A group of Southshore residents and recreation buffs is hoping to put a good-news face on a bad news pine beetle infestation that’s allegedly eating its way toward northern Alberta forests. And at the same time, they could be helping to create some major recreation opportunities in their area too.
Specifically, the group knows that fears surrounding the pine beetles’ appetite might force forest product companies to alter their harvest plans this year. That is, they might try to remove tracts of pine trees before the advancing beetles can create havoc.
And that’s precisely why the Southshore group is pledging to work with FMA-holder West Fraser (Slave Lake Pulp) to create a new recreation opportunity as harvest strategies unfold.
Spokesman Kelly Harlton says the group had a brainstorming session earlier this month and came up with “some really interesting ideas.” Their focus, he explained was to create a plan that offers the “highest recreation value and (at the same time) increases watershed and wildlife corridors” within West Fraser’s forest management area.
One focus was on the Nine Mile Creek valley which Harlton calls “a big magnet” for cross country skiers and hikers along the Southshore. It’s on the south side of Hwy.2 where Nine Mile Creek meanders into the trees before moving onto a more open plain.
“There’s a major feature back there that makes it a natural pick for trail development,” Harlton told The Leader last week. He said he set up the meeting at the behest of West Fraser’s George Duffy. The forester told him the company hopes to amend its harvesting plan to focus on taking out pine trees before the beetles arrive.
He asked Harlton to help garner thoughts from Southshore residents to present to the company.
“The best news is the possible opportunity to create a network of trails” in the area, says Harlton who is clearly very excited by the possibilities. He’s an outdoors buff who owns a tourism company on Lesser Slave Lake’s south shore. The group also invited M.D. councillor Darcie Acton to drop in to their Canyon Creek meeting, and she too, was pumped by the prospects.
“This could be a real win-win,” situation, Acton told Lesser Slave River municipal district councillors at their regular meeting last week.
Duffy told The Leader subsequently that the idea of protecting some area had first come up several years ago when West Fraser was putting forward its south shore harvesting plan. Not much happened with it though.
More recently, when pine beetle forced the company to review its entire harvest plan, Duffy thought it would be a good opportunity to resurrect the proposal.
“We had been floating it around for a while and I wanted to make sure it didn’t go away,” he said.

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