At this point in my life, you would think I would be used to the idiotic decisions made by the super brains in our provincial parliament, but apparently not. The latest issue of Nature Alberta, the magazine from the Federation of Alberta Naturalists, has shown me otherwise.
- Earlier this year, the entire province was upset about the government trying to push through the sale of 1,600 acres of native prairie grassland to a private owner for a potato farm. The ensuing furor over “Potatogate” put a halt to the project, or so we thought. Now it appears the government has told the company involved to wait until the dust settles, and then apply again. The obvious intention is to push the sale through quietly.
- With probably less than 100 Greater Sage Grouse left in Alberta due to severe loss of habitat, it is expected these iconic prairie grassland birds will be extirpated by next year. As a Species At Risk, the government is ‘legally bound’ to develop a recovery plan for them. The government solution? Import birds from northern Montana. No mention of saving or reestablishing any habitat for them. No field studies to find out if we even have any left, or the threats they face.
As if those two items were not enough, the sheer stupidity of the next item nearly rendered me speechless.
Alberta Sustainable Resource Development (SRD) has a new plan to make wildlife in the province safer – by killing them. A recent decree demands wildlife rehabilitation centres immediately kill a long list of mostly smaller animals as they come in, including species whose populations are classed as ‘at risk.’ The orphaned young of almost all larger animals like moose, deer, felines, canids and bears are to be turned over to SRD staff within 72 hours. SRD has no rehab staff, no facilities and no money for rehabilitation, so the animals will likely be be killed.
Has the concept of logic completely escaped these people?
The editor of Nature Alberta said it best – “Since to our knowledge, no Alberta towns have been devoured by rehabilitated Long-toed Salamanders, the question being asked around the province is: what on earth is the real reason.”
If you’re reading this in Alberta, Raise Your Voice! Ask your friends to raise their voices too. Contact your MLA, contact the media – speak up for the orphaned animals in this province. Don’t wait until tomorrow – make your position known now.
If you don’t live in Alberta, contact the Alberta Government and voice your opinions. The louder we shout, the better our chances of them hearing us.
Don’t let the inmates continue to run the asylum in Alberta!