An Alberta farmer has donated 940 acres of native prairie, just outside Hanna, to the provincial government to be used as a provincial park.
Gottlob Schmidt, 90, has asked the park be named Antelope Hill Provincial Park. It will be Alberta’s 76th provincial park.
“I am very happy to make this donation to the province and the people of Alberta. I’ve lived on this land since 1933 and my wish is to preserve the land in its natural state for future generations to enjoy,” said Schmidt in a news release.
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Schmidt lives in Hanna, but still commutes to the farm. When he no longer uses the farm, the park will be open to public use.
The land is significant because it has never been cultivated and is home to rare native species of grassland and bird life.
The land is home to the rare Sprague’s pipit and Baird’s sparrow and the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel. Because it is less than three kilometers from Dowling Lake, it is an important area for birds, deer, antelope, elk, wolves, skunks, ducks and other small animals.
The grass has native cactus, green needle grass, rough fescue and Rocky Mountain fescue on the acres of unbroken rangeland.
Schmidt was born in Romania in 1924. The family immigrated to Canada in 1927 and settled in the Hanna, Alta., area.
Schmidt and his brother, Alex, took over the family farm in 1945. In 1958, Schmidt bought out his brother and became the sole operator. He raised purebred Hereford cattle until selling his herd in the late 1990s.
It was then he turned his attention to gardening and raising birds, particularly pheasants and peacocks.
Now, 90, Schmidt lives in Hanna, but spends most of his days on the farm.
Schmidt is donating the 940 acres of native grassland property to Alberta Parks so it can be preserved.
The park will be managed for wildlife habitat and hiking. Hunting, camping and off-highway vehicles will not be permitted in the park.
Contact mary.macarthur@producer.com
