Alberta NDP
For Immediate Release
June 23, 2006
Residents’ concerns Clear-cut
Axe Bragg Creek clear-cut logging agreements: Eggen
Edmonton – NDP Opposition Environment Critic David Eggen today called on the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development to immediately rescind the agreement with Spray Lakes Sawmills that compels them to clear-cut vast swathes of prime wilderness and recreational areas, regardless of local concerns.
“The Eastern slopes and Foothills of the Rockies are some of the least protected and most ecologically sensitive areas of Alberta,” says Eggen. “To log this area is a senseless waste of prime recreational and wild land.”
Eggen notes that Spray Lakes Mills’ Forest Management Agreement with the Conservative government has requirements whereby the company must exploit the area’s resources to the fullest possible extent. No compromise on clear-cut logging is allowed for.
“The residents of Bragg Creek and Calgary have every right to be upset by the plans to allow clear cut logging in and around Bragg Creek,” says Eggen. “Citizens had a mere 6 week timeframe to review the forestry plan, a document that is well over 1000 pages in length and is so larded with technical jargon that only specialists can understand it. Clearly, meaningful public consultation has been a sham.”
“The value of the timber pales in comparison to the value of these forests for tourism, recreation and wildlife. Further, quality drinking water for downstream communities, like Calgary, is beyond value.
“The Conservative government must immediately expand the protected Wildland Parks to include the forests around Bragg Creek and save the cross-country skiing, mountain bike and hiking trails that countless Albertans enjoy. It is time the Alberta government preserved Alberta’s natural places, instead of selling it off to industry for a quick buck,” concludes Eggen
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