NA News

On-line Alternative Energy Series

Northern Lakes College in Slave Lake is offering a series of LIVE online courses this winter/spring in the area of Alternative Energy & Energy Efficiency and Permaculture Courses.

Wings of Spring: The Spring Bird Count 2009 Summary

The number of species was up in 2009: from 271 in ‘08 to 280; the number of individual birds also went up: from 211,229 to 269,851. In 2008, the most numerous species was Tree Swallow (13,085); second was Red-winged Blackbird (12,625) and third was Franklin’s Gull (11,740). In 2009, Franklin’s Gull moved to first spot, with 37,211. Second was Canada Goose with 13,347 and Red-winged Blackbird dropped to third, with 13,266.

Nature Alberta (Federation of Alberta Naturalists) Comments on the Draft Banff Management Plan

On behalf of the people of Canada, we protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations.

Recommended Conservation Approach for the Lower Athabasca Regional Plan

The regional land use planning process is the best chance this generation has to re‐balance land uses in Alberta’s Lower Athabasca region to ensure boreal forest ecological values are sustained. The Regional Advisory Council can create a wonderful legacy by recommending conservation areas for half this region. It is also crucial that, outside these protected areas, intensive oil sands in situ and mining operations are kept to the Cumulative Environmental Management Association (CEMA) recommended active lease areas of no more than 15% of the landscape at any time, and that other land uses such as forestry and motorized access are carefully managed to sustain ecological values.

Suffield National Wildlife Area – Conservation Makes Economic Sense

As shale gas discoveries greatly expand already abundant reserves of natural gas, the economics of EnCana‟s application to drill an additional 1,275 gas wells within Suffield National Wildlife Area are becoming ever more questionable.