The Alberta government is moving to "de-protect" or eliminate by May 1st at least 19 Provincial Parks and Natural Areas (10 parks, 9 natural areas), which could open them up to industrial resource extraction, as well as 146 Provincial Recreation Areas, totalling 16,000 hectares (including threatened and endangered grasslands, aspen parkland and foothills ecosystems).
This is an absolute no-go and must be adamantly fought by citizens, businesses, recreationalists, and anyone who believes in democracy (they plan to do this with no public consultation).
Most of the world is moving to expand protected areas, and the anti-environmental UCP Alberta government is one of the only governments in modern North American history, along with the Trump government, to make the outrageous move to eliminate protected areas.
Take note that the Alberta government is deceptively spinning it as park "closures", as if they will still be there protecting nature but without visitor services (and the news media is parroting their wording so far) but the reality is the actual elimination of their protected status: “Sites removed from the parks system would have their legal park designations removed and could be open for alternative management,” said a government news release. In addition, their spin is to focus on visitor services and the transfer of park management to third parties, rather than on the ecological issue of the elimination of protected areas. Don't be deceived - keep your eyes on the main environmental issue here, while of course noting that the transfer of management to 3rd parties typically with inadequate resources is a bad idea too.
The Alberta government aims to remove 10 Provincial Parks: Kinbrook Island, Tillebrook, Park Lake, Williamson, Gooseberry Lake, Little Fish Lake, Rochon Sands, O’Brien, Red Lodge, and Strathcona Science
And 9 Natural Areas: Wildcat Island, Clifford E. Lee, Northwest of Bruderheim, Riverlot 56, J.J. Collett, Sheep Creek, Highwood River, Cow Lake, and Sherwood Park
And 146 Provincial Recreation Areas, such as Big Elbow, Kakwa River and Wild Horse.
Here is an article: https://www.thestar.com/…/alberta-releases-list-of-parks-to…
Here is an Alberta Wilderness Association media release: https://albertawilderness.ca/news-release-government-plans…/
And here is an Action Alert by CPAWS to Send a Message to the Alberta government: https://action.cpaws.org/page/57187/action/