Waldron Ranch, AB protected for future generations
Earlier this fall, Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) secured the largest conservation easement in Canadian history. This outstanding agreement between the NCC and Waldron Grazing Co-operative Ltd. will protect over 12,357 hectares (30,535 acres) of native grasslands and forested foothills on Waldron Ranch in southwestern Alberta. This spectacular property is located northwest of Lethbridge, along the famed ‘Cowboy Trail’ (Highway 22) between Longview and Lundbreck. The ranch contains large tracts of native fescue prairie, rich history and spectacular scenery. Situated in a broad valley,...
Read MoreUS Wilderness Act turns 50 today
After eight years of persistent work by members of The Wilderness Society and prominent members of conservation community in the United States, and more than 60 working drafts, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act on September 3, 1964. This historic act created a formal mechanism for designating wilderness and created the National Wilderness Preservation System. The initial wilderness areas designated in the Act covered 9.1 million acres (37,000 square kilometres) of national forest wilderness areas in the USA previously protected by various administrative orders....
Read MoreIllustrated talk: Saskatchewan Grasslands – a Vanishing Landscape?
Join Saskatchewan biologist and environmental photographer Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj on a journey of discovery of our diminishing prairie landscapes. Friday, March 28, 2014 at 7 p.m. Royal Saskatchewan Museum 2445 Albert Street in Regina Temperate grasslands are one of the most altered and modified landscapes in the world. Human land-use, including intensive agricultural production and urban development are the leading cause of habitat loss in North America. In Saskatchewan, as in all of North America, 80% of the original grasslands have been converted to crop production and other uses....
Read MoreWorld Wildife Day – March 3, 2014
March 3, 2014 has been designated the first ever World Wildlife Day by the United Nations. It is an opportunity to celebrate our planet’s incredible variety of animals and plants, and to raise awareness about the need for global conservation of all living creatures on our planet. This day was chosen as the World Wildlife Day as it was on this day the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) was adopted. The Convention plays an important role in ensuring that international trade does not threaten the species’ well being. Here is a...
Read MoreGreater Sage Grouse emergency protection order takes effect
In December of 2013, the Canadian government announced an emergency order to enhance protection of the critically endangered Greater Sage Grouse . The order would restrict certain types of industrial activity (like gravel, oil or gas extraction, construction of new roads etc.) during important parts of the Sage Grouse’s life cycle and adopting land use practices in areas near the Sage Grouse habitat that could impact the dwindling populations. The emergency protection order came into effect today. I wrote about the Greater Sage Grouse emergency protection order in a previous blog...
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