Opponents of plans to clearcut in the heavily used recreation areas west of Calgary gathered in a protest walk/bike on Moose Mountain Road on May 9.
Organized by GROW Kananaskis and supported by other local pro-recreation groups such as Bragg Creek & Kananaskis Outdoor Recreation, (BCKOR), the event was well-attended.
Environmental groups have been writing letters, picketing, and otherwise engaging in dialogue with West Fraser Timber and the relevant Alberta government departments, asking for a variety of things that all amount to pumping the brakes on logging the area.
Shaun Peter of BCKOR said at an open house conducted by West Fraser in Cochrane the day before the protest walk that the company and the province should be able to figure out the dollars and do the sensible thing – stop the clearcut.
In his view, the province should take the revenues they’ve been collecting from the $90 fee for recreating in areas like West Bragg and Kananaskis and use that to compensate West Fraser for their loss of lumber supply.
Nearly 900 hectares of forest in the popular hiking, biking and skiing trails in West Bragg Creek and Moose Mountain are scheduled for the loggers’ axes starting in 2026.
