Upper Smoky Sub-regional Plan Engagement - Public Survey

This plan reflects Alberta’s ongoing commitment to responsible resource development. It seeks to maintain a strong economy, resilient communities, and healthy ecosystems. Alberta’s public lands are the foundation for our resource-based economy, community well-being, and traditional land uses. This is a land management plan focused on managing footprint from various land uses to allow economic development in the region, while also continuing to improve the overall landscape.

 The outcomes for the Upper Smoky Sub-region are: 

• Grow economic opportunities and maintain investor certainty 
• Manage anthropogenic (human caused) footprint 
• Manage caribou habitat 
• Support traditional land uses 
• Attract sustainable recreational pursuits 

For more information on the draft Upper Smoky Sub-regional Plan, see: link to draft plan, draft supplementary standards, and draft regulatory details

The sub-region is rich in natural resources, which include petroleum and natural gas, timber, coal, minerals, rangelands, and surface materials. The development of these resources has provided economic opportunities for local communities and is an important part of the provincial economy. Maintaining a working landscape and building on Alberta’s existing regulatory regime provides clarity and certainty to operators and will attract new capital investment while also supporting social and environmental outcomes.

Managing footprint can support a range of ecosystems goods and services important to all Albertans, including clean drinking water; flood and drought mitigation; and cultural, subsistence and recreational opportunities like hiking, trapping, fishing, and hunting. The Upper Smoky sub-region is a diverse landscape containing an assortment of plants, fungi, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Because of the potential impacts on biodiversity from wildfire, careful management of the timber resources will be necessary to limit those impacts.  

Anthropogenic footprint is managed through forestry approaches, energy and resource development approaches, access management, and considerations through tourism and recreation. 

Land use activities will be managed to advance Alberta’s economic interests and achieve its objectives, while considering caribou habitat. Habitat protection will only help address part of the caribou population concerns – other mechanisms, such as predators and population support, also have a significant impact on caribou herd viability. Beyond this plan, Alberta continues to advance other strategies and partnerships to manage populations of caribou, predators and other species that interact with caribou including predator control programs and a variety of research and monitoring initiatives.

Indigenous peoples have deep connections to the lands in the Upper Smoky sub-region, which can be understood through stories told, whether of learning to trap with a grandfather, traditional trails weaving across the land, or gathering foods and medicines to support community members. They believe landscape intactness and biodiversity are integral to supporting these relationships and for the transfer of culture and knowledge to future generations.

Many Albertans have connections to this landscape, its fish and wildlife, and other natural values contained in the sub-region. Recreational pursuits support individual and community wellbeing and strengthen connections to the land. The Upper Smoky’s natural and scenic values have the potential to be a world-class destination for outdoor adventure while also supporting rural areas to build healthy communities with diverse opportunities.