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ALUS Saddle Hills
Saddle Hills County
ALUS
Program Summary
ALUS Saddle Hills offers producers a practical way to start or expand conservation efforts without long-term commitments. Led by a local Partnership Advisory Committee of farmers, ranchers, and technical experts, the program supports projects like wetlands, riparian buffers, and wildlife habitat.
Producers receive cost-share support to establish projects and annual payments for management and maintenance, all under short-term (typically 5-year) agreements that fit the realities of a working farm or ranch. ALUS is a simple, flexible way to step into stewardship—or complement other long-term conservation tools like easements.
Program characteristics
Province
Alberta
Natural Features
Forest / Treed, Grasslands, Native Grasses, Riparian Areas, Species-at-risk Habitat, Wetlands, Wildlife Habitat
Agriculture Type
Cropland, Rangeland / Pasture
Program Scope
Regional/Local
Conservation Approach
Beneficial Practices, Protection, Restoration, Species-At-Risk Protection
Incentive Type
Cost-sharing / Discounts, Payment for Practices / Conservation / Credits, Recognition, Technical Advice
Delivery Agent Type
Municipal Government
Commitment Type
Infrastructure Installation, Land Conservation / Protection, Management Agreement, Restoration / Re-seeding / Conversion
Commitment Term
Short Term (1 to 10 years)
Conservation Goals
ALUS works to restore difficult to farm, and marginal lands into environmental projects that generate cleaner air and water, wildlife habitat, and other ecosystem services. ALUS enhances wetlands and riparian buffer areas, plants trees to boost wildlife, establishes new pollinator habitats, while also assisting with flood and drought resilience.
Eligible Lands
Eligible lands are those within Saddle Hills County that include environmentally sensitive, marginal, or inefficient farm land such as
•Watercourses in fields/pastures
•Steeply sloped crop lands
•Low wet fields and wetlands
•Highly erodible fields
•Small fields that can’t handle farming equipment efficiently
Additional Details
Flexible, producer-designed projects: Producers choose project types that fit their land, operation, and goals—common examples include wetland restoration, riparian buffers, pollinator habitat, and livestock management fencing.
Ongoing intake: Applications are generally accepted year-round, though annual funding may be fully allocated early.
Easy start-up process:
1) Contact the ALUS Coordinator to discuss your operation and project ideas.
2) The Coordinator works with you to prepare a proposal.
3) Your proposal is reviewed by the Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC)—a local group of producers and technical experts who guide decision-making.
4) If approved, you sign a short-term conservation agreement and move ahead with project implementation.
Cost-share support: ALUS shares project establishment costs with producers, lowering the financial barrier to get started.
Annual stewardship payments: Producers receive annual payments for managing and maintaining their projects for each year of their agreement.
Flexible agreements: Most agreements are short-term (typically 5 years), can be renewed at the end of the term, and include exit clauses if circumstances change.
Commitment
ALUS participants design projects that work specifically on their farm and meet their own stewardship goals. They sign voluntary conservation agreements, typically five years in length, which outline the management expectations and annual payments expected. At the end of the agreement term, the agreement and annual payments may be renewed.
Participants in the Saddle Hills County ALUS program typically commit to one or more of the following:
•Establishing healthy riparian buffer zones
•Creating or restoring wetlands
•Restoring native prairie
•Establishing pollinator habitat
•Reforesting
Incentive
ALUS offers a unique payment-for-ecosystem services model.
The producer cost-shares with the program to get the project established, then ALUS pays the producer an annual payment to manage and maintain their project for the optimal production of ecosystem services.
Payment rates vary based on the project type. For more details, please contact the program coordinator.
Contact Information
For more information, contact Susie Jack at 780-864-3760 Ext 213 or sjack@saddlehills.ab.ca
Important to Know
•This program is delivered in partnership with ALUS Canada.
•ALUS Canada supports local organizations in delivering payment-for-ecosystem-services programs in communities across Canada, including in AB, SK and MB.
•Participants receive annual, per-acre payments for creating, restoring, or enhancing natural features such as wetlands, riparian buffers, pollinator habitats, windbreaks, and tree plantings and managing their project to produce a "crop" of ecosystem services that benefit their community.
•The program is entirely voluntary and flexible—there are no legal registrations placed on the land title.
•For more information, visit: https://alus.ca/frequently-asked-questions/