Rancher wants to protect grassland
Draft plan covers 83,764 square km of Alberta land
MILK RIVER — Audrey Taylor’s pasture for her cattle is in the middle of the Milk River ridge, an internationally significant grassland that’s home to rare fish, birds and plants. Deer and antelope regularly play in her yard.
It’s located j ust west of a 19,000-hectare tract of heritage rangeland, a provincial designation that preserves and protects Prairie grasslands.
Taylor, a matter-of-fact farmer who grew up in the area and now lives there with her husband and three children, says she would like to see the land they lease for grazing added to the protected area.
“I’m a bit of a tree hugger when it comes to protecting the land,” she says.
Taylor says she has the support of the oil and gas company that holds the sub-surface rights, but has gotten nowhere with her proposal.
She’s hoping that will change under the South Saskatc he wan Regional Plan — a land-use plan for an area spanning 83,764 square kilometres across southern Alberta.
The draft plan, released this fall and open for public input until Jan. 15, will guide future decisions on development, recreation and conservation.
In southeastern Alberta, one of the main concerns is the ecological preservation of the grasslands.
Some worry it will me an decreased income for the property owners, suggesting the province will need to find ways to compensate leaseholders and landowners.
“If the people of Alberta think they want conservation areas, the people of Alberta should pay,” says Tom Gilchrist, a retired rancher near Milk River.
“The load shouldn’t be paid by the landowner.”
But Taylor says she’d be willing to return any money paid by the oil and gas company for the mineral rights to her property so it could be turned into heritage rangeland.
It would allow for the traditional grazing that has preserved the grasslands for years, but limit outdoor recreation on the property.
The draft land-use plan doesn’t designate additional heritage rangeland, but provincial officials say it recognizes the importance of the grasslands.
“A lot of these lands are wellmanaged already,” says Jason Cathcart, manager of land-use policy with Alberta Agriculture.
“We know there are already good stewards on the land.”
The province, he says, wants to work with farmers and ranchers over time to see if there’s any interest in extending the conservation any further.
“A lot of people are willing to take that a step further,” he says.
Conservationists say they’re pleased to see recognition of the grasslands, which have global significance as one of the last remaining blocks, but note the land-use plan is vague on how it will protect the area.
“It’s not enough,” says Cliff Wallis, vice-president with the Alberta Wilderness Association. “That’s why sage grouse is going to zero.”
The grasslands are home to 50 threatened species, including the sage grouse.
“There used to be thousands,” he says. “We’re down to 12, 13, 14 males dancing in the spring. That means there’s dozens or, at best, a hundred.
“It’s because we haven’t paid attention.”
Wallis says the land-use plan was supposed to be about making hard choices, but instead it will take years to get extra protection while still allowing for oil and gas development in the area.
“It’s time to stop the B.S.,” he says.
Kim Lalonde, section head for land-use framework regional planning branch with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, says there’s still potential for conservation areas in the draft plan.
“The door isn’t closed,” she says.
The plan notes that public land allows for various uses, including agriculture, recreation, soil and water conservation, resource development, and fish and wildlife habitat.
It also considers what’s happening on the land, says Lalonde, explaining that will help manage infrastructure such as access roads, seismic lines and pipelines.
The plan also minimizes conversion of intact native grasslands, so it avoids new sales of surface public land in those areas as a way to preserve the unique landscape.
In addition, it will be co-ordinated with programs such as species-atrisk conservation programs and conservation offset pilots.
One of the pilot projects, called the Southeast Alberta Conservation Offset Pilot, is attempting to address unavoidable ecological losses arising from development in the southeastern corner of Alberta.
“We’re working with the petroleum, wind energy and utilities,” says Rob Dunn, a land management specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “There’s been interest in helping develop it.”
So far, though, he says none of the industry partners have signed on.
Dunn says the province is trying to find ways to encourage participation as a way to minimize impact and protect habitats, but still allow for some development.
For Taylor, she says it’s time to protect the relatively untouched land.
“If you took the fences out and filled in a couple of dugouts, it’s exactly how Mother Nature created it,” she says.
“It’s beautiful and it’s vast ... You want to protect it for future generations, you want to protect it for the wildlife.
“It’s like a sanctuary.”