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It's easy to be pessimistic about the future of Alberta's wild lands. Environmental groups are taking the Federal government to court over the government's failure to produce a recovery strategy for Alberta's caribou, needed protection that has been known by the government for decades to be imperative to caribou survival. Sage grouse and grizzly bear numbers are on an ever-quickening downhill slide. Add to that the litany of environmental issues around the ever-expanding tar sands and the ongoing battle to protect the Castle from logging and the picture seems pretty grim.

Which is why it is important to rejoice in the small victories. And … Read More

Dear University of Calgary Waste Management:

I have seen your new garbage and recycling centres, around campus and I really like them. They have three bins, one for beverage containers, one for paper and cardboard and one for garbage. The fact that you can recycle paper anywhere there is a garbage can is wonderful (not to mention a very important waste reduction step for a university), and the colourful signs on the side help keep unwanted material out of the bins.

Which brings me to my next point. I love the photo of the big, nasty, ugly landfill on the side of the garbage container. Some might say that guilt is not the best way to change society's behaviour (you know, honey works better than vinegar, blah, blah blah... Although, when you think … Read More

Albertans have killed all the caribou in Canada’s first national park. And they went with nary a whimper.  It is the first time a large mammal has disappeared from a Canadian national park in a century

 Now, I don’t mean that we literally killed them of course, the caribou hunt has been suspended for decades, and the last five members of the Banff herd were killed by an avalanche in 2009. Not our fault. Yet, how did we let the herd dwindle to a mere five members in the first place? Perhaps I do mean it literally. And if this is what is happening to the herds in our national parks, the jewels in Canada’s environmental protection crown, what hope do the other herds across the province have?

 Caribou … Read More

The deal to sell almost 13,600 acres of ecologically significant public lands to a potato farmer is dead. SLM Spud Farms announced Tuesday that they were withdrawing their offer to purchase land in the Bow Island Grazing Reserve in southeastern Alberta. The Alberta Wilderness Association says this is thanks to unprecedented public outcry over the backroom deal. But what happens next time?

Thanks to the diligent work of NGOs like the AWA, this particular deal was sniffed out and splashed over the pages of newspapers across the province and indeed across the country. But the underlying legislation that allowed this to happen in the first place isn't changing.

Which means it is just a matter of time until it happens again … Read More

The bonus of having a long, cold winter is how exciting it is when summer finally comes with its bounty of fresh, local produce, bought straight from the farmer at farmers' makets.

With burgeoning local and slow food movements in our city farmers' markets are popping up all over the city. There are nine Alberta Approved farmers' markets in Calgary and the surrounding area, as well as numerous other markets.

If you have time tomorrow (June 2) between 3:30 and 7 p.m., check out season opening of one of the older markets in the city. The Hillhurst-Sunnyside market has been around since 1994, when it started with four vendors. Since then it has had its ups and downs, some years there have been very few vendors, others the parking lot has been … Read More

Last year I shared with you the magic of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. Continuing that tradition I give you my pick (so far) for the best worst movie of the summer of 2010. The Piranhas may not be giant or mega but there sure are a hell of a lot of them. And it's in 3D! Thanks to Mark Strowbridge for passing this one to me.

Today's papers are hailing the new Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement as a major step forward for caribou protection in Canada. And it is. A step.

The agreement hopes to create more sustainable logging practices country-wide and will halt logging and road building in 29 million hectares of caribou habitat. According to the Edmonton Journal, in Alberta, signatory companies have committed to no harvesting or road building in almost 4.4 million hectares of caribou range for three years.

The problem is, three years is not enough to turn around and stabilize the declining caribou population. Although it is better than nothing, a longer-term strategy is needed to ensure the protection of Albertan and Canadian caribou herds … Read More

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Yeah, sometimes our Alberta Conservatives take flack from Liberal propoganda machines like the CBC for being socially backwards, but really, we ain't got it so bad in Alberta. Just watch this ad for Alabama governor candidate Tim James.