New book explores tensions between nature and progress

By Leah Pelletier, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Rocky Mountain Outlook

CANMORE — For five decades, biologist Lorne Fitch has gotten up close and personal with the “treasure troves” of Alberta’s backyard.

His years of “scar tissue,” memories and stories from the field have welled up and overflowed into his third and latest book, Conservation Confidential. 

“I’ve written numerous reports and papers on a variety of research and inventory subjects, and it struck me at one point that probably the number of people that had read those would fit in a very small phone booth,” said Fitch.

“It really wasn’t getting out to a greater public to help them understand some of the issues that we faced, where we were at with particular species management, how close to the line we were with losing species, what some of the issues were in that we’re creating these problems with our rich treasure trove of fish and wildlife in Alberta.”

Translating the often-complicated language of science into material that can be understood by “everyday folk”, Fitch uses a collection of digestible essays and thought-provoking stories to explore the tensions between development and Alberta’s natural resources.

“It evokes something in people when they read a story to think about their own personal circumstances and what the issues that I’m raising in that story might mean to them,” he said.

Challenging readers to reassess their view of natural resources as gifts rather than commodities, Fitch, using his knack for storytelling, asks ‘Just because something can be done, should it?’

“What we’re looking at is not a full pie full of resources, but a slice of the pie and that slice is getting thinner and thinner because we think that we still have all of the assets and resources available to us,” said Fitch.

“The reality is our economic situation is built on the back of an environment that’s stable, that’s resilient, that has its integrity and the more that we chip away at that environment, the less able we are to have a vibrant economy.”

Navigating eco-grief 

Covering issues spanning forestry, agriculture, fishing and mining industries, Fitch also draws on his childhood experiences growing up on a farm west of Red Deer where he first found his love for wild places.

Seeing firsthand the loss of landscapes and wildlife through the years, Fitch says writing is also a way for him to navigate climate-related grief.

“If I can try to convey these messages in ways that people can grasp them then my sense is that there is a greater constituency that has equal electrical literacy,” he said.

“That’s the way I deal with it, otherwise, quite frankly, the top of my head would blow off,” he added.

While not all doom and gloom, Fitch says he finds hope in seeing young people active in conservation efforts and dialogue.

“Just as one example given the debate over coal mining in the Eastern slopes, the number of Albertans from all political stripes, all areas, all ethnicities, all socioeconomic backgrounds came together and over three quarters of Albertans said we do not want to see coal mining in the Eastern slopes because we appreciate how important those eastern slopes are to us,” Fitch recalled.

“That I think reassures in me that some of these messages about landscape integrity and watershed importance are starting to sift into our provincial consciousness.”

Concluding with 10 lessons he’s learned from a life in conservation, Fitch hopes that overall, readers come away asking how they can reduce their personal environmental footprint.

“That’s what’s driving so much of the changes in our landscape and the losses of biodiversity is frankly, our over-consumptive habits,” said Fitch.

“If we started to think about things like, could I drive less, could I plant a garden, could I contribute to conservation organizations more, could I actually look at how I’m voting. … Those I think are sort of the big themes that I would hope my writing and the writing of others would help people think about.”

While Conservation Confidential is written for the broader public, Fitch also hopes the book will be a resource for his colleagues still working in conservation.

“It’s also to my still gainfully employed colleagues who are practising biology under very trying circumstances with this regime and giving them the opportunity to see how I reflect on this, the sort of language that I’ve used to describe things and giving them the mechanism also to provide their own stories to help people understand some of the issues,” he said.

Giving back to conservation initiatives, Fitch says the proceeds of his book go towards donations for organizations like the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS), Alberta Wilderness Association, Cows and Fish, among others.

Conservation Confidential is available at Cafe Books in Canmore or online at rmbooks.com.