Editor:
Re: The Great Flood of 2013
In the past two weeks, I’ve seen amazing things – Cougar Creek raging across the Trans-Canada Highway and a community coming together like never before to repair damage to homes, trails and roads.
As a flood-affected homeowner, my faith in humanity has been renewed. There is no doubt this flood has changed our community forever, but I’m amazed at how much we’ve been able to accomplish already. Cougar Creek almost looks normal again.
One of the things that struck me with the flood was watching it spread from Canmore to Calgary and beyond. We all saw a tangible connection between mountain headwaters and every other community downstream. What happens in our headwaters happens to all of us.
I’ve also been thinking about the Alberta government’s current land use planning process for the southern half of the province (called the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan). This is an unprecedented opportunity for Albertans to increase our landscape’s resilience to unpredictable and changing weather patterns.
We can use the lessons learned from our recent disaster to influence the draft plan (due to come out this summer) and ensure that all communities along the Eastern Slopes are better protected from the impacts of natural disasters. This is a rare opportunity – the first in 108 years as a province – and one we should seize.
As a flood-affected homeowner, my faith in humanity has been renewed. I lost count of how many people dropped by to help us empty and gut our flooded basement, many of them strangers. The challenge now will be to harness that community spirit and grow it; to not only save and rebuild our own community, but to plan our activities across the broader landscape. From Canmore to Crowsnest Pass, the South Saskatchewan Land Use Plan offers such an opportunity.
Please watch for the draft and submit your comments later this summer. With high levels of engagement, we can get a plan that gives priority to protecting our headwaters, maximizing their ability to protect and store water.
Karsten Heuer,
President, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative
