WHEREAS Alberta Sustainable Resource Developments (SRD) 2003-6 Business Plan Mission Statement commits the department to “ensure the sustained contribution of benefits to Albertans from Albertas public lands and natural resources”;AND WHEREAS Alberta Community Development (CD), which manages more than 500 provincial parks and protected areas encompassing over two million hectares, pledges in its 2003-6 Business Plan to “preserve, protect and present Albertas history, culture, and provincial parks and protected areas”; AND WHEREAS Alberta Environments (AENV) 2003-6 Business Plan Mission Statement states that the department will “steward the use of and ensure the protection of our diverse environment to sustain natural ecosystems, healthy Albertans, strong communities and a prosperous economy”; AND WHEREAS invasive plants, many of which are legislated species under Albertas Weed Control Act, seriously threaten the viability of the areas these departments pledge to manage; AND WHEREAS invasive plants are spreading through lands managed by these provincial departments into neighbouring municipalities at an alarming rate through seed or plant material transported in or by wind, water, wildlife, soil, agricultural, recreational and industrial users; AND WHEREAS privatization of many CD-managed parks and protected area services has created a disincentive to caring for these areas properly, as evidenced and documented in many campgrounds and recreation areas in Alberta;AND WHEREAS while some invasive plant monitoring and control is occurring within segments of SRD-managed land, they need to coordinate their efforts with CD, AENV and agricultural service boards; AND WHEREAS lack of attention to these invasive plant problems over even one season often causes infestations to increase exponentially;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties request the Government of Alberta to immediately implement and integrate a permanent, comprehensive, cooperative and adequately funded invasive plant control program on lands managed by Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta Community Development and Alberta Environment, in consultation with the provinces agricultural service boards, with the goal of fulfilling their commitment to Albertans.

This resolution was introduced by the M.D. of Pincher Creek No. 9 at the annual agricultural service board convention held in Lethbridge, and endorsed by the voting delegates. The proposed resolution seeks confirmation that a number of provincial government departments will properly deal with invasive plants on the respective public properties under their jurisdiction. There is a concern that budgeted funding for weed control did not follow lands when department jurisdiction over the lands was internally “shuffled”.

The AAMDC has no resolutions currently in effect with respect to this issue.However, resolution 6-98F, endorsed at the Fall 1998 Convention, urges the provincial government to ensure that the departments of Environment and Agriculture, Food and Rural Development ensure that all noxious weeds under the Weed Control Act are designated unacceptable in wellsite reclamation regulations.