Dear editor:
Out of every struggle to achieve change, something unexpected usually occurs, something unintended, but with the potential to alter the course of history.
Our community, those of us who are fortunate to live in the Ghost Valley, is in the midst of one of these seminal moments.
Life in these hills has always been marked by a quiet serenity. People have been able to experience silence and the songs of its expression.
Those fortunate to work here have been molded by the common virtues of hard work and loyalty. Commuters have been similarly shaped by their residential rural experience and by the challenges of urban life. No one visits here and leaves unaffected by the experience.
The Foothills of Alberta were forged by the unimaginable forces of ice and water passing through on their way to the oceans.
We have been left with breathtaking beauty, forested wilderness, and an amazing array of meadows, wetlands, streams, and rivers, both tranquil and raging. This is a natural legacy, our heritage, and our gift from the Creator.
It has been written that to whom much is given, much is expected. It should now be asserted, that this incredible heritage demands incredible stewardship.
Are we fulfilling our God-given mandate, by providing the required conservative management to protect and maintain this natural legacy? Can we honestly claim that our actions now will enable our children to enjoy the beauty of these landscapes, as we have, or the joy of rafting on raging rivers, swimming or fishing in quiet pools, as we have? Will our followers be able to go to the wilderness, sit in a silent forested glade and smile while the silence sings beautiful songs to their expectant ears?
The world that we share with other creatures and plants is changing rapidly, far faster than we can actually perceive. And we can no longer risk losing vital ecosystems and their critical functions.
The lives of all people, other creatures and plants are being diminished and ultimately threatened by the scope and the speed of these changes.
How can we be hopeful in the face of these cataclysmic alterations in our life space?
There is no doubt that whatever answers we devise to these questions, our responses will require that they carefully reflect our most enduring values and the fullest expressions of our highest vision of what we need to thrive and survive.
We must begin a process of individual and communal examination, to create a sustainable plan for our future, now.
The community is ready to collaborate with industry and the ministry to achieve a balanced resolution of our common concerns.
Hugh Pepper
