Agreement reached with Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited will curtail development at McIntyre Ranch
A southern Alberta conservation easement is being billed as an historic achievement by the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Ducks Unlimited.
More than 54,000 acres of native prairie that make up the McIntyre Ranch will be protected.
The sprawling, nearly 130-year-old ranch, located 60 kilometres south of Lethbridge, will allow for cattle grazing in perpetuity while curtailing development along rolling native grasslands.
The ranch, owned and operated by the Thrall family, is one of the last undisturbed and at-risk tracts of temperate grasslands left in North America. It hosts several threatened native species, according to NCC.
Read Also
Farm Credit Canada extends support for canola producers
Farm Credit Canada has extended its Trade Disruption Customer Support program to canola producers.
“I know there have been many special occasions in the 129-year history of the McIntyre Ranch and, surely, this must be one of the most momentous ones,” said Ralph Thrall, chief executive officer of the McIntyre Ranch Co.
Thrall said the ranch was founded in the late 19th century by the McIntyre family on the principle of conserving native grasslands, which they followed for more than 50 years.
Thrall said when his grandfather bought the ranch, “he adopted that balance with nature philosophy and that legacy has continued through four generations in the Thrall family.”
But agreeing to a conservation easement on the ranch was not a quick decision, with Thrall stating it came after more than three decades of conversations with NCC.
“The easement presented by NCC was unique and it required considerable planning and effort from everyone involved in getting it right,” he said. “Our dad taught us that things worthwhile are done neither quickly nor easily and in consideration of this, we know this accomplishment is worthwhile.”
Thrall highlighted that native grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate across the continent because turning land into crops is presently financially attractive.
“Grasslands are every bit as important to the sustainability of this planet as are oceans and our rainforests,” he said. “Understanding this is why we’ve chosen to preserve the grasslands of the McIntyre Ranch.”
While this announcement is the latest in a string of conservation easements announced by the NCC across southwestern Alberta near the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains, there has been some push back regarding the perpetual nature of such contracts.
During the Rural Municipalities of Alberta spring convention this year, the County of Newell proposed a 40-year time limit on such easements in a resolution, which was carried.
That resolution said it was presumptuous for one generation to limit future generation’s ability in land use, that they do not necessarily align with the interests of a local community and that they may unduly influence the land market and land-use decisions.
Newly appointed Alberta Minister of Tourism Joseph Schow, who lives near the McIntyre Ranch and represents the area as MLA, said during the media conference that conservation easements such as the Thrall’s help maintain the integrity of the landscape.
It will also maintain the ranching history of the area, he added.
“Days like today are very happy for me because it tells me that agriculture will continue to be a strong part of southern Alberta’s culture and heritage and I’m grateful for the Thrall family and everybody else involved in today’s announcement for their commitment to that,” said Schow.
Details of the cost involved in the conservation easement weren’t revealed but NCC is looking to raise $3 million to cover expenditures.
