Kananaskis Country will suffer permanent environmental damage because of G-8 protests, one-quarter of Calgarians believe.
A new poll conducted for the Calgary Sun by Insight Research shows 27% of respondents believed the area would suffer permanent damage as a result of the summit.
But advocates for the environment say it's not the two-day meeting itself that poses the greatest concern in the delicate wilderness area, but the likelihood the spotlight shone on the G-8 next month will encourage development there.
"The long-term concern is the perception of Kananaskis," said Nigel Douglas, outreach co-ordinator with the Alberta Wilderness Association.
"A year ago the perception of it was this pristine wilderness area, an area where Calgarians could go to experience peace and quiet and wilderness," he said.
"At this moment it's being pushed as a venue for huge international conferences, which we think is out of character with what Kananaskis should be."
Helicopter noise, security officials on all-terrain vehicles and the fact that several grizzly bears are being caught, collared and tracked for the summit could impact the bears' attempts to eat enough to get through the winter, he said.
"It's a fine line between surviving and not surviving for these animals," Douglas said.
And those are just the "high-profile" animals, he added, explaining elk, cougar and black bears are other large mammals that will be impacted.
Stephen Legault, spokesman for national conservation group Wildcanada.net, said the group and the AWA are in fact asking people to plead to Premier Ralph Klein for further protection for the area on their www.kananaskisg8.net website.
"We've basically run out of options and had to turn to the premier to ask for help," said Legault, who was part of the campaign to stop development in the Spray Valley area. "Over the years we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but I have considerable respect for the premier to be able to provide leadership in this situation."
Legault said with just a "flimsy policy" protecting pockets of Kananaskis, the fear is real that the next government could cave to more pressure to develop the area.
"The growth rate in Canmore skyrocketed after (the 1988 Olympics) and the popularity of Kananaskis went through the roof."
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