Conservation Issues and News in the Canadian Rockies

The latest conservation news can be found on my Canadian Wildlife and Nature Photography blog:

Cougar Conservation in British Columbia and Alberta - Feb 15, 2009

Following is a list of Banff, Canmore, Albertan and Canadian organizations that I support and/or regularly donate images to either free of charge or at reduced rates. These are all wonderful organizations and projects, many of which are focused on my backyard in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Please take the time to visit their websites and if you can, make a donation to support their work in conservation in Canada and abroad.

Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y)

. . . people working together to maintain and restore the unique natural heritage of the Yellowstone to Yukon region.

Combining science and stewardship, Y2Y seeks to ensure that the world- renowned wilderness, wildlife, native plants, and natural processes of the Yellowstone to Yukon region continue to function as an interconnected web of life, capable of supporting all of the natural and human communities that reside within it, for now and for future generations. For more on Y2Y, please visit their website at www.y2y.net.

The Y2Y Conservation Initiative holds a very special place in my heart because I not only live in the Y2Y corridor, but also work and play (my photography and recreation) in it. I value the efforts that this organization makes because I feel it is extremely important that we ensure grizzly bears and other large predators have viable travel corridors connecting wilderness areas in the region to maintain genetic diversity.

Being Caribou
Karsten Heuer and Leanne Allison's epic adventure with barrenground caribou

April 8, 2003: Karsten Heuer + Leanne Allison left the remote community of Old Crow, Yukon, to join the Porcupine Caribou Herd on their epic life journey. For 5 months the Canadians migrated on foot with the 123,000-member herd from wintering to calving grounds in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and back again — 1500km across snow and tundra. They completed their journey on Sept. 8, 2003 and headed straight to Washington, DC to tell politicians + activists what they found.

Learn more about Being Caribou and why it's still a very relevant issue in 2008 at www.beingcaribou.com.

I've known Karsten for almost fifteen years now and am constantly amazed at the adventures he gets himself into and the personal sacrifices he has made to get his messages out. For two incredible books that tie together conservation and adventure, pick up Being Caribou (2005) and Walking the Big Wild (2002).

CPAWS
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

CPAWS is Canada's pre-eminent, community-based, non-profit, wilderness protection organization.

With 13 chapters across Canada, over 30 staff, and hundreds of committed volunteers, CPAWS creates consensus for wilderness conservation by engaging Canadians, government and industry at the community level. They're also leaders in setting the agenda for wilderness conservation at the national and provincial/territorial level.

Since they were founded in 1963, CPAWS has helped to protect over 40 million hectares of Canada's most treasured wild places - an area nearly seven times the size of Nova Scotia! Learn more about CPAWS at www.cpaws.org.

The Muskwa-Kechika Management Area
The Largest Wilderness in the Rocky Mountains

The Muskwa-Kechika Management Area (M-KMA), situated in north-eastern British Columbia, Canada, is an area of land designated for varying levels of protection, conservation and use (e.g. economic development, research, backcountry recreation, Alaska Highway travel). The M-KMA serves as a model for the future, enabling economic development while protecting a large, intact, and predominantly unroaded wilderness. For more on the M-KMA, please visit their website at www.muskwa-kechika.com.

I made my first foray into the heart of the Muskwa-Kechika in August 2005 with Wayne Sawchuk, an original founder of the Muskwa Kechika Management Area concept. Read all about my adventures on horseback with Wayne in the Muskwa Kechika Wilderness in my Storybook Gallery.

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