CALGARY- A major land deal has been made in southern Alberta, which will ensure there is no development on it—forever.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has purchased a conservation easement from the Waldron Ranch Cooperative, which is made up of one ranch owned by 72 ranchers. The pristine landscape located about two hours south of Calgary features rolling, green foothills, and plays a large part in the ecosystem of the eastern slopes and Canadian prairies.
The land is called the ‘last half of one per cent’—meaning it’s all that’s left of a giant ecosystem that once existed between the Rockies and Winnipeg.
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“When you are talking about half of one per cent that is left and a place that is big enough for things like bear and deer and elk all to occupy and predator prey relationships unfold…just having this still functioning as far as we see into the future is I think the big victory,” says Larry Simpson from the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
Negotiations took two years and were tense at times, with ranchers originally balking at the idea of someone telling them how to go about their business. But in the end, both sides found common ground.
“To restrict development of these lands for now and until the next ice age, next asteroid, for as long as our civil society remains intact, it’s huge,” says Simpson.
The chair of the Waldron Grazing Co-op adds that the deal will keep the land in the hands of those who own it, for years to come.
“It’s a preservation of the way we have done ranching for the last 50 years in the co-op, and it’s huge in the fact it continues to make sure it stays the same for the next generation, or five or 10 or 20 that want to continue to ranch,” says Tim Nelson.
The $15 million dollar was signed in April, but the organization is still looking for another $3 million to keep their end of the bargain.
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