Province seeking feedback for new parks plan

By Medicine Hat News on June 27, 2024.

@MedicineHatNews

The province of Alberta is looking for feedback to help shape the new direction of its provincial parks.

Alberta’s government is conducting a two-phase public engagement process to gather feedback from residents and visitors alike, to inform the development of a new Plan for Parks.

“Our parks provide truly spectacular outdoor experiences, and we need to make sure their unique beauty is preserved for our children and our children’s children,” Todd Loewen, Minister of Forestry and Parks, said in release. “We want Albertans to share their vision with us, as we create a renewed and modern plan to bring Alberta’s parks into the future.”

Public engagement began June 19, and will run for 60 days from the start date, falling roughly on Aug. 18.

“As more visitors explore Alberta’s provincial parks, creating more recreation opportunities will be a top priority of the new plan,” the province says. “This updated vision will help Albertans to enjoy the great outdoors by creating additional campsites and improving access to activities like kayaking and canoeing.”

Alberta’s full parks and protected areas system protects more than 4.55 million hectares of representative and special landscapes, and the plan focuses on 78 provincial parks, 193 provincial recreation areas and 34 wildland provincial parks.

“As Albertans, we love our provincial parks. The public engagement process will allow visitors and users a valuable opportunity to share their thoughts, ideas, and opinions on shaping the direction of Alberta Parks,” said Tyler Dixon, Alberta Parks ambassador.

All feedback will be collected and used to guide a new draft plan. This draft will be shared with Albertans publicly to ensure it reflects the diverse input received. Feedback will be collected via an online survey, which can be found at alberta.ca/plan-for-parks-engagement.

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