Glenbow Ranch is a treasure on the doorstep of Calgary and Dave Makichuk presents a great argument, particularly with the sound reasoning of Jeromy Farkas, CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation, that damming and flooding the area is a dumb idea. The Ghost Dam proposal further upstream, however, is almost as bad. In Alberta's dry climate, any reservoir behind a dam is going to evaporate a huge amount of water. Furthermore, look south to the Oldman Dam to see how silt buildup has eroded the benefits of that project after a couple of decades. The real work must happen further upstream, in the headwaters of ou Eastern Slopes. West Fraser wanted to log last winter in the Highwood watershed, and only backed off due to loud opposition from local communities. Now they're proposing to log Moose Mountain and West Bragg Creek, part of the headwaters of the Elbow River. Healthy forests, however, do three things with water; they slow it down, spread it out, and soak it up. This reduces spring flooding, and ensures higher stream and river flows through the dry days of summer. What else slows down water's flow, allowing it to soak into groundwater? Beavers. We should be working with nature, not against it. Natural solutions cost a fraction of the price tag of a dam, while preserving habitat for a host of other species. I hope Albertans continue to raise their voices in support of effective watershed management, where trees and beavers are some of our best and most capable allies.Roger GagneCalgary
