Residents opposed to plans to clearcut trees in the Highwood Junction area are hoping to spur discussion about the impact of logging with a short documentary and panel discussion next week.
The group Take a Stand of the Upper Highwood is presenting the 20-minute mini-documentary, Forests, Fins and Footprints, at the Turner Valley United Church on April 25, starting at 7 p.m.
The film focuses on how logging efforts impacted the Ghost area, a public land use zone northwest of Cochrane.
“It talks about the clear-cutting and how it affected the residents of the Ghost community,” said Black Diamond resident Neil Williams. “It’s very well done and we thought we’d show it for people interested in protecting the headwaters and to have some discussion with logging activities.”
The documentary has previously been screened at the University of Calgary, the Parkdale United Church and St. Andrews United Church in Cochrane, he said.
Guests Jim Stelfox, senior fisheries biologist for the Government of Alberta, Dave Klepacki, from the Protect the Upper Elbow group out of Bragg Creek, Lorne Fitch, the provincial riparian specialist for Alberta Cows and Fish, and Cameron Westhead, MLA for Banff-Cochrane, will all be part of the panel discussion following the documentary.
Williams said the intent of the evening is to help people understand how logging can affect a community.
“It’s more about logging and how it has an impact for some people who were into guiding and outfitting, and other ones who were making a livelihood and just wanted to enjoy their community without it being devastated with the logging that occurred,” he said.
There is also a focus on protecting headwaters, fish populations and wildlife corridors, all of which were affected in the Ghost, he said.
The short film points to issues with drainage on the landscape, which can impact the water supply downstream, he said. The Ghost River flows into the Bow River, he said.
He said the affects of logging at Highwood Junction are already being noticed, though the project just started in February.
There is no cost to attend the documentary and panel discussion.
