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SAGE is a leading voice for a healthy and environmentally sustainable community.
Oki. We respectfully acknowledge that SAGE meets on the traditional lands of Piikani, Kainai & Siksika, members of Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy) and the homelands of Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III. We are grateful for their keeping of these lands and waters - past, present & future.
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SAGE is currently recruiting for members and for positions on the Board.
If you might be interested, please contact us.
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SAGE Submission for 10-year Review of South Saskatchewan Regional Plan
1 December 2024
The Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE) has been a leading voice for a healthy and environmentally sustainable community in Lethbridge and region since 1984. SAGE was an active participant in the public consultations that eventuated the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan (SSRP).
The SSRP articulated strategic directions for policy action that included the management of air quality, conserving biodiversity, promoting the efficient use of land and advancing watershed managements among others. Sustainability goals suggest the stewardship of land and resources to ensure current needs are met without compromising opportunities for future generations. In other words, the SSRP promises responsible social, environmental and economic decisions that consider the best interests of future generations. We take this sustainability goal as the primary imperative, with a strategic direction of mitigating and adapting to climate change.
The following points are intended to help guide the SSRP Review currently being conducted by the Government of Alberta:
For the full document, click ... here.
Provincial By-election 2024: Open Letter on Environmental Policy in Alberta
Since 1984, Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE) has advocated for a healthy and environmentally sustainable community. SAGE has actively participated in municipal and regional planning, and has advocated for the protection and restoration of headwaters, the maintenance of instream flows required for aquatic health and biodiversity, and the preservation of native grasslands. The organization has also informed the public on home energy performance, waste management, and emerging issues like microplastics in the environment.
There are a few issues that are important for the future of Lethbridge and region that can be affected through provincial policy and legislation:
- Prioritize the protection of headwaters from pollution. The two main challenges are: 1) proposed coal mining which will contribute to selenium levels that may exceed allowable levels for drinking water (as currently being experienced in Fernie and Sparwood), and 2) linear disturbances from forestry, industrial and recreational activities leading to accelerated soil erosion into river and streams that negatively impacting habitat for species-at-risk (indicators of a healthy aquatic environment). Healthy rivers represent an irreplaceable source for social and economic flourishing in the region.
- Prioritize the maintenance of evidence-based Instream Flow Needs (IFNs) in water management. The current system of allocating water from our rivers must acknowledge flows that sustains aquatic and riparian health. Schemes for the expansion of on- and off-stream storage in southern Alberta ignore the observed and anticipated decline in precipitation and snow-pack due to climate change. Furthermore, expanding irrigation acres without adequate water supply represents lost economic opportunities (stranded investment) and threatens the loss of valuable native grasslands that support biodiversity and species-at-risk, carbon sequestration, and drought resistance in the region. Water management modelling must be assessed for source flows from headwater tributaries and the impacts of climate change, and native grasslands must be preserved.
- Municipal governance should allow for independent decision-making to manage urban sprawl and encourage higher energy performance in the built environment. [...]
- Create an airshed for Lethbridge & region that will measure, monitor, evaluate and respond to high levels of air pollution including NOx, SOx, ground-level ozone, ammonia, methane and particulate matter.
- Continue to promote and expand the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program to improve the management of recyclable materials, and place more emphasis on ‘responsibility’ which encourages manufacturers to better design-for-disassembly and chose materials that are more recyclable or biodegradable. [...]
- Encourage planning for food security. [...]
- Support action plans that lead to improved resilience: infrastructure, climate emergency measures, incentives for water-conservation practices, and rebates for upgrades that reduce energy consumption. An urban forest strategy [...]
SAGE encourages our provincial decision-makers to direct policy and legislation towards the preservation of a healthy environment. Sustainable social and economic benefits are derived from ecological integrity – that is, clean water, clean air, healthy soil, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and robust biodiversity.
Click here for the full letter.
