Southern Alberta native grassland saved through conservation deal
Nature Conservancy protects 16 hectares of endangered fescue grassland near Waterton Lakes as part of expanding prairie preservation effort.
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The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a conservation easement protecting a 16-hectare property in southern Alberta near Waterton Lakes National Park, adding to a growing effort to preserve the province's endangered native grasslands.
The Southwell family, who bought the land in 2018 to live on seasonally and graze cattle and horses, agreed to the protection. The property sits near Police Outpost Provincial Park, about 230 kilometres south of Calgary, in an area where ranchers have partnered with the NCC on 14 conservation projects totalling about 5,700 hectares.
The land contains native fescue grassland—the most endangered type of grassland in the province. In Alberta, only about 15 per cent of fescue remains. "Any chance we have to conserve a good section like we get out of the Southwell property, that's a win," said Jeremy Hogan, the NCC's director of prairie grassland conservation.
Cattle continue to graze on each protected property, providing ecological benefit to the grasslands while the grasslands provide productivity benefits for ranchers. The property is part of the headwaters of the Oldman River water system and forms part of a nearly 6,000-hectare connectivity corridor for species such as pronghorn, grizzly bears, deer, and elk.
The habitat is also in the "core range" for grassland song birds—the most endangered type of birds in North America. Fescue grasslands are carbon sinks, storing up to 150 tonnes per hectare of carbon. Half of that carbon is immediately released if broken for crop cultivation.
The project was supported by Cenovus Energy and a portion was donated under the federal Ecological Gifts Program, which provides enhanced tax incentives for ecologically significant land donations.
