The ALUS program came to Parkland County in 2012. Adjacent to Alberta’s capital city of Edmonton and located along the North Saskatchewan River, Parkland County is a centrally located community and a strong ALUS partner.
Parkland County is committed to delivering the ALUS concept. ALUS Parkland works with farmers and ranchers to establish ALUS projects that produce ecosystem services on marginal or environmentally sensitive agricultural land, providing support and annual per-acre payments for the maintenance and management of these projects.
ALUS Parkland has a number of projects established to date, including wetland enhancement, the establishment of ecobuffers, pollinator habitat, multi-row shelterbelts, enhanced and expanded riparian areas, alternative watering systems, nesting structures and fencing around waterbodies.
The ALUS Parkland team works with producers to identify stewardship opportunities on their farms and to help them throughout the ALUS process.
While natural assets such as wetlands are known to provide both tangible and intangible benefits for communities, their value can be hard to put a number on. The Alberta municipality of Parkland County has been experiencing both extreme weather events and degradation of natural infrastructure, and they wanted to evaluate the costs and benefits of maintaining and restoring wetlands and other ecosystems. By partnering at the watershed level with local NGOs and academia, they were able to complete a project involving mapping, modelling and analysis to better understand the value of these ecosystems and build a quantifiable business case for preserving and restoring them within their own borders and across municipal boundaries.
They are using results and recommendations from this project to better understand the value of natural infrastructure as well as the potential impact of its loss on the community, and to incorporate a consideration of natural assets into the decision-making process.
Community Links
News & Events
The 2019 Dave Reid Awards
ALUS Red Deer County participants Tom and Margaret Towers receive the 2019 Dave Reid Award for innovation in the production of ecosystem services on Canadian farms and ranches. On June 4, 2019, a crowd of 50 guests assembled at Rolyn Hills Ranch in Alberta as ALUS...
Putting Modeste to the Test
Work is on track for the Modeste Natural Infrastructure Project, whose first annual meeting was held in Edmonton February 5, 2019. On February 5, 2019, ALUS Canada attended the first annual partner meeting for the Modeste Natural Infrastructure Project, an important...
Bumper Crop: The Edmonton Corn Maze
ALUS Parkland eco-buffer project produces ecosystem services at the Edmonton Corn Maze. The Edmonton Corn Maze provides visitors with an unforgettable experience each summer, getting maximum entertainment value out of 15 acres of corn. And thanks to the ALUS project...
ALUS Parkland Coordinator
Parkland County
Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
Alberta Environment and Parks
Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP)
Alberta Conservation Association
Cows & Fish
Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture Research and Extension Council of Alberta
West Central Forage Association (WCFA)