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Create the Andy Russell - I'tai sah kòp Park

Please personalize the letter by adding your own thoughts. Be sure to note if you know the area or know of Andy Russell and/or the Piikani First Nation. If you reside in the Hon. David Coutts' constituency of Livingstone-Macleod, note that as well. Your letter will be sent to your MLA, and copied to the Alberta Premier, David Coutts, and Denis Ducharme.

November 22, 2009

Subject:

Dear Premier,

It's now a year since the newspapers carried the story of you speaking of Andy Russell, "a truly great Albertan" and an internationally renowned author during the memorial for him at Pincher Creek, within view of the Castle wilderness.  It was heartening to hear last summer that you are considering establishing that area as a combined wildland park and provincial park in memory of Andy and Kay Russell and in recognition of the Piikani First Nation.  I completely support this and encourage you to make the announcement of the Andy Russell-I'tai sah kòp Park soon, as would be befitting of a tribute.

The park would give the Cowboy Trail and Trail of the Great Bear tourism themes an internationally significant destination, while at the same time protecting the most biological diverse area in Alberta and key habitat for grizzly bear recovery.  Currently, there is nothing residents or visitors can point to on an Alberta road map that says this is a special place, connected with the great legends of the west and that it?s going to be kept that way.  The West Castle Wetlands Ecological Reserve is tiny, less than a square kilometer in size.  The rest of the 1,040 km2 (400 sq. mi.) Castle wilderness is only a land-use zone (Forest Land Use Zone) without any of the protection, interpretation services and sustainable economic values offered by a park.  In the Calgary region, one can point to four Wildland Parks on the map, which total more than the Castle in size.  Plus, there are four Provincial Parks and a Wilderness Area, and all this in addition to a national park more than 12 times Waterton Lakes National Park in size.

An added benefit of the park would be the protection and restoration of what is the "water tower" for the Oldman River Basin of southern Alberta (one of the driest regions) and the rivers beyond through the Prairie Provinces.  At less than 4% of the land area of the Basin, the proposed park provides an astounding 30% of the recorded water flow.

Most of the proposed park has been under reservation for park establishment by the Alberta Government since 1974.  I encourage you to let the legends of the Piikani First Nation and the west that Andy Russell epitomized live on by completing the job of establishing the Castle as the Andy Russell ? I'tai sah kòp Wildland and Provincial Park.  It would be wonderful to hear the announcement this month, the anniversary of Andy Russell's death.

I look forward to your response.

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