Keep the Good News along the Tracks Moving Forward for Park Grizzly Bears

Letters sent from this action center go to Canadian Pacific Railway President & CEO, Fred Green via his assistant.

Instructions:

Action Alert:

Thanks to many letters through the years from concerned citizens like yourselves, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP Rail) has taken a substantial step forward in signing and funding an five-year joint research plan with Parks Canada focused on designing short and longer term measures to reduce grizzly bear deaths on the rail line in the Rocky Mountain national parks. 

To keep this significant progress moving forward, please take a few minutes to write a thank-you letter to CP Rail President and Chief Executive Officer, Fred Green for taking this major step forward, including:

Please encourage him to do likewise with provincial wildlife agencies for the grizzly bear habitat in the Crowsnest Pass of southern B.C. and Alberta.

Background

Since 1985, deaths along the rail lines in the Rocky Mountain national parks has increased, with the average now being one per year, even though the number of grizzly bears killed for management reasons has, with hard work and engagement of all, declined.

The research program will access and design potential short-term actions, including cutting back vegetation to improve lines-of-sight, installing fences and under-pass culverts in high-risk areas, working with grain terminal operators to encourage loading practices that further reduce grain spillage, provision of escape routes for bears and the use of sound, such as whistle zones and new warning sounds.  

Banff National Park Superintendent, Kevin Van Tighem emphasized that tackling known problem sites will not be held up until the five-year research program is completed.  He expects to see some additional measures in place along the train tracks within the year as a result of the cooperative program with CP Rail and the funding from them. 

It was Canmore resident, Jim Pissot, then with Defenders of Wildlife Canada who first brought the grizzly bear deaths along the CP line to public attention and who publicly persisted through the years to get action from the company.

In the news:

Coverage by Canmore's Rocky Mountain Outlook
CP Rail & Parks Canada News Release

Please remember, personally written letters are the most effective. Please personalized the suggested subject and then use the points in the action alert above to write your own letter in the blank space below.  Letters do not need to be long; one or two short paragraphs are good.

• Entering into open cooperation with Parks Canada on approaches for reducing grizzly bear deaths;
• Providing $1 million towards the research program;
• Funding & participating with Parks Canada on the steering committee for the research program;
• Agreeing to an open-minded set of mitigation options for the research, including reduction of train speeds;and
• Following through on completion of CP Rail's program to refurbish 6,300 railway hopper cars to reduce grain on the tracks (currently nearing completion). 

1. Read the action alert below.
2. Subject box for letter - Please amend the suggested wording to your own words.
3. Write your letter in the white text-box. (Such personal letters are the most effective.)
4. Fill in your information and hit send.