Edmonton and Area Land Trust

Method

EALT approaches the conservation of natural areas through land trust using three basic tools:

History

The EALT was established in 2007 by a group of six local founding Members:

Volunteering

Volunteering events allow volunteers to achieve satisfaction as becoming a part of the environmental stewardship program. Furthermore, those events also open up opportunities to allow people to engage with each other while working on a common goal. More information can be found in the volunteer manual, and you can check and sign up for any upcoming volunteer events by subscribing to EALT newsletters.

EALT volunteer activities are categorized into the following:

Conservation Lands

EALT acquires and conserves ecologically significant lands in the Edmonton region, including Camrose County, Leduc County, Parkland County, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County, and Wetaskiwin County. After acquiring a new property, EALT conducts baseline studies to document the flora and fauna on each property and completes a management plan to determine any issues or actions to be taken. EALT works with other conservation organizations to acquire and steward natural areas. EALT relies on assistance from volunteers, and works with local youth groups, university students, businesses and other partners. Wildlife monitoring and invasive plant control are the most common stewarding activities and require annual attention. EALT encourages all kinds of passive recreational activities, including geocaching and has installed a dozen geocaches filled with facts on the local environment on six of the properties.

Hicks

The Hicks property was secured in May 2009 and is jointly owned by EALT and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). It was given to the organizations by EALT's anonymous donor. It measures 149 acres and is located in Strathcona County.

Golden Ranches

The Golden Ranches property was secured in May 2010 with the assistance of Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), Alberta Fish & Game Association (AFGA), Beaver Hills Initiative (BHI), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), and Strathcona County. Besides the three quarters purchased for EALT via an anonymous donor, funds to secure the property were provided by the organizations themselves and through creative fundraising events and donations. The secured lands measure approximately 1,400 acres and is the largest property EALT helped to secure. To help restore forested areas a total of 220,000 trees were planted throughout Golden Ranches, through a partnership EALT had developed with The Carbon Farmer.

Glory Hills

Glory Hills natural area is a 110-acre reserve in Parkland County, north of Stony Plain. It is located within the Glory Hills Environmentally Significant Area where the Boreal Forest region transitions to the Aspen Parkland region. Glory Hills provides habitat for a variety of species due to its location, including moose, beaver, coyotes, deer, fisher, fox, ruffed grouse and loons. The area also contains aspen forest, open grassland, wetlands and a lake.

Ministik

The Ministik property was secured in May 2011. It was purchased for EALT by an anonymous donor. Ministik is perfect squared quarter section property, 160 acres in size. It is located in Camrose County, adjacent to the Ministik International Migratory Bird Sanctuary. The property includes a matrix of wetlands, modified grasslands and deciduous forest, it therefore holds important habitat for both prey and predator species. Waterfowl, moose, deer and small mammals have all been observed on the property along with raptors, wolves, coyotes and horned grebes. Ministik is located in a designated Important Bird Area and borders the Ministik Bird Sanctuary. It is a part of the Cooking Lake Moraine Natural Area and Prairie Pothole Region. Numerous wetlands on this property are important for filtering water and maintaining the region's water supply. 16,000 trees were planted on the property with assistance of The Carbon Farmer. Old fences that were a barrier to wildlife were removed and replaced with wildlife friendly fences. Waterfowl and saw-whet owl nest boxes were installed with the help of the 59th Greenfield Scout Group.

Pipestone Creek

The Pipestone Creek property was secured in May 2012. It was purchased for EALT by an anonymous donor. Pipestone Creek measures 104 acres and is located in Wetaskiwin County, near Coal Lake. This property features several vegetation community types, including spruce woodland, aspen parkland and dry grasslands that feature plants not commonly found this far north in Alberta. It is named after Pipestone Creek, which it borders on the southwest side. The most common wildlife found in Pipestone Creek are deer, great blue heron, cedar waxwings and hermit thrush. Acquiring this property ensures that the creek and riparian area are protected and can function as a corridor for wildlife movement. Keeping the creek surroundings natural, ensures a healthy watershed, and in turn, a healthy water supply for the region. Over 31,400 trees and shrubs were planted in partnership with The Carbon Farmer. Trails and invasive plant control are maintained by EALT and local volunteers. Pipestone Creek struggles with off highway vehicle and especially snowmobile trespassing during winter months, which cause erosion damage and harm vegetation and wildlife. Wildlife friendly fences were installed to mitigate trespassing impacts.

Boisvert's GreenWood

Boisvert’s GreenWoods is an 80-acre protected forest located in Sturgeon County, north of Morinville, and is surrounded by agricultural land. The name Boisvert’s comes from the donors of the land, Ben and Halina Boisvert. The area provides habitat to moose, deer, pileated woodpeckers, wood frogs as well as various songbirds, including flycatcher species, sparrow species, wrens, chickadees and waxwings. The area consists of a large stand of deciduous forest containing trembling aspen and balsam poplar tree species as well as various shrub, forb and wetland species.

Coates

Coates is an 80-acre conservation area located north of Calmar in Leduc County, near Edmonton. The natural area was donated to EALT by Ethel Coates. The area consists almost entirely of parkland forest, a habitat that is rapidly disappearing. It is located within an Environmentally Significant Area of Regional Importance and High Sensitivity. The area is located within the Willow Creek wildlife corridor, which provides both habitat and access to the North Saskatchewan River for moose, coyote, beaver, porcupine, wood frogs, crayfish, red-tailed hawks, great blue herons, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, mourning doves, eastern phoebes, ravens and chickadees. Coates is covered by mixedwoods forest including aspen, poplar, birch and spruce tree species as well as red-osier dogwood, prickly rose, wild raspberry, honeysuckle and fern species. The area contains a creek and adjacent plants such as willows, bullrushes, reeds and sedges. Also in the area is a white spruce forest with fairybells, wintergreen, twinflower, wild strawberry and stair-step moss. The area is rated as having high potential for historic resources by Alberta Culture and Community Spirit due to hadrosaur footprints, albertosaurus skin impressions and dinosaur bones that were extracted in the 1990s.

Bunchberry Meadows

Bunchberry Meadows conservation area is a 640-acre parcel of land located west of the city of Edmonton. It is located within the Devon Dunes Environmentally Significant Area which has a highly sensitive aquifer located under sandy soil. The Devon Dunes are the only such landscape in the Edmonton region. Bunchberry Meadows features aspen parkland as well as white spruce, tamarack, jack pine and wetlands and provides habitat for moose, deer, squirrels, owls, hawks and songbirds. It is located near the Clifford E. Lee Nature Sanctuary, the North Saskatchewan River Valley and the Devonian Botanical Gardens. The properties comprising Bunchberry Meadows were conserved jointly by several families over the course of 40 years. Assisted by an anonymous donor of $1,667,000, EALT and The Nature Conservancy of Canada were able to secure the Conservation Area. EALT has partial ownership of the land and the property is expected to be publicly accessible in 2017.

Larch Sanctuary

Larch Sanctuary is a 58-acre reserve located in Edmonton, upstream of Whitemud Creek’s confluence with Blackmud Creek. The only ox bow lake in Edmonton is located within the reserve. The reserve provides habitat for moose, deer, coyote, fox, woodpeckers, waterfowl, amphibians and aquatic species. EALT, in cooperation with the City of Edmonton, secured a “Conservation Easement” designation for the reserve. The reserve is located within a major city and provides an important wildlife corridor, allowing for access by wildlife to the North Saskatchewan River.