ANPC participates in a number of public awareness campaigns relating to timely conservation issues in Alberta. Details for recent and past campaigns are below.
#DontMineMcClelland
Led by the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), this campaign aims to raise awareness of the ecologically significant McClelland Lake Wetland Complex, which lies east of the Athabasca River, 90 km north of Fort McMurray. The complex consists of McClelland Lake and interconnected peatlands including an outstanding patterned fen and several provincially rare plant species. ANPC has been promoting AWA’s public awareness campaign about the imminent oil sands mining at this location and we encourage interested readers to refer to AWA’s website for more information and to take action.
Grassland Conversion in MD Taber
In March 2026, ANPC provided information to the Municipal District of Taber, who are considering a proposal to convert approximately 3,100 acres of native grassland into irrigated cropland. Although the project was initially approved by a narrow 4-3 council vote in September 2025, a newly elected council paused the development in late 2025 to evaluate the ecological and economic risks of conversion. ANPC’s letter to the MD provides critical information about rare plant species, including Species At Risk, documented within the project footprint. See the full letter here.
Alberta’s Plan for Parks
Released in January 2026, Alberta’s Plan for Parks is a 10-year strategic framework designed to modernize the management of the province’s parks system. The plan is organized around four enduring goals:
- enhancing accessibility and inclusivity,
- ensuring ecological conservation and resilience,
- providing diverse nature-based experiences, and
- implementing sustainable management practices.
The initiative also emphasizes a “visitor economy” approach, aiming to reduce administrative red tape and leverage partnerships to ensure parks remain viable and welcoming for future generations.
ANPC supports the advocacy work of organizations like the Environmental Law Centre (ELC) and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) who have raised concerns regarding a shift toward commercialization and the potential dilution of conservation mandates under the Plan for Parks. Critics argue that by prioritizing the “visitor economy” and all-season resort development, the plan may treat parks as recreational commodities rather than protected habitats. There are ongoing calls for the government to move beyond high-level policy language and establish legally binding targets for biodiversity, climate change resilience, and Indigenous leadership. Ultimately, while the 2026 Plan for Parks offers a roadmap for growth, its success depends on whether the province can truly protect Alberta’s ecological integrity while meeting the rising demand for outdoor access.
Access the Plan for Parks here. Review third-party analysis here:
#BeyondtheLawn
Led by Waste Free Edmonton, this sustainable landscaping campaign challenges the cultural obsession with the traditional, high-maintenance grass lawn. Using the mascot “Bob the Sod,” it highlights how monoculture lawns require excessive water, chemical fertilizers, and gas-powered mowing while offering nothing back to the local ecosystem. The program aims to transform these resource-heavy spaces into biodiverse, productive environments that better support pollinators, improve soil health, and even provide local food security through urban gardening.
Similar to our Native Plant Garden Challenge, the initiative encourages residents to replace their grass in manageable stages. It acts as a central resource hub, connecting Edmontonians with native plant experts, edible garden advocates, and sustainable landscaping businesses to help them transition toward more resilient yards. Ultimately, the campaign seeks to shift public perception so that yards are viewed as functional tools for climate action and community health rather than just aesthetic, empty green rectangles. Find out more on their website.
#AlbertaBeyondCoal
Led by the Council of Canadians and Alberta Environmental Network, this campaign was launched in 2020 in response to an announcement that the longstanding Coal Policy would be rescinded, opening up new, previously protected sites along the eastern slopes for coal mining projects. This highly effective public awareness campaign led to the reinstatement of the Coal Policy in 2021. A long-term policy solution is outstanding. ANPC supports the work of these groups, understanding that many of the mountain landscapes proposed for new mines host fragile ecosystems and rare plant species. In the case of Grassy Mountain, a review of the Environmental Impact Assessment for the proposed mine expansion included a list of 41 provincially rare plant species (tracked or watched by ACIMS) and approximately 21,000 Endangered whitebark pine and 1,000 Endangered limber pine trees. For more information about this issue, tune into the website.
#DefendAlbertaParks
Led by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Alberta Chapters and the Alberta Environmental Network, this highly successful public awareness campaign was supported by ANPC. The purpose was to stop the closure and removal of 175 parks from the Alberta protected areas system in 2020. There are continued plans to update parks legislation in the future. Please follow this issue at their website.
Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS) Resourcing
This campaign is meant to bring attention to the chronic under-resourcing of our provincial Conservation Data Centre, ACIMS. All provinces and territories have a Conservation Data Centre, similar to ACIMS. As of 2018, ACIMS staff consisted of less than one full-time equivalent position, the second lowest staffing level of any Conservation Data Centre in Canada, despite heavy land use pressures on the landscape.
ANPC relies heavily on ACIMS to inform their native plant conservation initiatives. ACIMS is critically understaffed, underfunded and unsustainable. In summer 2018, the ANPC wrote a letter to the Minister of Environment and Parks recommending that five full time positions be resourced for ACIMS:
- Three positions to fill vacant positions of Botanist, Ecological Communities Coordinator and Invertebrate Zoologist, and
- Two positions to perform additional data management to meet current needs.
We need your support in affecting this change! Please let the Minister know that conservation of native plants in Alberta is important and that it relies heavily on the information and data available from ACIMS, which can only function properly when fully staffed. Please see the attached letters:
Adopt-A-Plant Alberta
Operated by ANPC, this volunteer-run conservation program was dedicated to monitoring and protecting the province’s rarest plants, mosses, and lichens. Rather than “adopting” a plant to take home, volunteers “adopt” a specific rare species to monitor in the wild. This initiative provided the province with critical data needed to assess whether a species should be listed as “At Risk.” Volunteers received training on how to identify elusive species and how to collect standardized data. They then visited known locations of rare plants or searched for new ones to record population sizes and habitat conditions. The information gathered was sent to the Alberta Conservation Information Management System (ACIMS), where it helped to guide provincial land-use planning and habitat protection. Here are summary reports detailing the program: