Little Smoky

Little Smoky Endangered Forest

Composed of several Provincial Environmentally Significant Areas in the Rocky Mountains and Foothills Ecoregions, the Little Smoky Endangered Forest has an incredible diversity of ecological features. The area contains critical year-round range for the dwindling Little Smoky caribou herd, the Highway 40 herd and winter range for the A La Peche herd.  This area also supports a significant grizzly bear population, cougar, wolf, key moose, elk, mule deer range and critical terrestrial furbearer habitat for wolverine, fisher and river otters. The Pinto Creek goatherd is a unique mountain goat population, isolated from other Rocky Mountain populations in non-mountainous terrain within the Little Smoky Foothill Forests.

The Little Smoky has high plant diversity including upland old-growth coniferous forest, deciduous, mixed and coniferous woodland (with stands of old-growth white spruce, fir and lodgepole pine) a variety of wetland and upland plant communities. 

It has well-developed patterned wetlands, including one of the largest, most diverse patterned wetland complexes in the Upper Foothills of Alberta. It is part of one of the most extensive and relatively undisturbed Upper and Lower Foothills habitat-rich complexes in Alberta. Relatively undisturbed valley habitats of grassy slopes, wet meadows, springs and ponds offer some of the most extensive, productive riparian woodland habitat in the Upper Foothills of Alberta. 

The Little Smoky Endangered Forest rivers and streams provide spawning habitat for native fish species including the threathened Bull Trout, Arctic grayling, mountain whitefish, and one of three known locations for pygmy whitefish in Alberta.

Special Values

· Residing close to the Willmore Wilderness Park provides much needed connectivity for wide ranging wildlife such as the A La Peche Caribou herd, grizzly bear and wolverine.

• In 1996, a government report identified the Little Smoky-Berland complex as one of the 13 best candidate sites for protection in the Foothills Natural Region.
• In 1999, the Little Smoky Endangered Forest was nominated as a site for protection in the government’s Special Places Program, but was not protected.
• Four forest management agreements intersect in the Little Smoky Endangered Forest. Extensive logging is occuring around the perimeter, and encroaching into, the last remaining intact forest valleys. 

Threats

Four forest management agreements intersect in the Little Smoky Endangered Forest. Extensive logging is occurring around the perimeter, and encroaching into, the last remaining intact forest valleys.  While one of these companies have committed to reviewing their impact on the area, there are still three companies actively logging in the area right now.

“Caribou rely on old-growth forests as winter range as these forests contain ground (terrestrial) and tree (arboreal) lichens.   Any activities that will negatively affect caribou habitat through increase winter access or decreased lichen production will be in conflict with the restoration objectives for this threatened species”.
Berland Subregional Integrated Resource Plan

Numerous oil and gas developments in the form of seismic lines, well sites, roads and pipelines have significant impact on the entire forest.  The fragmentation, noise, human activity, and air, water and soil pollution associated exploration and extraction all take their toll on the Little Smoky.  New and proposed pipelines will disrupt movement patterns and corridors for wildlife, including restricting the caribou herds to certain areas, while increasing access for predators such as wolves.

For more information, visit:

More info:
www.cpaws-edmonton.org/CPAWS-Caribou.html

http://issues.albertawilderness.ca/LS/littlesmoky.htm

Little Smoky in the news: www.albertawilderness.ca/Issues/LS/archive.htm