Logging Permits Approved in Key Trout Spawning Habitat of Oldman River
The approval means that MORE than SIXTY crossings in the Upper Oldman can be built in vital habitat for both bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout, including a crossing just 1KM downstream of the Oldman River Falls. This region is not only beloved by anglers, campers, and recreationalists, but also widely recognized as critical to the survival of Alberta’s at-risk native trout species.
Data collected over the past two decades by government, the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council Native Trout Recovery Project, and conservation groups — including CPAWS Southern Alberta — has consistently shown this location to be extremely important spawning habitat with one of the highest known concentrations of redds (spawning nests) in the region.
Critical Habitat Loss is a Systemic Problem
While this permit is particularly problematic, given the region's importance, it also represents part of a much larger, and widespread, pattern. Permits like these, which often approve logging infrastructure such as stream crossings and roads, regularly lead to erosion and sediment control failures.
These failures to adequately protect riparian Critical Habitat for listed Species at Risk continue to occur across the region, and mitigation measures are not meeting legally required protection standards.
The habitat in the Upper Oldman is TOO important to risk. We cannot allow for the continued destruction of Critical Habitat, especially when it’s vital to the long-term recovery of bull trout and westslope cutthroat trout.
