The Ministry of Environment and Parks has completed a draft Castle Management Plan for which they are seeking public feedback on through an online survey.
Please ensure your voice is heard.
Honorable Shannon Phillips
Minister Alberta Environment and Parks Main Floor, Great West Life Building 9920 108 St Edmonton, AB T5K 2M4
RE: Castle Provincial Parks
Dear Ms. Phillips,
On behalf of our members and supporters, Trout Unlimited Canada is pleased to express our strong support of your government’s commitment to increase protections in the Castle area as announced on January 20, 2017.
The decision to phase out off-highway vehicles (OHVs) has no doubt been contentious, but we believe the protection this decision affords will benefit Canadians and Albertans for generations to come. These are the types of tough decisions that are required if we are to move forward in protecting vital headwaters, maintaining biodiversity, and recovering species at risk. The linear disturbance thresholds are well established for the persistence of our native and highly valued fishes including Bull Trout and Westslope Cutthroat Trout. These species have persisted in this landscape for thousands of years but decades of landscape abuse has resulted in their decline to perilous levels. As Canadians and Albertans, we have both a legal and moral obligation to recover and protect these species for future generations. Recovery requires the acceptance of trade-offs combined with swift action to heal the landscape. Protection of the Castle area including the exclusion of activities that are incompatible with these goals is a key step towards recovery efforts.
The Castle is no doubt a special place for many Albertans and we believe both the Provincial Park and Wildland Provincial Park will strike the right balance of providing opportunities for non-destructive recreation and education while protecting the sensitive habitat and processes that support incredible biodiversity and water quality.
Thank you for your forward thinking efforts. We look forward to working with your Department towards achieving our shared goals of species at risk recovery, source water protection, and protecting wild spaces.
Sincerely,
Silvia D’Amelio C.E.O Trout Unlimited Canada
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