Do Parks Protect Nature? (Part 1)

Controversy over new parks in the Castle area has been as intense and divisive as ongoing debates over development in Banff and Waterton. Is park protection an outdated approach to biodiversity conservation? Are there better ways to protect nature or are we just thinking about parks in the wrong ways? The speaker will illustrate this thought-provoking talk with excerpts from his recently released book Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta, a collection of writings spanning a third of a century that chronicle the ecology, conservation history, missed opportunities and emerging possibilities of a place that should have been about so much more than resource exploitation. Speaker: Kevin Van Tighem Kevin Van Tighem is a landscape ecologist, author and retired park superintendent whose family roots in southern Alberta go back to 1875. He currently chairs the Science and Stewardship Committee for the Nature Conservancy of Canada and serves on the boards of the Livingstone Landowners Group and Alberta Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. Van Tighem is an outspoken advocate for the preservation of Alberta’s wilderness areas, headwaters landscapes, rivers and native prairies. ?Kevin Van Tighem has written dozens of articles, stories and essays on conservation and wildlife which have garnered many awards, including Western Magazine Awards, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards, Banff Mountain Book Festival awards and the Journey Award for Fiction. His most recent books include Bears: Without Fear (2013), The Homeward Wolf (2013), Heart Waters (2015) and Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta (2017) Moderator: Heather Oxman Date: Thursday, January 4, 2018 Time: Noon - 1:30 pm Location: Country Kitchen Catering (below the Keg restaurant) 1715 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge Cost: $14.00 (includes lunch) or $2.00 (includes coffee/tea) RSVP is not necessary