Grassland Preservation in Lethbridge
Letter to the University of Lethbridge
1 November 2024
The University of Lethbridge Business Corporation (ULBC) is in the process of conducting a market analysis that will guide the South Campus Development of approximately 100 acres owned by the University (1). Part of the area proposed for housing development has been identified in the City of Lethbridge Environment & Historic Resources Strategy as natural grasslands (2). The Strategy states: “It is rare to find undisturbed native grasslands in Lethbridge. These remaining patches of native grassland must be preserved. Sites that are disturbed native grasslands often require significant intervention and management to restore native species and to ensure the health of these regions does not worsen. Natural grasslands are rapidly declining and there need to be processes put into place so that the remaining areas are preserved” (p.92). Furthermore, according to the State of the Prairie Technical Report by the Prairie Conservation Forum, native grassland in the Lethbridge Plain declined 8% during the period 1990-2010, the greatest amount of change in the Grassland Natural Region of southern Alberta (3).
The fragmentation and loss of grasslands abutting the coulees may lead to decreased biodiversity, including species-at-risk, and may negatively impact drought resilience, soil stability and consequently a loss of carbon sinks which help mitigate climate change.
We expect a high standard of business development, professional practice and environmental stewardship from the University of Lethbridge, given its commitment to biodiversity and conservation in the curriculum, and as a leader in science-based decision making. It is standard professional practice to apply Alberta government guidelines for conservation of native grasslands in decisions regarding industrial development applications. In addition, professional practice expects the application of provincial guidelines and directives to minimize the impact of land-use activities on wildlife (4).
As such, the Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE) would request that the University of Lethbridge expand its market analysis to include an environmental assessment. Avoidance of losing native grasslands is the preferred approach – it appears to be possible to proceed with about three-quarters of the development and leave the native grassland portion without surface disturbance.
Unfortunately, native grasslands continue to be lost to industrial, agricultural and urban development in Alberta. It is important that their preservation be prioritized. We look to the University of Lethbridge to make principled decisions for its South Campus Development.
1 https://ulbcorp.ca/projects/
2 https://www.lethbridge.ca/media/3ruh5jhv/environment-and-historic-resources-strategy.pdf
3 https://albertapcf.live-website.com/rsu_docs/state-of-the-prairie-summary-document_final.pdf
4 https://www.alberta.ca/land-conservation-and-reclamation-guidelines-for-native-grasslands
https://www.alberta.ca/wildlife-land-use-guidelines
For the complete letter, click ... here.
October 28, 2024
Dear Minister Loewen and Minister Schulz,
[RE: Grizzly Bear Hunting]
Nature Alberta is a non-profit organization dedicated to the greater appreciation and conservation of Alberta’s natural environment. We serve as a hub for 50 grassroots nature clubs across the province and collaborate with many more community partners. We are a member organization of the provincial Endangered Species Conservation Committee and are obligated to recommend to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas regarding the status of Alberta species and appropriate management responses. On behalf of our 1,747 members, and the 1,057 members of 9 nature organizations undersigned, Nature Alberta urges you to immediately reverse the Wildlife (Grizzly Bear - Ministerial) Amendment Regulation that permits hunting of Ursus arctos (Brown (Grizzly) Bear), a Threatened species.
For the complete letter, click ... here.
Microplastics
Submitted to The Lethbridge Herald, 1 November 2024
WasteLess.ca recently hosted a film titled Plastic People on the topic of microplastics. Microplastics are defined as pieces of plastic smaller than 5 mm. Microplastics much smaller than this, however, are being found in, well, everything. Imagine dividing the edge of a dime into 1000 slices – that is a micrometer. Invisible to the eye, microplastics are being found in plants, in animals, in the soil, in the water, in the air and in us. In our own bodies, microplastics are being found in our reproductive systems, our blood, within individual cells, in our brains – everywhere researchers look. The truth is we are only beginning to discover the extent of this pollution and the resulting ecological and health impacts. If you think this is bad news, you are right.
