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LOCAL SUCCESS STORIES |
| Last modified March 11, 2006 | ||
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The innovative examples listed below have resulted in improved social conditions, a stronger economy and/or a more secure natural environment. Most of these projects did not result from a formal plan. Instead, each grew from an initial idea, perhaps what the participants simply called common sense. We hope that you will use these examples to strengthen your operation or community.
If you know of a project that demonstrates the principles of conservation discussed at this site, please e-mail the contact information and a brief description that can be included here.
While each animal does not have as much meat as a steer, the higher price enables greater profit. The hide and skull are both quite valuable. Bison require substantially less work than cattle, especially when calving. This means that the rancher can more easily take an off-farm job.
At this time, most bison are being raised in small pastures, so the full benefit of their independent nature is not being realized.
At the same time, the rapid increase in feed lots has brought problems of manure management and even feed shortages.
This seems to be a model for future initiatives. It meets the needs of voluntary participation and financial incentives. A little more planning on the government's part could bring a more extended payment for a longer period. If native species were available for planting, a substantial amount of grassland could be restored.
While their communal lifestyle would not be enjoyed by most people, the Hutterites demonstrate some important lessons in economic survival on the Great Plains:
Unfortunately, their intense focus on production generally leaves little room for wildlife. This reflects their particular attitudes rather than an inherent shortcoming in their cooperative, community-centred approach.
This organization demonstrates that urban residents can be motivated to donate substantial amounts of money if the conservation benefits are clear. At the same time, farmers also are willing to participate, especially if the activities will not cost them money.
Having the aboriginal staff telling their own story to thousands of interested visitors has really raised their own appreciation of their heritage. The museum has become a drop-in centre for elders who pass on stories and traditions as they relax.
Artificial Nests for Ferruginous Hawks
The numbers of Ferruginous Hawks seems limited by the availability of safe nest sites. Historically, they nested on the ground if trees were not available, but the increase in coyotes has led to increased predation on ground nests. The Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration has good information on how trees have been planted and platforms installed to provide nest sites. The result has been greatly increased numbers of hawks, with each one eating hundreds of ground squirrels.
Roy and Christy Audet's Lost Sands Ranch, Warner, AB
The Last Sands Ranch is a 5500 acre ranch in the semi-arid Dry Mixedgrass Sub-Region of southern region. In November 1999 the Audet's were named winners of the Alberta Environmental Stewardship Award by the Alberta Cattle Commission and in August 2000 the couple were named the best environmental stewards in Canada by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association. Roy recounts the challenges they faced in converting from a mixed grain farm to strictly cattle, describing how some grain fields were planted to tame pasture for hay and spring grazing. Their native pasture has improved, and they now run more cattle with less expense.
Prairie Conservation Forum
Canada's three prairie provinces - Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba - each have a voluntary, multi-stakeholder organization set up around a common Prairie Conservation Action Plan. These organizations communicate frequently and host a triennial conference. Perhaps this cooperative, multi-agency approach can be extended to a broader region.
Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum
Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan
Wind generated electricity
Wind, once billed as the future resource of the Great Plains, is rapidly moving into the present tense. Near Gull Lake, SK, a group of wind generators has been installed. Together, they produce enough power to meet the needs of about 6,000 homes, but this is just a start. A comparatively giant wind farm known as Rolling Thunder is being planned for South Dakota. It will encompass 2,000 generators producing a total of 3,000 megawatts of electricity. With an average of 350 homes supplied for each megawatt of capacity, this single project could make the northern Great Plains virtually self-sufficient in power. Closer to home, a wind farm is being proposed for the north slope of the Cypress Hills in Alberta. We support its development on cultivated land, but feel that any disruption to native grassland for this purpose is unnecessary.
Swift Fox reintroduction
Alberta's Swift Foxes were unintentional victims of the wolf poisoning program a hundred years ago. Over the past decade, they have been reintroduced into the area south of the Cypress Hills, where they are now flourishing. The population is now spreading into adjacent parts of Montana.
Bison ranching
Bison have rapidly grown in number since 1990, with about half a million total now found in North America. At first, they were a novelty, with animals being sold mainly for breeding stock. Currently, bison meat is widely available at specialty restaurants, but the current herd is not sufficient to supply supermarkets. Some price fluctuations are to be expected as the demand and supply both grow rapidly but not perfectly balanced.
Elimination of the Crow Rate
For many years, Alberta grain farmers received subsidized transportation for grain exported west through the Crowsnest Pass. This ended in 1983. Many farmers adjusted by shifting their production to feed grains and starting intensive feed lots. Two major packing plants also located in southern Alberta. The result is a significant increase in employment for the rural areas, and many value-added businesses springing up.
Permanent Cover Program
The Canadian government offered payments for land taken out of crops for at least five years. The program was soon fully subscribed, with many farmers putting marginal land into tame pasture. A second and third version of the program also were successful.
Hutterian Brethren
Hutterites, as they are generally known, lead an austere communal life in colonies of about 70-100 persons. Most adults specialize in a certain crop or skill, and together, they produce virtually all their own food. Although they avoid technological innovations such as television, their agricultural equipment is always "state of the art". Colonies generally expand and, when sufficient members are present, the colony will divide.
Ducks Unlimited
Hunters from Canada and the United States provide funding for this major prairie conservation organization. DU (as it is commonly known) pioneered many approaches that the Heritage Region has embraced. Their technicians live in the community, and provide free advice when requested. The organization provides a range of programs including the purchase of conservation easements, payment for using specific agricultural techniques, and sharing the cost of capital improvements such as water supplies and small dams.
Cows and Fish Program
Both cattle and fish benefit when the streams run clear and free of silt. Alberta Fish and Wildlife and Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development have jointly developed a program that enables landowners to identify problems in aquatic systems and carry out remedial actions. Ranchers have gradually embraced this project, and significant gains in water quality have now been achieved. The key to the success is a totally voluntary participation. The Cows and Fish Program does not even advertise, relying on word of mouth to attract interested people.
Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology
Twenty years ago, Drumheller AB was a sleepy prairie town, still reeling from the closing of its coal mines. The provincial government built a world-class museum featuring the local dinosaur fossils. At first, the town could not believe that so many people would come just to see dinosaurs, but the visitors kept coming! After five years, a new hotel gave tourists a place to sleep, and some restaurants even stayed open on Sunday. Now, the town has a confident atmosphere.
Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump
The Alberta government also built this interpretive centre. Head-Smashed-In has been designated as a World Heritage Centre, and therefore receives considerable publicity. From the planning stage, care has been taken to ensure native people from the nearby Peigan and Blood Reserves are involved.
Saskatchewan Bird Trail
Communities in southwestern Saskatchewan are promoting their spectacular birdwatching sites together, connected by brochure and signs to form a conceptual "trail" or thematic drive. Not only will this arrangement save money but it will make these small sites into a larger and more impressive attraction. The plan is to draw a small but significant number of tourists off the Trans Canada Highway to a slower regional highway. Local campgrounds, hotels and other facilities already exist but are considerably underutilized.
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