Environmentalists in Alberta, Canada have been blocking logging operations in the Castle Wilderness Area for over a week despite below freezing temperatures. On January 11 several dozen environmentalists, including local residents, set up tents on the access road for the logging operations. Spray Lakes Sawmills wants to log 300 acres of land in the wilderness area.

 “If we keep people there and the machinery idle until spring, that might be a good time — come spring, they won’t be able to do any logging. I hope it doesn’t take that long, but we have a lot of committed people, people coming from all over,” said Gordon Peterson of the Castle-Crown Wilderness Coalition (CCWC) told CBC News.

 According to CCWC the, “Castle Region is an important part of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem which covers approximately 27,000 square miles of Alberta, BC, and Montana and includes Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness.” It also serves as an important wildlife corridor and is critical habitat for grizzly bears. In addition to logging the Castle Wilderness is threatened by oil and gas projects in the area.