AWA responds to Environmental Appeal Board ruling
John Watson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) has expressed opposition to the province’s latest decision regarding the Badlands Motorsport Resort development.
Alberta’s Environmental Appeal Board has announced it will allow the development of the resort in the Rosebud River Valley. Part of the AWA’s objection is with regards to the destruction of critical bank swallow habitat.
In their report, the Environmental Appeals Board said the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) “does not have jurisdiction, nor would it be appropriate to opine on whether SARA applies to the Approval Holder.”
“We are disappointed … the Rosebud Valley is a really, mostly pristine ecosystem and that kind of ecosystem, especially in the prairie region is largely, really difficult to find,” said Ruiping Luo, a conservation specialist with AWA. “It is really important habitat; it has been considered an ecologically significant area; there is a lot of different species in that region including the bank swallow and a few other species at risk.”
In particular, the AWA stated in a release, bank swallow populations have declined roughly 98 per cent in Canada, and this species relies heavily on spaces such as that of the Rosebud Valley.
Additionally, the AWA noted collisions with vehicles are among the top five reasons for the bank swallow’s population decline.
The property which the Badlands Motorsport Resort and the associated water management system, which was approved the Environmental Appeals Board, falls largely within Kneehill County, with a small segment crossing the boundary into Wheatland County.
“The Alberta Environmental Appeal Board recently upheld a decision by Alberta Environment and Parks to issue Water Act approval to the Badlands Recreation Development Corp. The development borders the Rosebud River along Wheatland County’s northern boundary; however, it is within Kneehill County. Wheatland County recognizes and respects local government autonomy in deciding land development within their jurisdictions,” stated Wheatland County.
James Zelazo, CFO for the Badlands Motorsports Resort stated the result handed down by the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas was not unexpected, and he did not consider the appeal process to be so much as a speed bump in the development process.
Zelazo declined to comment on record about his position regarding the decision, as he believed it to ultimately not warrant considerable attention.
Luo said the AWA is still deliberating their next steps, and exploring legal counsel, whether any further appeals are viable, and further campaigning to relevant governing bodies, as well as the public against any developments
John Watson
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Strathmore Times
