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PALLISER'S COUNTRYGRASSLAND HERITAGE REGION |
| Last modified September 21, 2007 | ||
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Friends of Palliser's Country548 - 11 Street SE, Medicine Hat, AB T1A 1T3Telephone (403) 527-2052 gardner at telusplanet dot net eidnet.org/local/grassland |
Wood worked as a jouralist before being hired to advise Preston Manning, John Reynolds and Stephen Harper. The quaint bar of the Southern Ranchman's Inn is the setting for Ron's insider views of Ottawa politics. The hilarious conversations are set in the dark room decorated with historic ranching photos and local brands burned into the panelling. It seems fitting that a book poking holes in politicians would be based in a room filled with taxidermy specimens.
Palliser's Country stretches from Coutts, Alberta, eastward to Climax, Saskatchewan, a distance of over 250 km (150 mi). It extends from the International Boundary north to Highway 3 (AB) and Highway 1. Within this area, over 8,000 sq km (2,000,000 acres) of native grassland can be found in fourteen large blacks and many smaller parcels. Two adjacent areas in Montana contain another 600,000 acres of grassland.
Most of this landscape has been smoothed by glaciers, leaving rolling hills disected by steep valleys, or coulees. The highest point is about 1,450 m (4,500 ft) at the west end of the Cypress Hills, and the lowest place is the South Saskatchewan River in Medicine Hat, at 670 m (2100 ft). Within this fairly narrow range, the vegetation varies from near desert conditions on exposed clay badlands and sagebrush flats to lush grassland with narrow bands of coniferous forest at the highest elevations. Over a dozen species at risk find homes here.
In the future, the Heritage Region hopes to increase local, landowner-based programs using cooperation and incentives. Ranchers will choose which aspects they wish to participate in. The Friends of Palliser's Country may manage the activities, both applying for grants and arranging for projects.
The rapidly increasing interest in grassland conservation suggests that the heritage region will acquire adequate funding from a variety of sources. National conservation organizations may be willing to fund certain activities. Provincial and federal agriculture departments are moving toward funding for the provision of environmental goods and services, while economic diversification agencies might also be willing partners.