A Calgary-based developer is convinced a valley just outside of Rosebud, Alta., is the perfect place for a multi-million dollar project.
The vision of the Badlands Motorsport Resort is to create racetracks along the valley, a resort and a residence.
Rick Skibsted owns land bordering the development project and does not want anything to disrupt the landscape or impact wildlife.
“Why they want to put it in a river valley when you’re racing around a car at 160 km. Who’s looking at the scenery anyways?” Skibsted said.
“I always felt this valley needed to be protected.”
Skibsted said he is worried about the populations of bird species being threatened by the development.
“I can’t imagine where anybody would say driving around with race cars is going to be compatible with wildlife. They are not going to want moose wandering across the track. They’re going to fence them out, that’s quite obvious,” Skibsted said.
Wendy and Richard Clark also own land near the project and are supporting the campaign to ‘Save the Rosebud’.
“We never imagined we’d have to defend this valley,” Wendy said.
“This is our sanctuary, a wildlife sanctuary, and you can’t expect to have this kind of development and have no impact on a valley like this,” Wendy said.
The residents have been in this fight for nearly a decade, desperate to preserve the character and personality of the hamlet they call home.
“I’ve always been taught if you don’t look after the land, it won’t look after us,” Richard said.
Rosebud Theatre executive director Paul Muir said the residents need up-to-date environmental and noise impact assessments.
“Our biggest need right now is to actually know what the impact is. And it’s not clear. What is clear is the noise impact assessment that was done 10 years ago is full of holes and has incorrect source data,” Muir said.
“If it’s going to be a constant whine of cars, that’s going to disturb this serene setting,” Muir said. “We have to know so we know what action to take.”
Badlands Recreation Development Corp. chief financial officer and development manager James Zalazo said it will be a destination motorsports mecca.
“It’s not just a racetrack — it’s a road course, a driving course and not the typical speedway, it’s for recreational purposes,” he said.
Zalazo said it is on private property and has gone through public consultations and been approved by Kneehill County. He added they have their own environmental consultant on staff.
“This perception we are destroying it is completely false,” Zalazo said.
“We are not in Rosebud. We are five kilometres away through hills and valleys. There’s absolutely no reasonable way to expect us to have an effect on the hamlet of Rosebud — it doesn’t exist.”
He said their noise impact assessments prove it will impact residents.
“The decibel rate from the typical noise from our track is low. The decibel acceptable rating in the province is 50 decibels. The rating that came through is 20 that’s a very low rate,” Zalazo said.
He said construction is contingent on financial investments which Alberta’s Environmental Appeals Board is scheduled to review.