Grizzly bears still not safe in Alberta

Wildcanada.net Action Alert
Thursday, September 2, 2004

The Alberta government has received every indication from their own specialists and committees that grizzly bears in Alberta are in serious danger. It is well-known that population estimates are around only 500 bears left on provincial lands. Now a recent report indicates there may be fewer than 40 bears in the southwestern corner of the province, and unless immediate action is taken to improve bear habitat, grizzlies could very soon become extinct in the region.

Take action at www.wildcanada.net/grizzly-alberta and demand Premier Klein and Minister of Sustainable Resource Development Mike Cardinal take responsibility in protecting and recovering this species now.

As many of you know, Minister Cardinal and Premier Klein have refused to listen to recommendations made by their own specialists and government appointed committees. In April 2002, the Endangered Species Conservation Committee recommended the grizzly bear be listed as a “threatened” species under the provincial Wildlife Act. In fall 2003, the government’s own science indicated that the grizzly bear population is extremely low - with no more than 500 bears. Then this past winter, the Grizzly Bear Recovery Team (set up by Minister Cardinal himself!) recommended the suspension of the annual grizzly bear spring sport hunt.

The Alberta government has still not taken action on any of these recommendations.

As many of you also know, the government has received tens of thousands of emails and faxes, and more than two thousand phone calls on this issue - many of them from Wildcanada.net participants. People from across Alberta, Canada and the world have expressed their concern that grizzly bears are facing a perilous future in Alberta.

Minister Cardinal and Premier Klein, however, seem to believe they are making appropriate efforts to reduce grizzly bear mortality by such things as decreasing number of hunting permits and continuing to fund population research. While these factors may play a very minor role in helping the species, grizzly bear mortality rates continue to be extremely high. Last year about 60 grizzly bears were killed directly from human activity, approximately 10% of the current population estimate. Scientific research indicates that grizzly bear populations can tolerate total human-caused mortality rates no higher than 6.5%.

Furthermore, the provincial government is allowing increased development throughout remaining grizzly bear habitat, particularly in the southwestern portion of Alberta. In a recent study completed by Dr. Brian Horejsi, a wildlife biologist based in Calgary, it is reported that the grizzly population living in the foothills and mountains between the Crowsnest Pass region and Montana is unsustainable, with only three or four adult females remaining. The report states that if grizzlies from neighbouring BC and Montana were not entering the province, there very likely wouldn’t be grizzly bears in southwestern Alberta.

Conservationists across Alberta, Canada and the US have recognized this region, known as the Crown of the Continent, as a crucial area to protect, as it is becoming a bottleneck for grizzly bear and other wildlife movement. Protecting this region is an essential component of realizing the Yellowstone to Yukon vision. Campaigns such as protecting the Castle wilderness, Kananaskis Country, and the expansion of Waterton National Park are critical in efforts to protect the wildlands required to sustain a healthy population of grizzly bears in Alberta and western Canada.

Achieving protection and recovery of Alberta’s grizzly bears is evidently a difficult fight with the current government. As concerned citizens we cannot give up. In fact, we must continue to pressure this government as much as possible, from all angles, on all fronts.

Tell Premier Klein and Minister Cardinal that you support the full protection and recovery of grizzly bears in Alberta. Visit www.wildcanada.net/grizzly-alberta now.

To take further action to protect critical habitat for grizzlies in southwestern Alberta, send a free fax from the Castle Wilderness Action Centre at www.wildcanada.net/castle.

To find out more about the recent report Grizzly bears in southwest Alberta: A vision and plan for population and habitat recovery, by Dr. Brian L. Horejsi click here.

	Take action to support the protection and recovery of grizzly bears in Alberta. Take action to protect the Castle Wilderness – critical grizzly bear habitat. Make a contribution to help protect grizzly bears and their habitat.

	Challenge: Beat August’s success this September! In response to our call for donations last month, Wildcanada.net network participants like you donated $3,128 last month! We’re going to squirrel that money away and put it towards hiring a new Conservation Director sometime in the next few months. But we still have a long way to go. It will cost us about $50,000 to retain a full time Conservation Director for 2005. That person will need to travel to meet with decision makers and our conservation partners. They will need a desk and things to put on it like a telephone and a computer. They will even have the audacity to ask for a salary! Of course, we are seeking funds from other sources: foundations, socially responsible businesses, rich uncles. But I want to challenge you to beat August’s success this September. I would like you, our online network, to donate another $4,000 this month! Go to www.wildcanada.net/donate to support our efforts today! As you can see, protecting wildlife like Alberta’s grizzly bears is still our number one priority. Having a full time Conservation Director will help make this happen. A Conservation Director will help coordinate a campaign that will include all the online whiz-bang that you’ve come to expect from Wildcanada.net, plus the on-the-ground efforts that we’ve demonstrated are effective at getting the governments attention on an issue like the grizzly hunt: newspaper ads, marketing and outreach, information sessions and grassroots citizen mobilization. Can you help us put this body in our shop so we can continue the good work to protect grizzly bears, wolves and other wild creatures? Can you help us beat August’s $3,000 in donations this September? Can you help us reach $4,000 this month? Please donate today at www.wildcanada.net/donate. For those who prefer the standard method of writing a cheque, you can download our mailing info there too. Many thanks for your support! Together we’ll protect the grizzly!

All images copyright Wildcanada.net and John Marriott