Microplastics in our bodies can impact our health in three basic ways: simply having a piece of plastic in your blood or in your brain may cause health problems. The second source of concern are the additives in plastics that are known to leach out – pigments, plastizers, stabilizers, fire retardants: ‘forever chemicals’ associated with a myriad of potential health impacts. And the third source is the fact that plastics attract other chemicals in the environment – herbicides, pesticides and many other synthetic chemicals – which are brought into the body with the plastic, like a Trojan horse bearing toxic gifts.
Plastics generally do not disappear once they are in the environment. They just break down and become harder to clean up as they degrade into smaller and smaller bits. And this is the conundrum as we continue to produce (and dispose of) 400 metric tonnes each year. Like all pollution it is much easier and cost-effective to prevent its release to the environment than to try to clean it up later. One could look to selenium from coal mining or greenhouse gas emissions as examples of this. And though these are considered ‘wicked’ problems, doing something better is always better than doing nothing at all. So, what can you do?
Plastics are an important engineering material – strong, lightweight, chemical resistant, tough. They are useful in durable goods, but maybe not so necessary as disposable goods. One of the easiest ways to reduce the amount of microplastics in the environment is to stop using single-use items like plastic bags, cutlery, straws, etc. You might think this is inconsequential, but about a third of plastic production (140 million metric tonnes) is directed to single-use products. That’s almost 40 lbs for each person on the planet each year! Only 1% of single-use plastics comes from recycled products.
It is likely that the largest source of microplastics from the home is from laundry. Synthetic fibres from our clothing break down and are washed away with the wastewater (eventually re-entering the environment as waste sludge or effluent water after treatment) or they are blown outside with the dryer air. What you can do is choose clothing with natural fibres when you can; use full washer loads with minimum laundry soap and set on gentle; and hang your clothes to dry. Millions of microfibers are released in each load of laundry – these simple practices may reduce this number by 70%.
The film, Plastic People, referred to the microplastics in each of our bodies. But we are also plastic people in that we have become so dependent on the material over the past 70 years. Knowing about the consequences of microplastics pollution should encourage us to use this important material more deliberately.
Consider the River in Watershed and Water Management
Cheryl Bradley, September 2024
Thank you for inviting me to this event that recognizes World Rivers Day, the 22nd of September 2024. World Rivers Day, launched by the United Nations in 2005, is a day to celebrate rivers and create greater awareness of the need to better care for our water resources. For me every day is rivers day.
Since moving to this province in 1971, I have had the good fortune to live, work and play along the prairie rivers of southern Alberta. My current hometown of Lethbridge straddles the Oldman River. I am mindful that the water I drink and wash-in comes from the Oldman, and for that I am grateful. For over five decades now, the Oldman, Bow, Red Deer and South Saskatchewan as well as Milk rivers have captivated my soul as I paddled their waters, hiked their coulees and camped in the shade of their riparian forests.
Prairie rivers are not just conduits of water. They are dynamic systems that since deglaciation twelve thousand or so years ago have evolved to integrate our region’s geology, landforms, climate, soils and lifeforms. Through my graduate research on cottonwoods in the early 1980s and from subsequent observations I grew to understand and appreciate the interrelationships of river flows, channel morphology and life in aquatic and riparian ecosystems. Cottonwoods have evolved to take advantage of spring floods, settling on new river bars created by shifting channels and growing their roots apace with declining flows. Mature cottonwoods stabilize river banks while sheltering songbirds, other wildlife and even humans. Eventually as the channel moves, old trees collapse into the river providing sheltering habitat for fish and other aquatic life during summer drought and spring floods. And so the cycle continues.
There are many such stories of intricate interconnection woven into river ecosystems. It troubles me that all of this has been put at risk by just over 100 years of human intervention.
The rivers I will consider in my talk today are the main tributaries of the South Saskatchewan River in Alberta - the Bow, Oldman and Red Deer. ...
For the rest of the presentation, click ... here
October 10, 2024
[This post was originally published on ABlawg.ca]
The Alberta Emergency Statures Amendment Act, 2024 Surges Executive Powers under Water Act
By: Brenda Heelan Powell, Arlene Kwasniak, Braum Barber, and Ruiping Luo
For the pdf version, click here.
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