The Alberta government’s decision to remove habitat protections for the endangered greater sage-grouse could lead to the bird’s disappearance from the province, according to a University of Alberta scientist who has studied the species for more than two decades. “There’s a very good chance that we will lose sage-grouse from Alberta,” said biological sciences professor Mark Boyce. “It would be a real shame if we lost sage-grouse. They are such spectacular birds.” The province has removed specific habitat protection requirements that restricted industrial development in areas of southeastern Alberta designated as greater sage-grouse core areas and recovery zones. The changes affect approximately 2,800 square kilometres, or 74 per cent of the roughly 3,800 square kilometres previously covered by provincial and federal habitat protections, according to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS). The greater sage-grouse is among Canada’s most endangered birds. Its Alberta population has declined by approximately 98 per cent since 1968, with the most recent provincial census in 2023 estimating just 54 birds remaining. “This is the most endangered vertebrate in Canada. We have so few of them left,” Boyce said. “And then to have Alberta ignore their endangered status and remove protection from habitat is a disgrace.” CPAWS and the Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA) say the government removed the protections without public consultation or an announcement. Katie Morrison, executive director of CPAWS Southern Alberta, says the decision could undermine years of efforts to recover the species. “It’s also a species that has very specific habitat requirements and is very vulnerable to human disturbance,” Morrison said. “(To) remove all these protections, I think is the last nail in the coffin of the species, this iconic grassland species in Alberta.” The changes come less than two years after the Alberta government publicly highlighted its efforts to restore the species. In a January 2025 article titled A new dawn for Alberta’s endangered greater sage-grouse, the province described years of conservation work, including the decommissioning of more than 400 oil and gas wells in sage-grouse habitat and the addition of more than 5,000 acres of protected habitat through land purchases and easements. The government also acknowledged that industrial structures, noise and habitat fragmentation threatened the birds’ survival. Morrison questions how the province could abandon the protections after years of publicly promoting conservation efforts. “It’s almost inconceivable that these protections would be removed on this species,” Morrison said. “It is hard to fathom why the government would, without any consultation, without any announcement, remove these protections.” Helium development in sage-grouse habitat Southeastern Alberta’s sage-grouse habitat also contains underground helium deposits, attracting companies interested in developing the resource. Helium is used in medical imaging equipment, scientific research, semiconductor manufacturing and other advanced technologies. Unlike many other industrial gases, helium cannot be manufactured commercially and must be recovered from underground deposits, often alongside natural gas. That means companies looking to produce helium must develop facilities where commercially viable deposits are located. The Helium Developers Association of Canada confirms it had been lobbying the Alberta government over regulations protecting greater sage-grouse habitat in the years leading up to the changes. Richard Dunn, executive director of the association, says the industry raised concerns about restrictions on development within the sage-grouse recovery area. “We brought to their attention that the regulations within the sage-grouse recovery area (SGRA) significantly constrained responsible economic development opportunities,” said Dunn. “Not only for the emerging helium sector but also for other businesses and economic activities in the region.” Dunn says the association proposed ways to accommodate development while balancing environmental and economic interests. He says helium extraction has a relatively small environmental footprint compared with conventional oil and gas development, requiring fewer wells and less surface disturbance. “The sector continues to operate under a heavily regulated regime in southern Alberta,” Dunn said. One of those helium companies hoping to build facilities in the area is Calgary-based Thor Resources, which is developing its Sapphire helium project in southeastern Alberta. The project is located within a former greater sage-grouse recovery zone. The Alberta Energy Regulator has approved work associated with the development, although Thor says it is still pursuing the remaining approvals required for its helium processing plant. Thor Resources responds In a written response to CTV News, Thor Resources president and CEO Brent Jonah said the company acquired its petroleum and natural gas rights in the area through a provincial auction in 2016, five years before the (now removed) provincial recovery area was established. Thor received its first licence to drill a helium well in May 2021. Jonah said the company had been working to advance the Sapphire project under the previous habitat protection requirements and had received preliminary approval in principle for its conceptual design in late 2025. The company says it learned about the regulatory changes in late July this year, when they appeared in an update to the AER’s regulatory platform. Jonah said the project is located near existing roads, agricultural operations and previously developed well sites, several kilometres from federally protected land and a considerable distance from the nearest active sage-grouse mating ground. He said the proposed processing plant would occupy the same approximately four-acre site where the company’s first well was drilled, minimizing additional disturbance. Thor says it has conducted wildlife surveys and noise assessments and incorporated environmental measures into the project’s design. Those include noise and light mitigation, reducing pipeline disturbance and installing measures intended to discourage predatory birds from perching on industrial structures. Jonah also defended the importance of developing Alberta’s helium resources. “Helium is a critical mineral, our modern way of life depends on it, it’s only found in a few places of the world, even fewer places that are geopolitically stable and well regulated, like Alberta,” Jonah wrote in an email. “I wish the helium was easier to find and is in areas easier to operate in, but it’s not, so we go where the helium is and diligently work to minimize our impact beyond even what the regulations require of us.” Jonah said Thor follows applicable regulations and has the experience necessary to operate responsibly in environmentally sensitive areas. Province