Episode Details

This video summary highlights the critical issue of water security in Southern Alberta, highlighting the impact of drought and various land use activities on water sources. Colin emphasizes the importance of protecting the Eastern Slopes and Southern Alberta’s water sources, noting that without water, essential industries like agriculture, oil, and beer production would suffer. The conversation also touches on the ecological services provided by watersheds and the need for restoration and sustainable management practices. Various speakers express concerns about the effects of gravel pits on water quality and the environment, with specific examples of contamination and inadequate regulatory responses. The discussion underscores the need for community involvement, better regulatory practices, and learning from successful models in other regions to address these environmental challenges effectively.

Highlights from the conversations on “Who’s Who in the Zoo?” with Colin Smith (11), Gerry Bietz (9), Muriel Wynnobel, Lyse Carignan, Neil Konner, Joyce Kyncl, Christina McCharles, Jody Young, Adele McKechnie, Dale Christian, Mark Dorin (12) and Shantel Sherwood (13).

Colin Smith – Cooperative Solar Developer | Land Lover | Bioregional Organizer

Yes, something that was said, I went to the Dried Up documentary, a 30-minute short film about the state of the drought in Southern Alberta made by Kevin Van Tighem and a few others. The best long-term investment we can make is in the water security of the Eastern Slopes and Southern Alberta. I’ve been reflecting on these terms. If you have no water, we have no beer, we have no beef, we have no oil, we have no economy and no life if we damage our water sources. And yeah, Jenny, you asked me to talk about the is this 10-kilometer strip that is essentially the source of 95% of all of the water in Southern Alberta and areas like Banff and Kananaskis, there’s no extraction and those forests are intact, almost too intact, and the other regions are over- forested.

There’s oil and gas, there are roads, there’s cattle, and all these things drastically affect the ecological services that watersheds to store and filter water for our major cities, for agriculture, for oil and gas extraction, for making beer with climate change, with land use decisions, we are on a trajectory to have a lot less water. I don’t think your average Albertan is feeling it, but farmers, ranchers, municipal decision-makers, the oil and gas industry, and all these people who require water to make their jobs and their responsibilities work are worried. We were originally calling for a moratorium and policy, but we are now advocating for the restoration of headwaters and ecosystem services and the headwaters. All this stuff I’ve said is a lot of doom and gloom, but I think the key part to shifting the tide is inspiring people with a vision of a brighter future and how they can get involved. There’s a lot of work to be done like actual hands-on work, but also organizing and changing our mindsets and speaking with our friends and family about the situation, but also giving them, providing opportunities. So something

Gerry Bietz – Big Hills Springs Preservation Society | Rocky View County Aggregate Resource Committee Member

People cannot appreciate, the open spaces and the natural environment unless they have the opportunity to experience it and go to our website, and visit the park. There’s a road allowance that extends from Cochrane up to the park. It’s a public road allowance and if people are inclined to walk up there, it’s available for walking. It’s bordered on both sides by private lands and so if people are inclined to walk up there, we’d encourage them to make sure that they respect that private land. It’s only 70 acres. It sees a quarter of a million people a year or more.