CROWSNEST PASS — The province is protecting the entire Castle area in southern Alberta as two parks, banning forestry and mining and turning its focus to recreation and tourism in the area.
Shannon Phillips, Alberta’s minister of environment and parks, made the announcement Friday at Stone’s Throw, a local coffee shop in Blairmore, as dozens of residents, conservationists and business owners cheered her on.
“The Castle is one of Alberta’s most ecologically diverse areas,” she said. “It includes mountains, forests, foothills, grasslands, rivers and lakes. It’s prized for it’s headwaters, biodiversity and functions as a key wildlife corridor.
“The Castle is also culturally significant to First Nations and makes up a significant part of the Crown of the Continent. It is, in short, an area worthy of protection.”