Latest news with #WoodBuffalo
CBC
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfires have forced 4,500 Albertans from home as of Sunday: AEMA
Social Sharing Several thousand Albertans are evacuated from their homes due to out-of-control wildfires, according to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). As of 1 p.m. MT Sunday, 52 total wildfires are burning throughout the province, about half of which are deemed out of control, according to the Alberta Wildfire dashboard. Fires triggered eight evacuation orders combined for various communities, according to the Alberta government's website. According to a spokesperson for AEMA, which leads and oversees all emergency and disaster response, there were 4,500 wildfire evacuees provincewide as of Sunday morning. Multiple evacuation advisories have also been issued due to wildfires, warning people they have to be prepared to evacuate within a few hours' notice. Smoke causing poor air quality in northern Alberta Wildfire smoke triggered the national weather agency to issue air quality warning for northeastern Alberta Sunday morning. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued air quality statements for many northern parts of the province. But people living in the northeast quadrant, from the Wood Buffalo region south to the St. Paul area, are at an elevated risk. Multiple out-of-control wildfires are burning in that stretch of Alberta, including the group that makes up the Red Earth East complex and a large fire southeast of Conklin, a hamlet within the regional municipality of Wood Buffalo that's about 280 kilometres northeast of Edmonton. The complex forced the Municipal District of Opportunity No. 17 to issue an evacuation order for people living in Red Earth Creek, a hamlet about 350 kilometres northwest of Edmonton. The ECCC warnings state smoke is causing "very poor" air quality and reduced visibility. It's possible some places may see conditions improved, but heavy smoke is expected through the weekend. The ECCC air quality health index, which measures how safe the air is to breathe, predicts high to very high risk air in northeastern Alberta communities, like Fort McMurray, through Sunday, but it is expected to improve Monday. In Cold Lake, however, a city about 240 kilometres northeast of Edmonton near the Alberta-Saskatchewan border, the air quality is forecast to carry a high risk through Monday at least, the index suggests. The agency's warnings say people should limit their time outdoors, including rescheduling our cancelling sports and other events. It also says people should be wary of smoke inhalation symptoms, such as headaches, irritation in the eyes, nose or throat, and wheezing and chest pains.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
The art of the burn: How controlled fires in northeastern Alberta help mitigate wildfire risk
In the Wood Buffalo region, both municipal and provincial authorities have been conducting controlled burns, so that old vegetation won't become fuel for the next big fire.
CBC
14-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hunting down tourism opportunities in the heart of Alberta's oil country
In more than 30 years as an outfitter in northeastern Alberta, Charles Beauchamp has introduced hundreds of tourists to the beauty of the area, camping out in the boreal forest while hunting big game like moose, black bears and wolves. "I've never had a client go home without a bear. And about 90 per cent of them all get their two bears," said Beauchamp. His company, Birch Mountain Outfitters, brings about 20 clients, mostly Europeans, to the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo each year. With the average client on a bear hunt paying about $5,000 US, Beauchamp said he believes his industry brings significant benefit to the region, including to the community of Fort McMurray, Alta., about 430 kilometres north of Edmonton. Wood Buffalo officials agree — they've identified the hunting, fishing and trapping industry as a way to grow tourism in the heart of oil country. "We have amazing hunting and fishing lodges, for example, and we have Indigenous experiences," said Lisa Sweet, interim CEO of Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo Economic Development and Tourism. "We have the ingredients for the recipe of what tourists across the world want to see." 'Bring a lot of people' to the area Beauchamp said he used to do as many as 65 clients each year. He chose to scale back, which allowed him to pay more attention to his clients while sending business to other outfitters in the region. "We bring a lot of people into the Fort McMurray area, not just me, all the other outfitters in the area," he said. "And we all use the hotels, the restaurants, the retail gets a lot of boost from this." Sweet said the outfitting sector in the Wood Buffalo region has room to grow further. "There are market opportunities. We definitely would love to work with existing facilities, or there could be facilities that are dormant right now. We would love to see those revitalized," she said. "If there's an entrepreneur out there that would like to start a tourism business, then we can help connect them to the right supports that are available to get their business started and to grow." Wildlife management Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen — who comes from an outfitting background — says the government wants the industry to be stable, balancing client demand and wildlife conservation. "We're focused on making sure that the species, the populations, are well-managed," he said. "When it comes to helping outfitters with their businesses, we don't have to do anything more than just managing the populations properly," he said. He said the number of animals allocated to the outfitting industry, which can be harvested by travelling hunters, is "very small." But, he added, "some of the species that they hunt are not necessarily utilized fully by resident hunters and by Indigenous populations — for instance, black bears." So, Loewen said, "It's good to have the travelling hunter coming in through the outfitting industry to help manage some of those species." Some outfitters in the Wood Buffalo region are also looking to expand their business beyond hunting. Beauchamp is "slowly moving away from the outfitting." He is thinking of passing the business to his son-in-law and focusing on eco-tourism offerings like aurora viewings, stargazing and wildlife photography. He said this side of his business is proving to be quite successful. "So I'm going to concentrate on that."
