There's no "Rampant industrial development" in "team"

Jan 24, 2008

Well, it seemed like a step forward. A few years ago, the Alberta government set up a committee to protect the best remaining Woodland caribou habitat in the province.  Government and industry representatives sat down with groups like CPAWS, and came up with some guidelines to keep industry out of critical habitat, including the Little Smoky area, near Jasper National Park.  in 2006, the province agreed to the group's findings. 

Or maybe not.  In 2008, the group found that over 90 new oil and gas wells had been approved in the area, kilometres of roads built, and new mineral leases approved.  When the group pressed for details, governement reps were tight-lipped.

This is bad news for the Little Smoky caribou herd. There are only about 60-100 caribou left in the herd, and the whole group is at immediate risk of extirpation (local extinction).

More:
Little Smoky Woodland caribou herd (CPAWS Northern Alberta)
Caribou herd could be wiped out, group warns (Edmonton Journal)
Alta government presents green face but oilpatch continues to erode caribou land (Oil Week)

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