Better Camping, More Tourism in Castle Parks

Todayville

Published

6 years ago

7 minute read

From the Alberta Government:

New family campsites, improved rustic backcountry camping and a new tourism campaign will encourage more Albertans to visit the Castle region this summer.

Albertans will have more opportunities for adventure this year as the province invests $3 million in capital upgrades in the Castle parks. Improvements will include new and improved family-friendly camping opportunities, trails, highly accessible front-country experiences and better access to the vast wilderness.

“Albertans have loved the Castle for generations. The region’s majestic landscapes are home to stunning mountains, rolling hills, montane forests and meadows. I’m pleased that through our capital funding commitment we can ensure families and visitors have an amazing and quality outdoors experience.”

In addition to the capital funding, Travel Alberta is contributing to and leading a $400,000 advertising campaign to encourage local visitation and boost international tourism to the Castle region. The campaign follows a series of closures in Waterton Lakes National Park due to damage from last year’s wildfires in southern Alberta.

“The Castle region is ready and open for business. Working with Travel Alberta, Alberta Parks and tourism operators, we’ve developed a campaign to help raise awareness and encourage visitation. It’s another way we are assisting in the local tourism recovery effort. I encourage Albertans and visitors alike to get out and explore all the hidden gems the Castle region has to offer. Get ready, there is so much to see and do.”

The tourism strategy will improve visitor access by paving Highway 774 south of Beaver Mines to Castle Mountain Resort and support the installation of water lines. Tourism signage on primary highways and wayfinding along travel routes through the Castle parks and region will also be installed this summer.

The Government of Alberta is also releasing the Castle Management Plan. The plan reflects input provided through extensive engagement and consultation with First Nations, stakeholders and Albertans. Protection of wildlife and headwaters, the respect of Indigenous rights and exceptional recreational experiences remain the primary management objectives of the parks.

“The Castle Management Plan provides great opportunities to enjoy this beautiful and diverse landscape. The Great Divide Trail is the world’s best wilderness long-distance hiking trail, starting on the U.S.-Canada border travelling northward to the newly formed Castle parks. We couldn’t be happier with the outcomes in the plan. It has provided clarity, assurance and opportunity for recreation users who love the quiet contemplation of wild nature, and a reduced footprint on this ecologically important area of Alberta.”

“Equines and equine enthusiasts are an integral part of Alberta. The Alberta Equestrian Federation provides programs and services that cover a wide range of equestrian activities for beginners to experts in a multitude of disciplines. The Alberta Equestrian Federation is pleased to have participated in the public consultation process for Castle parks and we are excited about today’s announcement that facilitates equestrian use and enjoyment of this beautiful area.”

“Castle parks is a prime destination for Albertans hitting the road for a weekend with their family. The Recreation Vehicle Dealers of Alberta are pleased that these announcements today will result in more Alberta locations for owners of RVs to enjoy the RV lifestyle experience and keep Albertans supporting the local economy.”

“United Riders of Crowsnest Club is very enthusiastic about Alberta Parks’ plan for recreational trail development in the Castle provincial parks. A new ‘Epic’ mountain biking trail, linked to the communities of Crowsnest Pass and existing trails, will provide a great draw for mountain bikers. We look forward to sharing our spectacular scenery and trails as the Castle parks and Crowsnest area are increasingly recognized as a great outdoor recreational destination.”

Albertans won’t have to wait long to see changes to the new parks. A variety of small-scale infrastructure developments will be implemented to support the visitor experience, including improved camping amenities, trailhead parking, equestrian facilities and backcountry campsites.

2018 improvements in the Castle Parks

Twelve new campsites in Lynx Creek, each with a new fire pit, picnic table, washroom facility and garbage receptacle.
Nine improved rustic camping areas with space for over 150 camping units, each with a fire pit.
Two new warm-up huts with seating for 12, each including a wood stove, open at the Syncline South Staging area and Beaver Mines Lake Boat Launch.
Five new comfort cabins installed at Beaver Mines Lake; each includes sleeping space for four.
Trail improvements including water crossings, debris-clearing and hazard tree removal at Table Mountain, Grizzly Lake and Barnaby.
Improvements to backcountry campsites at Grizzly Lake, Southforks/Barnaby Lake and Bovin Lake.
Installation of new wayfinding signage, including 14 kiosks throughout the park to post trail and park details, and emergency contact information.

For more information visit albertaparks.ca

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Environment

Scientific Report Pours Cold Water On Major Talking Point Of Climate Activists

Published on May 7, 2024

Todayville

From the Daily Caller News Foundation

By GREGORY WRIGHTSTONE

The purveyors of climate doom will not tolerate the good news of our planet thriving because of modest warming and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, a recent scientific paper concludes that an optimistic vision for Earth and its inhabitants is nonetheless justified.

Widely accepted data show an overall greening of Earth resulting from a cycle of natural warming that began more than 300 years ago and from industrialization’s additions of CO₂ that started in the 19^th century and accelerated with vigorous economic activity following World War II.

Also attributed to these and other factors is record crop production, which now sustains 8 billion people—ten times the population prior to the Industrial Revolution. The boost in atmospheric CO₂ since 1940 alone is linked to yield increases for corn, soybeans and wheat of 10%, 30% and 40%, respectively.

