Founded in 1965, Alberta Wilderness Association’s (AWA) mission is to preserve Alberta’s wilderness, water, and wildlife. It does this by seeking protection for regions that represent the province’s characteristic landscapes. AWA’s major program is wilderness conservation, which it achieves through public awareness and action. 

AWA prioritizes six natural regions: the Boreal Forest, the Rocky Mountains, the Canadian Shield, the Grasslands, the Foothills, and the Parklands. AWA proposes areas for conservation for each of these regions. AWA’s goal is to have 34% of the Boreal Forest, 90% of the Rockies, 79% of the Canadian Shield, 16% of the Grasslands, 20% of the Foothills, and 4% of the Parklands protected in the future.

For wildlife conservation, AWA seeks protection for habitats of at-risk species through its Protected Areas. Current species of interest include bison, caribou, grizzly bears, sage-grouse, wolves, and native trout. AWA also advocates for improved species-at-risk legislation in Alberta and enforcement of existing laws to protect at-risk species. In collaboration with First Nations, David Suzuki Foundation, and other environmental charities, AWA presents the history and opportunities for protecting wilderness.  

To protect freshwater in Alberta, AWA advocates for a stronger provincial wetland policy. AWA currently prioritizes the McClelland Lake wetlands, Wood Buffalo National Park, and the Peace-Athabasca Delta, which face immediate threats. The charity is also fighting against a water pipeline proposal that would divert water from the Red Deer watershed.

In F2020, AWA ran 76 programs with a total of 3,786 participants. This includes 27 adventures through AWA’s Adventures for Wilderness program. Additionally, AWA released four issues of its Wild Lands Advocate magazine. Each issue was delivered to 2,200 individuals and accessed online by 900 individuals.

Alberta Wilderness Association is a small charity with donations, foundation grants, and special events revenue of $562k in F2020. Administrative costs are 12% of revenues (less investment income) and fundraising costs are 17% of donations. This results in total overhead spending of 29%. For every dollar donated, 71 cents go to the cause which is within Ci’s reasonable range for overhead spending. AWA’s financial statements are unaudited which Charity Intelligence finds acceptable for a charity of its size. The Charities Directorate recommends charities of AWA’s size have audited financial statements. AWA has $590k in funding reserves. With these funding reserves, AWA could cover 129% or roughly 15 months of program costs.

Charity Intelligence sent an update of this report to AWA for review. Changes and edits may be forthcoming.

Updated on June 4, 2021 by Sydney Olexa.