Protect the Eastern Slopes: Our Shared Legacy

Dear Fellow Albertans,

The treasured Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains, the source of 90% of Southern Alberta’s water, face unprecedented threats. Extractive exploitation has pushed these vital headwater ecosystems to the brink, jeopardizing our water security, wildlife habitats, and the breathtaking natural beauty that defines this land.

At this critical juncture, our collective actions can alter this narrative. For everyone who has marvelled at the rocky peaks, felt the fragrant forest breeze, appreciated the cold, clean cobbled rivers, and values all the beings that call these slopes home, it is time to rise and defend them.

This ecological and hydrological crisis directly impacts our daily lives. As the integrity of the mountain headwaters is compromised, we are increasingly vulnerable to severe droughts, floods, and fires that threaten drinking water, agriculture, and ecological stability.

We must protect and invest in restoring the Eastern Slopes to enhance water retention, soil health, and ecosystem resilience through ecological landscape management principles. This approach focuses on decentralized, nature-based solutions that work with natural systems to improve watershed health, soil health, biodiversity and vegetation cover, ultimately creating a more resilient and sustainable environment.

What You Can Commit to Do:

• Send and Share Advocacy Letters: We will send letters to Premier Smith, our MLAs, and the appropriate ministers, urging immediate action, and encouraging others in our network to do the same.
• Promote Awareness on Social Media: We pledge to use our social media platforms to raise awareness and promote policies that protect our Eastern Slopes.
• Educational Engagement: We commit to watching and sharing informative videos about the ecological and cultural significance of the Eastern Slopes, enhancing community understanding and support.
• Participate in Community Actions: We will join and promote local conservation efforts and public discussions about the sustainable management of our natural landscapes.

We Demand Immediate Action to:

• Enact Legislative Protections for the headwaters of the Red Deer, Ghost, Elbow, Sheep, Highwood, Old Man, Livingstone, and Crowsnest watersheds, ensuring the complete protection of the Eastern Slopes.
• Reform the Forestry Act to incorporate Ecologically Based Management (EBM) and to ban all clear-cut logging.
• Prohibit Coal Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction on the Eastern Slopes, forever.
• Invest in Ecological Restoration to rehabilitate damaged headwater ecosystems, reclaim unneeded roads and trails, repopulate foothills valleys with beavers, and employ a Youth Conservation Corps and Indigenous Land Guardian initiative to complete the work necessary.
• Construct over 10,000 small-scale, low-tech, nature-based water retention structures at a cost of $50-100 million between now and 2030 to restore and heal the water cycle and water storage capacity of the land.

This pivotal moment demands bold leadership and actions that reflect the collective will of Alberta’s people. By signing this open letter, we commit to taking personal and collective actions to ensure the protection and sustainable management of our Eastern Slopes.

Join us in safeguarding a legacy for generations to come, ensuring that the majesty of our Eastern slopes is preserved and cherished, not exploited and forgotten, to the detriment of future generations.