The Rosebud River Conservation Area, northeast of Calgary, is one of 19 land conservation projects receiving funding from the province.--Photo courtesy Western Sky Land Trust Society.
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As a result of a request for proposal issued in 2024, $5 million in grant funding will be awarded to 19 land conservation projects, protecting nearly 21,000 acres across the province.
The Land Trust Grant Program helps to create and steward new conservation easements, which are legally binding voluntary agreements between a landowner and a land trust to preserve areas of native landscape and habitat for Alberta’s wildlife.
These projects include the Manyberries Sage Grouse Project and Bullshead Creek Ensminger Project in Cypress County, Cypress County Ranch Projects 1 and 2, and the Matzhiwin Creek Ensminger Project in the County of Newell.
“Alberta farmers and ranchers are natural environmental stewards of their lands. This funding helps provide the support needed to preserve their lands for future generations, all while ensuring they can continue to provide for their families, keeping food on our tables and our economy strong,” said Rebecca Schulz, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
The province says these projects protect vital wildlife corridors such as watersheds, riparian areas and grasslands, while ensuring the areas can still be economically productive agricultural lands as well.
“Alberta’s government is also reviewing its private land conservation program to identify even more opportunities to work with Albertans and sustainably conserve the province’s diverse natural landscapes,” said the province.
“This program, unique in Canada, allows land trusts in partnership with landowners to ensure Alberta’s irreplaceable landscapes are conserved forever,” said Max Fritz, executive director of the Western Sky Land Trust Society. “Thanks to the leadership of the Alberta government, we can safeguard working agricultural landscapes, including precious native grasslands, key habitat and connecting corridors for wildlife, and protect clean water supply and drought resilience. The Land Trust Grant Program is a unique and amazing catalyst for voluntary conservation, delivering durable protection while maintaining open spaces that are core to our culture and to our agriculture and tourism industries.”
