(Supplied)

By Haven Thibert

Nov. 1, 1:00 pm

Peaceful blockade launched to protest logging in Highwood River Valley

Oct 31, 2025 | 2:29 PM

A group of environmental advocates has begun a peaceful blockade in the Highwood River Valley to protest clear-cut logging in Alberta’s Eastern Slopes.

The group, known as the Defenders of the Eastern Slopes, has constructed a wooden wall across a logging road leading to the site of a proposed bridge and logging area near Lineham Creek, west of Lethbridge.

The blockade follows the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ decision to approve the reinstallation of the bridge, a move that has drawn public concern over the potential impacts on the Highwood River watershed.

Opponents of the project are calling for the province to cancel the clear-cut and impose a pause on logging in the Eastern Slopes until new policies are developed.

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“These are Alberta’s water towers,” the Save Our Slopes group said in a statement.

“Their protection is essential to our water security, biodiversity, and future resilience.”

A public forest gathering is planned for Saturday, Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m., beginning at Lineham Creek Provincial Recreation Area, about 37 minutes west of Longview.

Organizers say the event aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the forest and to show solidarity with the blockade.

A related Town Hall on Alberta’s Oil and Gas Well Cleanup Crisis will also take place in Calgary on Wednesday, Nov. 5, hosted by the Polluter Pay Federation and the Coalition for Responsible Energy.

More information is available at www.saveourslopes.ca.