The Ghost Valley community hosted Stephen Legault of the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative at a productive community meeting at Beaupre Hall on Thursday (March 23) evening.

Leqault is a Program Director for Y2Y and was asked to attend the Ghost Valley meeting to discuss the future of watershed conservation along Alberta's Eastern Slopes.  

Following passage of Motion 511 in the Alberta legislature in December, Y2Y has called for new rules to stop clearcutting and new road building  from the Ghost River South, including all of Kananaskis Country.

Sharon MacDonald, Ghost Valley community member and meeting organizer,  says the Ghost Valley has been undergoing clear cut timber harvest over the past several years.  The clear cut timber harvest is coming to an end now, so the community felt it was a good time to have Legault come to talk about the future of forests on Alberta's Eastern Slopes and the impact on the headwaters in the region.

MacDonald adds  "it just so happened that once promotions went forward for hosting Legault, the off highway vehicle community spotted it and thought that this might be a movement to rid the Ghost public land use zone of OHV activity, which was not the focus of the meeting." and "they did some advance work by reaching out to some people in the OHV community and were able to get the word out that the meeting was forestry focused but that others were welcome".

Beaupre Hall was packed tight for the meeting and MacDonald said all that attended seemed happy with Legault's presentation and answers to questions presented from alll interested parties.

MacDonald added that the Ghost public land use zone will hold their annual cleanup in June and they are always looking for more volunteers for the day.