10/16/2026
The degradation of environmental and habitat protection in Alberta continues.
⚠️ BREAKING ⚠️
YourAlberta (Government of Alberta) has removed provincial habitat protections for the endangered without ANY public consultation or official announcement.
Just last week, we were celebrating this beautiful species, emblematic of Alberta’s . Now, we’ve learned that protections for ~2,800 square kilometers of land — a whopping 74% of the bird's protected area — have been eliminated ❗
This is a staggering blow and, as Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Alberta Mark Boyce is warning, "Without these habitat protections we will lose Greater Sage-Grouse from Canada.”
What’s more, the Alberta Energy Regulator has *already* approved the construction of a plant site by a helium extraction company in what WAS a recovery area for the bird 💔
Future helium development will require new well-sites, processing facilities, vertical structures, and roads — infrastructure that was limited by the now-removed provincial habitat protections, and which is known to have severe impacts on Alberta’s ‘most at-risk' species.
We couldn’t be more disappointed, or disturbed, by the Government of Alberta’s reckless decision to endanger the few remaining Greater Sage-Grouse we are so fortunate to have in our province, and which have held on only through serious and sustained conservation efforts 🚧
Learn more on our website at https://cpaws-southernalberta.org/greater-sage-grouse-protections-removed/.
