The Nature Conservancy of Canada has entered into a conservation agreement with the Waldron Grazing Co-operative for Bob Creek Ranch.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has unveiled its latest project in Alberta and is asking for help in conserving the Bob Creek Ranch, a stunning prairie grasslands property.
The Bob Creek Ranch spans 1,027 hectares of ecologically significant and diverse habitat, including fescue grasslands, montane ridges and riparian areas.
“The partnership we’ve built with the Waldron speaks volumes about how conservation agreements can be a win-win for everyone involved,” said Bob Sutton, regional board chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada. “By working together, we’ve proven that conserving places like Bob Creek Ranch isn’t just good for ranchers and wildlife, but for all of us.”
“It’s a real-life example of how we can balance conservation with sustainable ranching, ensuring a brighter future for Albertans and our natural world.”
The property, newly owned by the Waldron Grazing Co-operative, also borders the Oldman River and features two creeks, Bob Creek and Coyote Creek.
This project marks the latest effort in the conservancy’s ongoing conservation partnership with the Waldron, following the successful conservation of the Waldron Ranch in 2013 and the King Ranch in 2015.
Both projects enjoyed the support of many individuals, foundations, and government partners, including the government of Alberta through its Alberta Land Trust Grant Program.
Like these two other projects, Bob Creek Ranch will be conserved through a conservation agreement between the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the co-operative.
Conservation agreements ensure lands remain in a natural state forever, while allowing the land owner to continue to use the land in productive ways, such as sustainable cattle ranching.
These voluntary legal agreements form the backbone of the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s conservation work in Alberta, aligning conservation goals with maintaining productive land use essential to Alberta’s agriculture industry.
The Waldron Grazing Co-operative consists of 78 shareholders, most of whom operate their own ranch, but augment their operation by bringing their cattle onto the Waldron for portions of the year.
Many of these ranchers and their families have deep connections to this area, with some being the sixth generation to ranch there.
Being part of the Waldron allows these individuals to steward, rest and manage their own grass effectively, thanks to the access they have to the Waldron’s grass resources.
And by being part of the partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, these land owners can access stewardship funding for projects on their own grasslands.
Partnering with the Nature Conservancy of Canada helps the Waldron Grazing Co-operative in several ways.
It provides funding for operations and improvements, including expansion.
It also facilitates access to funding for stewardship enhancements, such as off-site watering systems, rotational grazing infrastructure and wildlife-friendly fences to help keep the land and wildlife populations healthy.
Bob Creek Ranch represents one of the final critical areas in the network of publicly protected and privately conserved and lands in the region, bridging the gap between Bob Creek Wildland Park, the Black Creek Heritage Rangeland and the Waldron Ranch.
Together, these areas form a contiguous block of over 43,000 hectares.
As a result, conserving Bob Creek Ranch will enhance connectivity among these lands, creating a contiguous landscape of intact habitats.
This will help maintain crucial wildlife corridors, ensuring the continued safe movement of species, such as grizzly bear and elk.
The grasslands of Bob Creek Ranch are dominated by rough fescue, Alberta’s provincial grass. Rough fescue offers exceptional year-round forage for wildlife and livestock and is considered a symbol of Alberta’s prairie and ranching heritage.
Fescue grasslands are one of the most threatened and least protected ecoregions in Canada; by one estimate, fewer than 20 per cent of fescue grassland remain in Alberta’s foothills.
Rough fescue provides important ecological benefits, such as water filtration, carbon sequestration, and forage for both domestic animals and wildlife.
The property also serves as habitat for species of conservation concern, including limber pine (endangered), grizzly bear (threatened), Columbia spotted frog (sensitive in Alberta) and golden eagle (sensitive in Alberta).
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is encouraging those wanting to see Bob Creek Ranch stay beautiful and intact forever to support efforts to conserve Alberta’s disappearing Prairie grasslands. The Nature Conservancy of Canada is seeking to raise $10-million for Bob Creek Ranch and other grassland conservation projects in Alberta this year.
Visit prairiegrasslands.ca to get involved.
