LONGVIEW, Alta. — Erin Hughes is comfortable walking the hills and valleys of Chinook Ranch with the family dog, Raina.
“Her name is Raina because her mother is Sky, and rain comes from sky,” she explained as she walked to the top of a hill that overlooks her home on a 5,000 acre ranch southwest of Longview.
It is a neat explanation of lineage clearly in keeping with the Hughes family philosophy of respecting family and preserving the land for future generations.
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On June 4, Stephen Hughes and his wife, Velva Dawn Silver-Hughes, along with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, announced a conservation easement on 2,600 acres of Hughes property, a deal worth $4.5 million. The other portion of the ranch is crown lease, which cannot be developed.
The Hughes’ part of the deal is worth $2.7 million, with another $2.1 million coming from the federal government and the rest from private donations.
The arrangement will prevent future subdivision of the Chinook Ranch into acreages such as the ones already encroaching on land north of the ranch toward Calgary.
“I think it’s just a real treasure to be able to keep this in the family and we’re doing our best to make sure it stays as one piece,” said Stephen Hughes.
The ranch has been in the family since the mid-1940s, when James Hughes Sr. first bought property near Pekisko Creek and later this place near Longview.
James Hughes Jr., Stephen’s father, remains involved in operations now spearheaded by Stephen and Velva Dawn.
Stephen said the Nature Conservancy’s goals mesh with his family’s philosophy about ranching and conservation.
“We’re trying to do the best job we can grazing and maintaining the ecosystem that we live and work in,” he said.
“The byproduct of that is to maintain the biodiversity, wildlife habitat, open spaces, sending clean water downstream. All that’s to our benefit but it benefits society at large, I hope.
“If you’re doing a good job ranching, I think you’re doing a good job of conservation, aren’t you? Which is where the nature conservancy has like-minded goals.”
The ranch features wide-open views of the eastern slopes of the Rockies, and native pasture thick with prairie wool, other native grasses and a diversity of wild flowers.
Five hundred cows graze the land year-round, while 500 yearlings join them in summer.
“Our philosophies are to sort of align our cattle operation more with the rhythms of nature, if I can put my Birkenstocks on,” said Stephen.
That means calving later and producing a completely grass-fed product that is part of the prairie heritage beef program.
Preservation of biodiversity and wildlife habitat is a major goal, and Chinook Ranch is home to black and grizzly bears, cougars, elk, deer and a range of other fauna and flora.
The arrangement with the Nature Conservancy allows the Hughes family to continue running their cattle operation as they have in the past.
However, the easement registered on the title defines what can be done with the land in the future.
For example, wetlands cannot be drained, new roads can’t be built and subdivision is not an option.
“One of the things that we are really strong on is ensuring that the land we conserve stays as what we call a working landscape,” said Kara Tersen of the conservancy.
“We see that as very compatible with our goals, so it’s a nice way to help keep ranchers on their land, too. Basically the way it is, is how it will stay.”
Said Stephen: “We haven’t given up any ownership in our land but we’ve given up some rights, and … my grandfather didn’t work so hard to put this place here to not hopefully see it stay the way it is.”
Stephen said he and Velva Dawn hope their three children, Erin, Josie, 11, and Kayla, 14, will appreciate the decision to protect the land through the nature conservancy.
“We’re trying to impress upon them some ethics or principles regarding keeping this the way it is. I think they’re learning that as they grow up.
“If nothing else, I’d like to see it stay in the family but, you know, this ensures that happens a little easier.”
