Land Management & Stewardship
Deadline:
1 Feb 2012 - 16:30
The 2012 Watershed Stewardship Grant (WSG) will begin accepting applications on January 1st, 2012.
Since 2005, the WSG program made possible through the Government of Alberta’s Water for Life Strategy, has provided funding to the province’s stewardship community to support their efforts. Read more »
Jan 18 2012 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
What does our legal history have to say about our property rights? When do we move from confluence to conflict in reaching environmental objectives on our land? Is there a place for the “public interest” on private property?
The Alberta Government has recently struck a task force to consult with landowners regarding property rights. Undoubtedly this is in response to concerns raised around the impact of the Alberta Land Stewardship Act (and other laws) on a landowner’s property rights. Read more »
Nov 23 2011 - 12:00pm - 1:00pm
The Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA), which provides the legal framework for the province’s new land use planning and management system, has been in effect for two years. During that time, a first regional plan has been released in draft form, with a second soon to follow, and the first ALSA regulations have been enacted. Read more »
With a new premier, and a slate of new ministers in Alberta, there is a feeling of change and some optimism that progress can finally be made on better protection for Alberta’s wildlands and wildlife. A couple of examples – protection for the Castle, and the notorious proposed “Potatogate” public land sale – will be an early test of Premier Redford’s renewed commitment to “transparency and accountability.” Read more »
Oct 21 2011 - 9:00am - 4:00pm
There are many communities in Alberta that are striving to protect valued landscapes (wetlands, riparian areas, biodiversity, agricultural lands, etc.), whether urban or rural, community leaders are looking for tools and processes that make this possible. There are areas of high conservation value that have timber leases, grazing leases, and oil leases – the owners of these leases are also looking for tools to help them meet the expectations for stewardship and conservation. Read more »
Cochrane RancheHouse
101 RancheHouse Road
Cochrane,
AB T4C 2K8
The greater sage-grouse has been called Alberta's most endangered species. In 2011, just 13 male birds were recorded in Alberta, a 98 percent decline since 1968. The plight of the sage-grouse is desperate, and these spectacular birds need all the help they can get if they are going to survive in Alberta.
—Nigel Douglas, AWA Conservation Specialist
Background
The greater sage-grouse is one of Alberta's most spectacular birds, but also its most endangered species. Thirty years ago, there were hundreds of these birds distributed across the province's grasslands, performing their exotic "dances" at traditional lek sites. The bizarre bubbling and popping songs were an everyday feature of our prairies.
Today, with just 13 male birds recorded in Alberta in 2011, the province's sage-grouse are in desperate trouble. As is so often the case in Alberta, the cause of the problem is well known (destruction of sage-grouse habitat) and the solution is also known (protect that habitat). If the greater sage-grouse is allowed to disappear, it will be what University of Alberta professor Dr. Mark Boyce describes as "the first case where the oil and gas industry has caused the extirpation of a species in Canada.” Read more »
