Nature Conservancy completes deal of southwestern Alberta ranch

CALGARY – An environmental charity is adding a large portion of untouched grassland and foothills to a protected area in southwestern Alberta.

The Nature Conservancy says the historic King Ranch will come under a conservation easement that already protects a wide swath of land southwest of Calgary.

That means the one-time ranch’s 1,700 hectares will be off-limits to developers and will be added to more than 12,000 hectares already conserved.

The land was once a historic cattle operation owned by an eccentric pair of brothers who lived in a log cabin despite being multimillionaires.

It will join a larger parcel being managed by a local grazing association and preserved for the wildlife that lives there.