Country singer and activist Corb Lund hosted a weekend trail ride on May 17 to promote the "Water Not Coal" citizen-initiative petition [1].

The effort seeks to protect Alberta’s water resources from potential contamination by securing a province-wide ban on new coal exploration and development in the Eastern Slopes [1, 2].

Lund joined canvassers in Cochrane, specifically near MacKay’s Ice Cream, and held events in Calgary at The Confluence to gather support for the initiative [2, 4]. The campaign emphasizes that the threat to water quality is not an issue limited to urban centers, but one that affects rural landscapes, and agricultural interests [3].

Lund said, "It wasn't left‑leaning environmental people that brought me into the fight" [3]. By framing the issue as a matter of water security and land preservation, the movement aims to bridge the gap between traditional environmentalism and the concerns of rural residents.

Reporter Moses Woldu said Lund used the trail ride as a platform to fight for the protection of Alberta's water from new coal mining development [1]. The petition relies on citizen signatures to force a legislative review or a public vote on the ban [2].

Organizers believe that the Eastern Slopes are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of coal extraction. The initiative focuses on preventing the start of new projects rather than addressing existing mines, aiming to stop the expansion of the industry into critical watersheds [1, 3].

“"It wasn't left‑leaning environmental people that brought me into the fight."”

This campaign represents a strategic shift in environmental activism within Alberta by utilizing a 'citizen-initiative' model and a high-profile rural figure to appeal to conservative and agricultural demographics. By focusing on water security rather than global climate metrics, the movement attempts to build a broad-based coalition that transcends traditional political divides to influence provincial land-use policy.