ALUS welcomes a new community to its network of grassroots environmental stewards.
A wetland on this farm in Sturgeon County helps retain runoff from the farmland around it and keep the North Saskatchewan River clean and healthy.
Sturgeon County, AB, December 2, 2021 — Launched in September, ALUS Sturgeon is located north of Edmonton in the North Saskatchewan River watershed. Delivered in partnership with Sturgeon County, Alberta, the community is keen to deliver an array of ALUS projects through program participants to produce cleaner air, cleaner water and more biodiversity.
“I am excited to add Sturgeon County to our growing network of communities taking leadership on environmental stewardship and natural infrastructure,” says Christine Campbell, ALUS Senior Hub Manager. “Demand from farmers and ranchers for the ALUS program has been strong in Sturgeon County, and the impact they will make there will be profound, improving their local community, but also the greater watershed.”
This program expands the ALUS footprint in Alberta, strengthening a growing network of Albertan farmers and ranchers who are developing and conserving habitat, building crop buffers and managing other natural infrastructure projects on their land to better serve their own operations and the environment.
“Bringing the ALUS program into Sturgeon County is a great opportunity to for our farmers and ranchers,” says Alanna Hnatiw, Mayor of Sturgeon County. “Even land that is not productive can be improved to increase the ecosystem services it offers. We are looking forward to identifying and implementing programs that that will help support local producers, sensitive ecosystems, and the environment.”
Sturgeon County serves more than 20,000 residents and covers an area of 2,100 square kilometers, including 35 townships. The Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) will help guide the delivery of the program, ensuring projects are tailored to local priorities and guided by local interests. Members of the committee include David Kluthe, Victor Majeau, Jacob Middelkamp, Allan Montpellier and Colten Brenneis. Administration will be managed by ALUS Sturgeon Coordinator, Christine Bobey.
The partnership is an exciting endeavour for both the county and ALUS, providing both partners an opportunity to expand their ability to support farmers and ranchers in their stewardship efforts, while bettering our shared environment and raising awareness of ecosystem function and its contributions to the health of our communities and economies.
“We are looking forward to identifying and implementing projects that that will help support local producers, sensitive ecosystems and the environment,” says Mayor Hnatiw.
About ALUS
ALUS (originally an acronym for Alternative Land Use Services) is a charitable organization that sustains agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations. ALUS provides direct financial and technical support to a network of more than a thousand farmers and ranchers who deliver ecosystem services in more than 30 communities across Canada, such as cleaner air, cleaner water, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood mitigation, pollinator support and wildlife habitat. Learn more at ALUS.ca.
