Sierra Club Canada Foundation has been working to develop a network of community leaders protecting the integrity of Prairie ecosystems. Our dedicated volunteers focus on local issues important to their communities and act as proactive advocates for the environment.
Edmonton and Area Wild Child Program
The Edmonton Group has traditionally focused on parkland creation and conservation. These are usually multi-year projects; our favorite, going on fifteen, is the Sand Dunes Natural Area (our name - bureaucratically known as NW384) in the far southwest of Edmonton.
We identified the feature in 2001, characterized its pro-glacial origins, and with the support of the Curator of Geology from our Provincial Museum, induced the City to purchase the lands the following year. The dunes lie on the easternmost extent of the 200 sq km glacio-lacustrine Devon Dune Field to the west of Edmonton.
On August 31st, 2010, a study which was led by University of Alberta researchers was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which conclusively shows that numerous highly toxic pollutants are being released into the Athabasca River and its tributaries by the development of the oil sands.
The levels exceeded both federal and provincial government guidelines.
The report is available for download here.