says conservation efforts will continue The restrictions were introduced in 2021 through Alberta’s Master Schedule of Standards and Conditions, which sets land-use requirements for development on public lands. The province has since removed the conditions specifically protecting greater sage-grouse core areas and recovery zones. At the time, the province’s own greater sage-grouse recovery zone mapping records described the area as essential to identifying habitat needed for the species’ recovery. Those records say the boundaries were developed using decades of wildlife observations, including nesting sites, breeding grounds and winter habitat. The province said the mapped areas supported land-use conditions intended to protect the birds and improve their prospects for recovery. In a written statement to CTV News, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas communications director Andrew Livingstone said the government is trying to balance conservation with economic development. “The Master Schedule of Standards and Conditions was updated to simplify regulatory requirements in the sage-grouse ranges and to provide greater flexibility and clarity for proponents operating in southeastern Alberta,” Livingstone wrote. “These changes do not alter requirements associated with the federal emergency protection order, which remain in effect.” The federal emergency order for the protection of the greater sage-grouse came into force in 2014 under the species at risk act. It restricts activities that could damage sage-grouse habitat on designated federal and provincial Crown lands in southeastern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. But Boyce says the remaining protections cover only a fraction of the habitat the birds need. “Almost surely not,” Boyce said when asked whether the federal protections would be enough. “The federal ones remain in place, but that’s a fraction of the area that the grouse actually use.” Morrison says the provincial protections were introduced because the federal measures alone were insufficient. “The federal protections cover about 1,000 square kilometers of sage-grouse habitat,” Morrison said. “But for this species to recover, they really need much wider habitat.” Livingstone said Alberta continues to invest in recovery initiatives, including nest and brood augmentation, habitat restoration, predator management, stewardship partnerships and monitoring. “Alberta also continues to use data and scientific research to target recovery efforts where they can be most effective,” Livingstone wrote. “Alberta will continue to work with industry and local partners to support responsible resource development while advancing recovery of this endangered species.” Boyce disagrees “That’s a contradiction in terms,” Boyce said. “They’re going to support industry to go ravage the habitat at the same time that they’re trying to protect the habitat. That makes no sense at all.” Alberta’s previous public commitments also included a 2014 joint government announcement of provincial funding for a greater sage-grouse captive-breeding program at the Calgary Zoo. Then-environment minister Robin Campbell announced a $2.1-million provincial contribution over 10 years, describing the program as an important partnership to help protect the future of Alberta’s sage-grouse population. Regulator says province sets the rules The AER says the decision to change the habitat protections was made by the provincial government. The regulator says it applies conditions to development applications based on government policy, but does not establish that policy. The AER directed CTV News to its publicly available records, including the Thor Resources application and decision documents. The regulator did not directly answer whether the Thor project would have received the same approvals under the previous habitat restrictions. The province’s former land-use conditions can be found in earlier versions of the Master Schedule of Standards and Conditions. The Alberta Energy Regulator’s summary of changes provides additional information about the revised requirements. Why the birds are so vulnerable Greater sage-grouse depend on sagebrush grasslands for food, shelter and nesting. Boyce says research has demonstrated that sage-grouse avoid areas surrounding oil wells, even when vegetation remains. “Sage-grouse avoid oil wells,” Boyce said. “In the wintertime, we’ve documented that there’s about a two-kilometer buffer surrounding each oil well that the sage-grouse are loath to use.” He says industrial structures can also provide perches for predators such as golden eagles. Morrison says those structures can make it harder for sage-grouse populations to recover. “They are very vulnerable to predation by particularly birds,” Morrison said. “And when you build things like power lines, when you build structures that allow predatory birds to sit and prey. It can have an impact, certainly, on the species recovery.” Boyce acknowledged that he has not personally studied helium facilities, and his findings about oil wells do not show the specific effects of Thor’s proposed development. Conservation work in southeastern Alberta has included reclaiming abandoned industrial sites, planting sagebrush and restoring previously disturbed habitat. Boyce says some of those efforts have shown promising results. “We have done a pretty good job of developing methods for reclaiming sage-grouse habitat,” Boyce said. “If we can just keep at it for another, I don’t know, 20 years or so, we might actually start to see some rebound.” But he says the birds have been hanging on by a thread for years, and the loss of additional habitat could eliminate any realistic prospect of recovery. Other grassland species could also be affected The potential consequences extend beyond greater sage-grouse. Provincial scientific advice on the species’ recovery identified several other species at risk that could benefit from stronger sage-grouse habitat protections, including the greater short-horned lizard, ferruginous hawk, swift fox, small-flowered sand-verbena, soapweed, tiny cryptantha, western spiderwort and sensitive snake species. Morrison says the sage-grouse is representative of a much larger ecosystem already under pressure. “By removing habitat protections for sage-grouse, we’re not just impacting sage-grouse,” Morrison said. “We’re potentially impacting many grassland species in that region, and grasslands are already our most imperiled ecosystem, and already have the least protection of any ecosystem in our province.” For Boyce, the stakes go beyond the survival of one species. The birds found in southeastern Alberta may have unique adaptations to the region’s silver sagebrush grasslands, making their disappearance an irreversible loss. “It would be a real shame if we lost the greater Sage-grouse. They are such spectacular birds,” Boyce said. “But even more, it’s just losing part of our natural heritage.”
