Environmentally Significant Area
The area to be developed is in a Kneehill County Environmentally Significant Area (ESA) (Summit, 2010) and an Alberta designated ESA of national significance (Fiera, 2009). The area also incorporates 145 acres of productive farmland. Kneehill County’s Municipal Development Plan promises to protect both.
Kneehill County adopted their Environmentally Significant Areas Report in 2010. The Rosebud River Valley is among the 7% of Kneehill County lands that warrants the highest value protection. This particular site has high value wetlands, special status wildlife habitat, rare prairie native fescue grasslands, pre-contact and pioneer historical resources, hazard lands, and important wildlife corridors.
Why is losing one small portion of the Rosebud River Valley so important? Every time development is permitted we lose another slice of our ESAs. Since 1990 the Rosebud ESA area has decreased by 50% from 4,530 ha to 2,029 ha. Kneehill County should take this opportunity to show leadership in a province that is already accused of sacrificing their ecosystem for development.