Those opposed to clear-cut logging in the Ghost watershed staged a protest along Highway 1A just west of Cochrane on Oct. 31.
People from various groups set against clear cutting in the region demonstrated in South Ghost area at the Highway 1A-Highway 40 junction, arguing that the forestry practice risks greater flooding like the deluge that inundated southern Alberta in 2013.
Groups from the Ghost Valley, Bragg Creek, Stoney Nakoda Nation and Calgary participated in the demonstration, but Sharon MacDonald with Friends of the Ghost said the protest was mainly organized by groups in Calgary.
“We’re neighbours on a shared landscape, and what happens upstream doesn’t stay upstream,” MacDonald said.
“On the weekend, the area is frequented by urban recreationalists who come out to recharge so we always see a good influx of downstream neighbours.”
She informed the Eagle that the Oct. 31 protest was inspired by a much smaller demonstration – “a protest of one.”
Calgarian Paul Armstrong stood, placard in hand, in front of Spray Lake Sawmills’ plant on Griffin Road in Cochrane and then moved to the intersection along Highway 40 on Oct. 22. Armstrong said it’s important community members downstream become involved.
“They have to look further upstream when they’re talking about mitigating floods. They are spending millions of dollars around Calgary to mitigate, but if the Ghost goes, I think all that mitigation will be for naught. I think we have to look a little further out.”
MacDonald said the protest follows on the heels of a meeting between Ghost Valley community representatives with Forestry Minister Oneil Carlier on Oct. 26, which MacDonald said also spurred the protest.
She said that their Facebook page, “Stop Ghost Clearcut” has seen a marked increase in traffic after the protest.
Spray Lake Sawmills woodlands manager Ed Kulcsar says Spray Lakes’ timber-harvesting methods do not impact flood risk.
“The science tells us that our harvesting activity is not contributing to flooding. It’s not our experience in all our years here that there’s any extra overland flow of water associated with our harvest areas.”
