Save Alberta's Grizzly Bears

   Six hundred and ninety-one bears on the wall,
           Six hundred and ninety-one bears.

        When one of those bears just happens to fall,
               There'll be six-hundred and ninety bears on the wall.

Dear Friend,

There are just 691 grizzly bears left in Alberta, where there were once 6,000.

While no longer hunted (since 2006) logging and oil/gas exploration continues to fragment their shrinking habitat and human-caused mortalities remain too much.

People just like you have already made a difference through their participation in our Action Grizzly Bear campaign with their time and donations.

We achieved the “E” in the B.E.A.R.S’ essentials for recovery – Endangered species listing. Grizzly bears need your help to achieve the rest of their essentials:

Budget
Endangered species listing
Action on habitat
Reduction of human caused mortalities
Science-based recovery team backed by a high-level agreement to act on recovery

Now, we are inviting you to give $20, $50 or $100 help save every single remaining bear.

The government of Alberta has listed the grizzly bear as threatened, but has yet to assign a budget for the recovery plan. Continued industrial development is being approved in what the government zoned as "critical" wildlife habitat area, quickly sinking the chances for the Alberta grizzly bear to survive.

Wildlife biologists and environmental organizations have warned for years that grizzly bears are on a steep decline in Alberta - that's why there’s so much concern about large-scale industrial threats like clear-cut logging and sour gas drilling that have been given the green light!

Alberta must do better for its grizzlies - their habitat needs to be protected! Alberta can recover grizzly habitat and numbers to a viable population, but only if we continue to apply pressure and make it happen!

There's no question - it is "situation critical" for Alberta grizzly bear habitat. The only question now is what we are going to do about it. It's time to tell the government Canadians care deeply about these bears and we will not rest until “grizzly country” is protected for their cubs and ours!

About Action Grizzly Bear

Action Grizzly Bear is a collaborative campaign lead by Sierra Club Canada focused on advocating the recovery of Alberta’s grizzly bears. Local and international in focus, the campaign is designed to network people concerned about the imperiled grizzly bear and mobilize them with the knowledge and tools to take action.

Dianne Pachal, our Alberta WILD Director, has been a tireless defender of Alberta’s grizzly bears and their habitat. She has 30 years’ experience in conservation. Dianne’s life passion is wilderness and wildlife, and engaging concerned citizens. An Environmental Biologist by training, Dianne is an expert in building collaborative efforts in her campaign work. She revels in the interface between science and advocacy.

On the 125th Anniversary of Canada, “in recognition of significant contribution to compatriots, community and to Canada”, Dianne was awarded a Commemorative Medal by the Government of Canada. We are very proud to have Dianne lead our team of wildlife protectors.

Your donation of any amount will help Dianne continue leading the local and international effort to protect Alberta’s grizzly bear. Knowing she is on the ground in Alberta, you can rest assured there is a seasoned eye watching Alberta's implementation of its new Plan for Parks.

Castle - A Special Place

Right now, Dianne and the network are concentrating on legislation to protect Castle Special Place. Grizzlies are in dire straits in this magnificent wilderness area just north of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Coined as Alberta's Costa Rica, Castle is Alberta’s most biologically diverse area, and a distinct and important part of the continental ecosystem.

No large-scale logging has occurred there since 1998, when the Government of Alberta announced it had added Castle to Alberta’s Protected Areas Network. At the time they described the move as “a milestone in the preservation of Alberta’s natural heritage for future generations.” That's until Shell Canada and other big businesses decided they wanted access to Castle’s resources. How quickly things can change when government talk is so cheap.

Clear-cut logging and poisonous sour-gas drilling planned for the heart of Castle Special Place could start any day now!

Can you help save Alberta’s grizzly bears?

Sierra Club Canada is dedicated to stopping and reversing this process of tragic, irreversible grizzly habitat loss. Our campaigners in Alberta are working hard to save every square kilometer of critical grizzly habitat - but they need your help!

Saving a mammal from certain extinction takes stubborn determination, unending passion and enough money to make organizing and communication between like-minded people possible.

We hope you will consider helping us in our campaign to convince Alberta decision makers that recovery of grizzly bears is a top priority. By making a donation to Sierra Club Canada, you will be directly supporting our grizzly bear advocacy work and educational initiatives led by Dianne Pachal, including:

Targeted actions, petitions and letter-writing campaigns to generate the political will needed for the creation of a Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan;
Development of a publicly released report card for tracking government progress on the B.E.A.R.S’. Essentials for recovery (Budget, Endangered species listing, Action on habitat, Reduction of human caused mortalities, and Science-based, inter-agency recovery team backed by a high-level agreement to act on recovery);
Campaigning for habitat protection in the Livingstone and Castle/Waterton grizzly bear management areas of southwest Alberta - a vital habitat link for the grizzlies in the Yellowstone to Yukon region; and
Creation of science-based reports and factsheets to convince the public and government to act.

We are optimistic we can protect the Alberta grizzly. We have a team, the knowledge and know-how, and we have done it before for other species. With your help we can do it for 691 grizzly bears.

Please donate today!

Please consider making a donation today - Alberta's 691 bears can be saved.

Please give $20, $50 or $100 so we can continue the fight for Alberta grizzly protection. You can make a secure online donation through our website here. You can also text the word SIERRA to 45678 to make a $10 donation. Do it twice to donate $20, three times to donate $30, etc.

Don't delay! 691 grizzlies are waiting for your help.