The Ghost Valley community is hoping to educate its downstream neighbours with a special presentation from wildlife biologist and writer Karsten Heuer, ‘Why Wildness Matters,’ on Oct. 21 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Parkdale United Church in Calgary.
“It’s important for people to understand the reason why, in our modern society with all our technology and urban settings, we still need wildness in order to be human,” said Sharon MacDonald, a resident of the Ghost Valley and one of the event organizers.
According to MacDonald, the Ghost Valley community has seen more and more the effect industrial land uses have on the natural environment. For those who have been in the area for many years, MacDonald said there is a great deal of concern.
“In recent years, with advances in technology, it seems our reach and our effect is further and larger than ever before,” she said. “Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. It’s time for people to slow down and take a closer look at where we want to be and what we need for our own physical survival and mental health.”
As the majority of Ghost Valley residents are already aware of the importance of the natural environment, MacDonald said the group decided to open the talk up to the surrounding community by hosting the event in Calgary. What happens upstream doesn’t stay upstream, she noted.
“The things happening in our valley will impact Calgarians, at some point,” she said. “The Bow River possesses only three per cent of Alberta’s water resources, but is expected to water 33 per cent of our population. That makes the Ghost River, as a tributary, a critical upstream watershed.”
According to MacDonald, the presentation will also include an update on the challenges facing the Ghost Valley – which she said presents a number of concerns to residents, landowners and even those who regularly visit the valley.
“Our major land use at present, and of immediate concern, is clear-cut logging in ever-increasing block sizes,” she said. “A lot of the residents in this area are concerned about some of the harvest plans, and these are the people who know the land. We watch the landscape, we know the care and stewarding that this area needs and it’s time for us to reach out.”
MacDonald hopes the free presentation will raise awareness about the need for co-operation in working with this shared landscape, particularly with the valley’s downstream neighbours.
“Water connects us all, and as neighbours, it’s important for us to work together to achieve the results we want for this landscape, now and into the future,” she said.
