Alberta Grizzlies

The grizzly bear is an icon of raw pristine wilderness. As Canadians we are fortunate to share the landscape with these unique and powerful creatures. Sadly, in a world that is experiencing an explosion of economic development, the grizzly bear’s core habitat has been invaded and degraded by an ever-expanding network of industrial, residential and recreational activities. This trend has put Alberta on the front lines of extinction for grizzly bears in North America. Today fewer than 500 grizzly bears roam Alberta soil.

Despite a provincial policy to maintain a healthy and viable grizzly bear population and the Endangered Species Conservation Committee’s recommendation (2002) to list the grizzly as threatened in Alberta, the government has yet to make any clear commitment to recovering this valued species. They have yet to list the bear as threatened, they have not dedicated a budget for recovery and they recently disbanded the grizzly bear recovery team.

This lack of commitment and recent comments by government officials suggest they may simply try to maintain grizzly bears as a threatened species. It is time for action!

Sierra Club Canada, in collaboration with several local and international conservation voices, has initiated Action Grizzly Bear, a campaign focused on ensuring grizzly bear recovery in Alberta. With your help, we are calling on the Alberta government to immediately implement the B.E.A.R.S. Essentials for Recovery. Equivalent strategies have shown marked gains towards grizzly bear recovery in the United States.

The B.E.A.R.S. Essentials for Recovery
Budget for recovery
Endangered Species Legislation
Action on Habitat
Reduce Conflict and Human Caused Mortalities
Science Based Recovery Team

By protecting the habitat of such a wide ranging and sensitive species we essentially protect a host of other plants and animals and a suite of conservation values, such as improving the health of the headwaters for the Prairie Provinces and assisting in the recovery of bull trout. This would also directly support several other SCC lead campaigns that focus on landscape protection that encompass critical grizzly bear habitat.

Find out more and join the action at www.actiongrizzlybear.ca