decision follows months of opposition by local trappers, the Mountain Métis community, a number of environmental groups including EXPOSED, and many concerned Albertans.
West Fraser has confirmed:
- it is no longer planning to log cutblocks in Berland 3 and 16 compartments this season;
- it will reconsider harvest plans in that area in 2023, when Alberta’s Berland sub-regional land- use plan should be finalized, and it will align its harvesting with the direction provided in that land-use plan; and
- it has re-directed its harvest operations to alternative locations outside the caribou ranges.
This is superb news that EXPOSED was on the ground floor of (co-founder John E. Marriott was the first one contacted by trappers when they uncovered the logging plans). This is a great example of conservation organizations and individuals like trappers working together and achieving the desired outcome in a short time frame. Special thank you to the two trappers that blew the whistle in the first place and to CPAWS and AWA for spearheading action on this important issue (with visual assets provided by John).
Co-founder Kim Odland and Creative Director Lance Andersen are busy preparing to head into the field later this month and into March conducting interviews for Trapped in the Past. Meanwhile, John is off to track cougars with the Southern Okanagan Cougar Project this week and next as a volunteer helping them collar cougars and collect cougar hair for DNA sampling as well as tracking data. Stay tuned for details on John’s adventures in our next newsletter. Following that, John will be joining Kim and Lance in the field conducting interviews for Trapped in the Past across Alberta.
It was interesting to see Senate Bill 31 to ban the hunting of cougars, lynx, and bobcats in Colorado go forth last week. And while the bill did get defeated, it’s definitely a sign of things to come as more and more states and provinces begin to re-examine how our wildlife is managed.
We have an exciting announcement to share! From May 21st to 29th, we will be hosting our very first fundraising event!
Through (our) Wild Eyes, is EXPOSED’s 1st Annual Silent Auction that aims to raise awareness and funds in support of Canada’s wolves, bears, and cougars by bringing nature into your home and bringing you out into nature.
Our goal is to raise $30,000 to help give our wildlife a voice. From developing human-wildlife coexistence management plans, spearheading the creation of carnivore conservation areas, and hosting educational conferences, webinars, and speaker series, we are seeking your help in creating meaningful and impactful change for apex predators.
In order for this fundraising initiative to be successful, EXPOSED is seeking monetary donations as well as *gift-in-kind items to include in our very first silent auction. From original art pieces to premium photograph tours to unique outdoor experiences, the theme of these items is to connect with nature both inside and outside of our homes.
If you have an item that you would like to donate, please email us at info@exposedwc.org.
Stay tuned for more details!
*Please note that we are unable to issue tax receipts for any donation (monetary or gifts-in-kind) at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but are immensely grateful for your support!
To call Thich Nhat Hanh (Oct 11, 1926 – Jan 22, 2022) an “environmentalist” is to expose how ludicrously inadequate that word really is. But his most recent book is playfully titled Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, the latest in a long life of writings about the need to recognize interbeing.
“When you wake up and you see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing,” he writes. As always with the Buddhists, it’s an invitation to test the statement for ourselves, to find out whether happiness, peace and interbeing are on life’s menu, if we choose to practice them.
Chris Hatch - National Observer
