Castle Wilderness
New Castle “Synopsis” Points to Ecosystem in Peril Without Major ChangesCPAWS is proud to present Selected Ecological Resources of Alberta’s Castle Carbondale: A Synopsis of Current Knowledge. |
Sunrise Over Castle Peak |
The aim of this synopsis is to centralize in one resource an accurate assessment of the ecological health of the Castle area for the general public, recreationists, academics, industry, and decision makers in at various levels of government. Martin Jalkotzy, the document’s principle author, concludes that the Castle region is a wildland of national significance because of its exceptional biodiversity and importance to regional connectivity for wildlife.
The long-term viability of Grizzlies in southwest Alberta is threatened by unsustainable land use patterns in the Castle and loss of linkages across Hwy 3. |
Jalkotzy also concludes the future of the Castle’s gems such as its grizzly bear, bull trout, rich vegetation populations is bleak if action is not taken. Noting the warnings of the Alberta government’s own tribunals, the author describes the Castle as being managed with an outdated management plan that is incapable of addressing the cumulative human effects on the region. The author ultimately concludes that a recognition by government, recreationists, industry, and the general public of the area threats to the area will be necessary, along with legally-binding management objectives to preserve and enhance the natural values of the Castle region. |
Jalkotzy concludes:
The Castle Carbondale is rich in what Worbets and Berdahl (2003) refer to as “natural capital”. Natural capital includes oil and gas and timber used in the production of goods but also includes the living ecosystems that form the basis of our quality of life and our economy, (agriculture, energy, forestry, tourism and recreation). Worbets and Berdahl (2003) make a strong case that we need to sustain and build Alberta’s natural capital because it is in our long-term interest, both for a strong economy and a healthy environment. Opportunities to promote sustainable use for the Castle Carbondale are still available as we enter 2005. In particular specific, legally-binding management objectives, indicators and thresholds should be established for the Castle Carbondale. However, recognition of the scale and scope of current threats by the appropriate decision makers, industry, recreationists and general public will be required before sustainable management can be achieved.
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CPAWS and several other ENGOs have called upon the Alberta Government to enact legislated Protection of the Castle for several decades. Protection of this area remains the most viable tool for addressing the declines outlined in the Synopsis and safeguarding this treasured landscape for all Albertans.
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Selected Ecological Resources of Alberta’s Castle Carbondale: A Synopsis of Current Knowledge 12 pages This document is appropriate for those on slow or dial-up Internet connections, and for readers interested in a more detailed overview of the document. |
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Full Report This document is appropriate for those on high speed Internet connections, and for readers interested in the complete report. The table of contents covers the following:
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From the report:
| Species | Status1 | Population Estimate and Distribution2 |
Conservation Concerns |
| Bull trout | Sensitive | Unknown, low adult numbers | Stocks are at severe risk if something were to happen to the adult population or their spawning grounds (e.g., angling mortality, sedimentation); competition and hybridization with non-native brook trout, blockage of migration route by ORD, generally habitat degradation as a result of cumulative human activities |
| Cutthroat trout | Undetermined | Unknown, low adult numbers | Fragility of adult populations to anglers when they concentrate in pools that are easily accessible by anglers; high quality overwintering habitat often limited; populations sensitive to habitat degradation impacting critical overwintering areas; competition and hybridization with non-native Oncorhynchus stocks, generally habitat degradation as a result of cumulative human activities |
| Mountain whitefish | Secure | Unknown, low adult numbers | Susceptible to angler harvest in limited overwintering areas, blockage of migration route by ORD, habitat degradation as a result of cumulative human activities |
| Long-toed salamander | Sensitive | Unknown, 15 locations identified to date | Limited provincial distribution or life history characteristics that could make them vulnerable to anthropomorphic alterations, negative effects of non-native fish introductions have been associated with declines in amphibian populations |
| Western toad | Sensitive | Unknown | Population trends in Alberta are unknown, the species has suffered population declines and population extirpations elsewhere in its range, sensitive to introduced exotic predators and competitors, disease, pollution and pesticides |
| Spotted frog | Sensitive | Unknown, but likely discontinuous and low densities | Habitat loss and alteration due to development in the Westcastle area, threats from road construction, and recreational development, wetland drainage, livestock grazing, and large-scale logging practices are of particular concern. |
| Wolf | Secure | Unknown | Mortality and habitat alienation as a result of high road densities and associated human access, depredation problems in agricultural fringe lands, regional habitat fragmentation as a result of human development along the Highway 3 corridor all threaten the long term viability of wolves in southwestern Alberta |
| Grizzly bear | May be at risk | Unknown | Mortality, translocations and habitat alienation as a result of high road densities and associated human access, depredation in agricultural fringe lands, regional habitat fragmentation as a result of human development along the Highway 3 corridor threaten the long term viability of grizzly bears in southwestern Alberta |
| Wolverine | May be at risk | Unknown, but likely concentrated in the western portion at a very low density | Vulnerable to overharvest, populations probably cannot sustain rates of human-induced mortality greater than seven to eight percent, a rate lower than that documented in most studies of trapping mortality, habitat alienation as a result of high road densities and associated human access, regional habitat fragmentation along the Highway 3 corridor |
| Canada lynx | Sensitive | Unknown, but likely a patchy distribution at low density | Intensive forest management, current and historic population overharvest, range expansion of competing species, and increasing levels of human access into lynx habitat related to road development |
| Bobcat | Sensitive | Unknown but likely very patchily distributed in low elevation habitats | Vulnerable to overharvest - increased trapping mortality as a result of increasing levels of human access related to road development, intensive forest management |
Notes :
2Distribution is throughout the Castle Carbondale unless stated otherwise.
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