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Concerns over logging not universal

Concerns over Kananaskis Country logging plans have the backing of some local municipalities, but not everyone is convinced the clear-cut plans are all bad.

Concerns over Kananaskis Country logging plans have the backing of some local municipalities, but not everyone is convinced the clear-cut plans are all bad.

A group of concerned citizens called Take a Stand for the Highwood formed from a Black Diamond-based hiking group to voice concerns about logging in Kananaskis at Highwood Junction. The logging will be undertaken by Balcaen Consolidated Contracting and is part of long-term timber harvesting plans in patches of forest south of Secondary Highway 541 along Secondary Highway 940.

Take a Stand for the Highwood has appealed to municipal councils in the Foothills area for support in its fight to have the Province step in and alter, or put a hold on the logging plans. Both Black Diamond and Turner Valley councils stepped to join the fight, sending letters to the minister of agriculture and forestry in June.

“We want them to reconsider their decision,” said Turner Valley Mayor Kelly Tuck. “We don’t want the logging done in that area at all. It definitely brings people to our area, and it’s beautiful. I mean, that is our back door.”

She said Turner Valley council was primarily concerned over potential issues with watershed from the removal of trees and how the landscape, and any future flooding events, could be impacted. There was also some talk about impacts on wildlife.

“There was a good discussion about the habitat of animals,” said Tuck. “It was probably one of the best conversations we’ve had in a long time.”

Black Diamond Mayor Glen Fagan echoed Tuck’s sentiments, adding that his fellow council members were worried about the impact to tourism as well as the environment.

“It’s right at our gateway, in our neighbourhood, and a lot of people go hiking out there,” said Fagan. “There are other areas they could actually log that would be less intrusive to the landscape.

“We weren’t against the logging itself, but just against the intrusion at that part of the landscape.”

He said Black Diamond council would like to see the plans revisited to restrict the logging to non-visual areas less frequented by tourists. Tourism is a source of revenue the Foothills region can’t afford to lose, he said.

Town council is hoping to see a plan come back from the provincial government that will address documented concerns, he said.

“We understand the scope of this is actually bigger, beyond just the Highwood,” said Fagan. “We want to see further engagement with the communities butting against it.”

MD of Foothills council, however, is not so quick to act. Some councillors want to see some more information before deciding whether to back the lobbying initiative.

Coun. Suzanne Oel said there are some concerns with the potential impact to water and wastewater management. While the MD did not send a letter to the provincial government, council agreed to work through the Highwood Management Plan Public Advisory Committee and the Foothills Water and Wastewater Collaborative to investigate any impacts to water systems.

“This is an important part of the dialogue,” said Oel. “The hope is we can consider this or influence this as a region and the Government of Alberta will hear that voice clearly.”

She hoped to see Balcaen at the council table alongside its contractor, CCI Inc. out of Cochrane, to talk about the plans, but said it doesn’t look like that will be possible.

Her main concern is protecting creeks and fisheries, and ensuring there isn’t a huge impact on the upper watershed. She said she hopes waiting until the fall won’t be too late with what seems to be an expedited process.

“It’s information-gathering to get up to speed on a very important topic, and it’s just a matter of us not being able to get to this before the fall,” said Oel. “I think they need to hear some of the concerns out there and maybe it will slow them down a little bit.”

Other councillors said they felt there wasn’t really an issue with the logging plans as they’re currently set out.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s very well-regulated out there,” said Coun. Rick Percifield. “This has been a plan that’s been in place for 30 or 40 years, it’s not a new area of logging.

“If they don’t cut anything, there would be a terrible wildfire hazard. They’re harvesting responsibly, I believe, and I don’t see a problem here.”

His opinion is shared by former MD councillor and longtime Foothills rancher Ralph Nelson, whose cattle graze in Kananaskis, north of the proposed logging site. He said the area is not in the protected park and is designated as multi-use – meaning it is used for recreation, tourism, forestry and agriculture.

After working in the area for years, he said he doesn’t think there’s a lot of tourism benefit to the Highwood Junction region.

“There’s absolutely no tourism development there,” said Nelson. “You can say people drive up there, but very few of them actually stop and get out and hike up a trail.”

He said K-Country has the potential for many uses, and no single sector should be able to determine the land use in the region.

It’s a slippery slope, he said – preventing the proposed logging plans there would only mean it would occur elsewhere and would likely face more opposition.

“I just wish people would be a little more understanding of a bigger picture than just their special interest,” said Nelson.

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