Approximately 75 people gathered at the MDM Community Centre in Bellevue on Nov. 4 to discuss planned logging around Allison Creek and the future management of public forests in Crowsnest Pass.
The meeting was organized by Save Our Slopes, a group calling for an immediate pause on the Allison Creek harvest until further public consultation and independent review can occur.
Colin Smith, founder of the Land Lovers Network and one of the organizers behind Save Our Slopes, said the meeting was intended to share information, gather different perspectives and identify questions that remain unanswered.
“You do not have to agree with us to participate,” Smith told those attending.
Smith said the organization is concerned about the effects of forestry activity on water, wildlife, recreation, wildfire resilience and the local economy.
“We believe public forest management should prioritize watershed security, ecological health, wildfire resilience, Indigenous rights, meaningful public participation and sustainable local economies,” he said.
The Allison Creek harvest is planned northwest of Coleman, near Mount Tecumseh, Deadman Pass, Chinook Lake and the Allison and Tecumseh creek watersheds.
West Fraser plans to harvest approximately 454 hectares, or about 1,120 acres. Earlier plans identified approximately 550 hectares, but the proposed area was reduced following discussions with recreation groups and other community members.
West Fraser’s 2026 planning documents schedule the Allison Creek work for the 2026-27 operating season. The company’s map identifies planned cutblocks, retention areas, roads and a bridge crossing at Allison Creek.
During the Bellevue meeting, Smith used maps to describe the area’s connections to the Crowsnest and Oldman river systems. He characterized the low-elevation forest as an important wildlife corridor and raised concerns about sediment, stream flows, fish habitat and the cumulative effects of logging, roads, recreation, grazing, mining and other development.
“These are not minor details,” Smith said. “They are fundamental to understanding whether these plans for clear-cutting our headwaters are in the public interest.”
West Fraser has said the project is part of Alberta’s Community Hazardous Fuels Reduction program. The program identifies communities considered at elevated wildfire risk and directs forest companies to prioritize the removal and management of hazardous fuels within five kilometres of those communities.
Company documents identify both Crowsnest Pass and the Tecumseh subdivision as priority areas under the program.
West Fraser also commissioned what it described as a voluntary, independent hydrological review of the Allison Creek plan. The company said the review concluded the harvest could proceed while maintaining hydrological values. The study has since been made available through West Fraser’s public engagement page.
The company says forestry operations are required to follow provincial operating rules covering watercourses, wildlife, soil, reforestation and other environmental considerations.
Alberta Forestry and Parks previously said the Allison Creek harvest was approved under the current forest management plan. The department said the design and timing were reviewed and adjusted to reduce wildfire exposure and that operations would be monitored for compliance with approved plans and provincial legislation.
Smith questioned whether the wildfire-reduction justification and hydrological review have received enough independent public scrutiny.
The group also raised concerns about the wider C5 Forest Management Plan, which covers a large portion of the forested public land surrounding Crowsnest Pass.
The provincial government’s website continues to list the 2006-2026 plan as the current approved plan for Forest Management Unit C5. West Fraser has been developing its replacement, which is intended to guide when, where and how timber is harvested.
The company held an open house at the Hillcrest Fish and Game Hall on April 2 to discuss its 2026 harvest plans. A separate open house on the draft C5 plan was held in Blairmore in June 2025.
West Fraser’s forest management agreement for the Crowsnest area began in 2021 and runs until April 2041. The agreement covers approximately 190,357 hectares of public land, according to the Government of Alberta.
Organizers said many participants at the Nov. 4 meeting questioned whether the existing open houses provide enough opportunity for residents and Indigenous communities to influence decisions.
Two days after the meeting, Save Our Slopes reported another confrontation at the proposed Allison Creek bridge site.
The group said close to 20 people gathered early on Nov. 6 as a crane and contractors arrived to install the bridge needed to move heavy equipment into the harvest area. The group described it as the fourth unsuccessful installation attempt in seven weeks.
Organizers also said ceremonial tobacco ties placed near the creek by Ronnie Small Legs and former Piikani chief Clayton Small Legs were discovered missing before work began. The group said it asked West Fraser about their removal but did not receive an answer.
Small Legs and Clayton Small Legs later arrived and spoke with representatives from West Fraser and the RCMP, according to the organization. Participants then linked arms and sang before eventually clearing the road. The contractors departed without installing the bridge.
The Pass Herald has not independently confirmed who removed the tobacco ties. West Fraser’s published materials do not address the Nov. 6 incident.
Save Our Slopes also reported observing active logging near the Highwood River on Nov. 7. The organization is now calling for a moratorium on clear-cut logging throughout the Eastern Slopes and an independent public-interest review of provincial forestry practices.
A second Crowsnest Pass meeting is scheduled for Nov. 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Polish Hall in Coleman. The event is being promoted as another opportunity for residents to discuss headwater forests, recreation, wildlife, wildfire risk and public involvement in forest management.