Municipal District of Bighorn – Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan  

Overview

The MD of Bighorn received $79,910 in grant proceeds for the completion of a Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan.   

 This project was funded by the Government of Alberta, through the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre’s Climate Resilience Capacity Building Program. 

Approach

The Municipal District (MD) of Bighorn is a rural municipality located in a beautiful natural setting. A community of unique communities, the MD is characterized by ranching and other agricultural uses, low impact tourism facilities, hamlets, and large tracts of undeveloped crown land for forestry activities.  

The MD of Bighorn worked with a consulting team that consisted of All One Sky Foundation, Associated Engineering, and the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative for the development of a Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan.  

This work was completed so that Council and residents of the MD can gain an understanding of the climate risks the region is facing. 

This project involved the identification of climate trends, projections, and impacts anticipated for the municipality as a result of climate change. Through engagement with local and regional government departments, industry, and community organizations, the consulting team was able to assess and prioritize the climate risks for the MD and provide cost effective actions that could be implemented to increase resiliency to a changing climate while accounting for the current capacity and resources of the organization. 

Results

The result of this project is a Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan that includes a risk assessment report outlining climate risks for the MD, with 17 risks rated as high and 8 risks rated as very high. 

These risks are related to climate events such as wildfires, seasonal droughts, increased temperatures, flooding, and invasive species. In particular the impacts of wildfire and wildfire smoke are some of the highest risks to the municipality. 

The Plan includes 21 recommended adaptation actions to address the priority climate change risks facing the MD of Bighorn. Along with these recommended actions, the Plan describes several Community Support Actions that detail ways for municipal residents to become more resilient to potential future climate impacts. 

Benefits 

This Plan will support the municipality in understanding what actions they can take to mitigate the greatest risks and help to prioritize the most effective actions.  

Having a Climate Adaptation & Resilience Plan will outline to residents and community members the actions the MD of Bighorn is planning to take to become more resilient to the changing climate of the region. 

As identified in the MD of Bighorn’s Corporate Strategic Plan, we are a growing and evolving municipality. The threats posed by climate change are affecting our environment and will continue to do so. As a forward-thinking organization, the MD of Bighorn has been working on a Climate Adaptation & Resilience project. The project has provided the opportunity for the Municipality to work with community members in identifying strategies on how to respond to, and mitigate impacts on our local areas across the municipal landscape. I appreciate the time and effort of the community members involved, and look forward to the conclusions coming from this project.

Lisa Rosvold, Reeve for the Municipal District of Bighorn