Nature Conservancy of Canada will pay part of the manager’s salary for the next year while it works with Lone Tree Grazing Ltd. to develop best practice guidelines for the former federal pasture.
The pilot project announced last month is an investment in conservation practices, said Mark Wartman, the conservancy’s regional vice-president.
“In this case, we’re also recognizing that there is a need on behalf of those who have been using the pasture for years and want to continue to use it,” he said. “A number of them talked about how difficult it will be to really populate the pastures responsibly, manage them responsibly, without the funding that was previously there.”
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As patrons take over control of the pastures, they become responsible for the costs of managing things like species at risk, improvements and breeding programs.
Wartman said the NCC believes it can collaborate with the patrons and pasture manager to use the best of their knowledge and develop guidelines for others.
A booklet will be developed over the next year and made available to other pastures and ranchers in general.
Wartman also didn’t rule out agreements with other pasture patron groups in the future.
“Healthy grass is healthy cattle,” he said.
Lone Tree includes nearly 34,000 acres in southwestern Saskatchewan along the U.S. border. Fifteen shareholders are using the pasture to graze 1,130 cattle.
Clint Christianson, spokesperson for the shareholders, said the producers and NCC both want the same thing.
“We want this land to be at least as healthy and functional well in the future. And I want my kids — and their children — to enjoy this land just like it is now.”
This pilot project is different from other NCC agreements in that the organization has not bought the land nor obtained a conservation easement.
Wartman said NCC is “just looking for healthy grasslands” whether it owns land or not.
“Most of the land that we hold is working landscape, so we’re leasing for grazing as well,” he said.
The province, which leases the pastureland to Lone Tree, said it has no concerns about the agreement with NCC.
“There’s no opportunity for anybody to register any easements or anything on any of our lease land without our permission, so we’re not concerned about that,” said Wally Hoehn, executive director of lands branch.
He said there have been similar management agreements with other agencies in the past, and the province actually encouraged groups to look for partners like this.
“Where there’s a benefit to both groups and it doesn’t contravene any of their lease, that’s a win-win for everybody,” Hoehn said.
karen.briere@producer.com
