Proposal to Re-classify Redwater and |
Updated: April 14, 2011 |
What is being proposed?
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation is proposing to re-classify Redwater and North Bruderheim Natural Areas as Provincial Recreation Areas (PRAs), and to add lands to these PRAs.
Re-classification of these natural areas as PRAs will enable better management of recreational use, and help visitors to understand what kinds of conservation and recreation opportunities are available at these sites.
Public safety would be improved by the ability to minimize fire risks associated with random camping and random fires and new quiet hours would be established under the new classification. Hunting will continue to be permitted in both sites.
In order to balance conservation and recreation opportunities in Lamont and Sturgeon counties, the North Bruderheim site would be managed with conservation and non-motorized recreational use as top priorities. With support from Lamont County, the site would no longer allow off-highway vehicle use.
North Bruderheim Natural Area, located approximately 65 km northeast of Edmonton, is a small site of approximately 178 hectares, with the Beaver Hill Creek system running through it. This site does not have the land-base or infrastructure to accommodate off-highway vehicles.
Redwater Natural Area, located approximately 70 km northeast of Edmonton in Sturgeon County, is a large site of approximately 1,810 hectares that can accommodate a wide range of outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities, including off-highway vehicles and equestrian use.
Members of the Alberta Off-Highway Vehicle Association have acted as Natural Area Stewards for Redwater Natural Area for more than two decades, and these volunteers have worked diligently to assist in managing OHV use through information, education and voluntary compliance.
This proposal would also add approximately 388 hectares of public land to Redwater Natural Area and 261 hectares to North Bruderheim Natural Area. This land had previously been reserved for inclusion into these sites. For more information on these proposed boundary changes, please see the Proposal Maps.
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation is currently updating the legislation for Alberta's provincial park system. The proposed new legislation would simplify the parks classification system into two categories, provincial parks and heritage rangelands, and use zoning to classify park land according to its highest and most logical use (i.e., recreation, conservation or a combination of both). This would mean that in future, the Redwater and North Bruderheim sites could be re-classified as provincial parks.
However, the intent of the legislation update is to make the classification system easier to understand, rather than to change the existing levels of protection or recreation activity. No changes to existing protection or activities would be made without additional consultation.
Public Comment
The public review period for the proposed reclassifications and boundary amendments is now complete. Thank you for providing your feedback.
A decision regarding the proposal has not been made yet. All comments received during the public consultation are being considered before a decision is made.
A summary of public comments and the resulting proposed action(s) will be posted on www.albertaparks.ca/consult once a decision has been reached.
What Happens after this Consultation?
A decision regarding the proposal will be made after the 60 day public comment period ends on October 25, 2010, and once all comments have been considered.
Thank you for providing your comments. A summary of public comments and the resulting proposed action(s) will be posted online once a decision has been reached.
*Disclaimer: We thank you for providing your input. Those who submit feedback will not be contacted individually regarding their submission.