The positive contribution of carbon dioxide to the human condition should be cause for celebration, but this is more than demonizers of the gas can abide. Right on cue, narrators of a planet supposedly overheating from carbon dioxide began sensationalizing research findings that increased plant volume results in lower concentrations of nutrients in food.

“The potential health consequences are large, given that there are already billions of people around the world who don’t get enough protein, vitamins or other nutrients in their daily diet,” concluded the The New York Times, a reliable promoter of apocalypse forever. Among others chiming in have been The Lancet, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the National Institutes of Health.

Of course, such yellow journalism lacks context and countervailing facts —elements provided in “Nutritive Value of Plants Growing in Enhanced CO₂ Concentrations” published by the CO₂Coalition, Arlington, Virginia.

Any deficiency of nutrients from the enhancement of plant growth by elevated carbon dioxide “are small, compared to the nutrient shortages that agriculture and livestock routinely face because of natural phenomena, such as severe soil fertility differences, nutrient dilution in plants due to rainfall or irrigation and even aging of crops,” says the paper.

And while there is evidence of marginal decreases in some nutrients, data also show that higher levels of CO₂ “may enhance certain groups of health-promoting phytochemicals in food crops” that serve as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, says the paper, which lists seven authors and more than 100 references. The lead author is Albrecht Glatzle, a member of the Rural Association of Paraguay and a former international researcher of plant and animal nutrition.

Among other points made by the paper are the following: Throughout a majority of geological history, atmospheric CO₂ concentrations have been several times higher than today’s, which are less than optimum for most plants; atmospheric warming from even a quadrupling of CO₂ concentrations would be small compared to natural temperature fluctuations since the last glacial advance more than 10,000 years ago.

Having virtually no scientific basis, the “green” movement’s hostility to carbon dioxide seemingly ignores the gas’s critical role as a plant food. As the paper notes, “CO₂ is the only source of the chemical element carbon for all life on Earth, be it for plants, animals or fungi and bacteria — through photosynthesis and food chains.”

The so-called greenhouse effect of carbon dioxide— perversely exaggerated to support climate fearmongering— is a life-saving temperature moderator that keeps Earth from freezing over.

The obvious benefits of CO₂ is “an embarrassment to the large and profitable movement to ‘save the planet’ from ‘carbon pollution,’” write the authors. “If CO₂ greatly benefits agriculture and forestry and has a small, benign effect on climate, it is not a pollutant at all.

More CO₂ is good news. It’s not that complicated.

Gregory Wrightstone is a geologist; executive director of the CO₂ Coalition, Arlington, Va.; author of “Inconvenient Facts: The Science That Al Gore Doesn’t Want You to Know” and “A Very Convenient Warming: How modest warming and more CO2 are benefiting humanity” and a co-author of “Nutritive Value of Plants Growing in Enhanced CO₂ Concentrations.”

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

conflict

NYPD says protesters had weapons, gas masks and ‘Death to America!’ pamphlets

Published on May 4, 2024

Todayville

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted on X photos of items he said the police confiscated from protesters who took over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University.

From The Centre Square

By Tom Gantert

“These are not the tools of students protesting, these are the tools of agitators, of people who were working on something nefarious”

A high-ranking official with the New York Police Department said protesters had weapons including knives and hammers as well as pamphlets with “Death to America!” written on them.

Michael Kemper, a NYPD’s chief of transit, posted photos Friday of what police confiscated from the protesters.

“For those romanticizing the protests occurring on college campuses, ‘Death to America!’ is one sentiment that runs counter to what we believe in, what we stand for, and what many have fought for on behalf of this country,” Kemper stated on X. “And if you think the words written on this piece of paper are disturbing … you should hear the vile, disgusting, hateful, & threatening words coming out of the mouths of far too many of these so called ‘peaceful protestors.’”

Kemper posted a video of a pamphlet that stated, “Death to Israeli Real Estate” and “Death to America!” The pamphlet also stated, “DISRUPT/RECLAIM/DESTROY Zionist business interests everywhere!”

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Kaz Daughtry posted on X photos of items he said the police confiscated from protesters who took over Hamilton Hall at Columbia University. The photo showed gas masks, ear plugs, helmets, goggles, tape, hammers, knives, ropes, and a book on terrorism. The book is by Charles Townshend, Professor of International History at Keele University in England. It was published in 2011 and is 161 pages.

“These are not the tools of students protesting, these are the tools of agitators, of people who were working on something nefarious,” Daughtry said on X. “Thankfully, your NYPD was able to prevent whatever they were planning and stop them before they could do it.”

Kemper asked who was organizing the protests.

“However, as we have been stating for the past 2 weeks, there is an underlying radical indoctrination of some of these students. Vulnerable and young people being influenced by professional agitators. Who is funding and leading this movement?” Kemper asked on X.

Kemper also posted a letter from The New School requesting the NYPD’s assistance in removing protesters from their campus on Friday.

“The actions and continuing escalation of these individuals are a substantial disruption of the educational environment and regular operations of the university,” the letter stated.

The New School is a university in New York City. It closed all academic building on Friday and classes were moved to online. The college said classes on campus would resume Saturday.

Fox News reported that 56 protesters were arrested at The New School and New York University.