LAC LA BICHE – People had the opportunity to learn about managing acreages and implementing good stewardship practices on their properties during a special workshop held McArthur Place on July 8.
The workshop was put on by Lac La Biche County and featured a presentation by the Edmonton-based Land Stewardship Centre.
Milena McWatt, the conservation and stewardship program manager with the Land Stewardship Centre, was the main speaker.
“Our program, with support from the municipalities across Alberta, provides a wide variety of supports for folks who own acreages, recreational properties, and also hobby farms,” McWatt stated. “So, basically if you live in the country, but you’re not operating a farm or a ranch, you can get supports through our program in the form of these workshops, resources, and we also occasionally offer cost share project funding for people to take on stewardship initiatives on their own properties.”
Living on acreages, McWatt said, is a trend that seems to be happening across Alberta.
“I’m hearing from lots of different rural municipalities that more and more people are moving out of urban centres and wanting to live in more of a rural setting,” she said.
Regarding some stewardship projects that acreage owners can do on their land, these vary and depend on what their goals are - as well as their circumstances.
During the workshop, McWatt and Taylor Glover, the conservation and outreach assistant for the Land Stewardship Centre, guided participants through the process of evaluating their properties and mapping property assets, including natural assets and physical assets.
Each household that participated in the session received a copy of the Green Acreages Guide workbook.
The guide is the organization’s primary resource and features 22 chapters covering important information people should know to take care of a rural property in Alberta.
“Everything from water, to waste, to woodlot management, pasture, weeds, garden and landscape, and so much more,” said McWatt.
When owning an acreage, there are things that people need to cognizant of.
Acreage and property owners must know how the actions they take on their own properties can impact neighbouring properties also.
An example of this, McWatt said, is applying anything to one’s land that may end up travelling downstream into a local body of water, such as Lac La Biche Lake.
Looking at ways people can reduce the impacts on the environment through the decisions they make is important and includes using the most beneficial land management practices.
