Conservation Incentive Finder
Land • Legacy • Partners • Programs • Find support for your land stewardship
ALUS Seine Rat Roseau
Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District
Photo: Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District
Program Summary
The Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District ALUS program enables unproductive agricultural land to be used to establish, restore and enhance wetlands, floodplains and other water-retention areas. There are five program components: Cultivated Crop Land, Class 4 Forage/Grazing Land, Class 5 and Higher Forage/Grazing Land, Pasture Riparian Fencing, and Preservation. Participants sign a five or ten-year agreement (depending on the program) in exchange for annual payments over the term of the contract.
Program characteristics
Province
Manitoba
Natural Features
Native Grasses, Wetlands, Riparian Areas, Forest / Treed, Grasslands, Species-at-risk Habitat, Wildlife Habitat
Agriculture Type
Cropland, Rangeland / Pasture
Program Scope
Regional/Local
Conservation Approach
Restoration, Beneficial Practices, Protection, Species-At-Risk Protection
Incentive Type
Payment for Practices / Conservation / Credits, Cost-sharing / Discounts, Recognition, Technical Advice
Delivery Agent Type
NGO
Commitment Type
Land Conservation / Protection, Management Agreement, Restoration / Re-seeding / Conversion, Infrastructure Installation
Commitment Term
Short Term (1 to 10 years)
Program web site
Conservation Goals
The Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District ALUS program prioritizes projects that remove sensitive, marginal sections of croplands and forage lands from agricultural production, to establish, restore and enhance wetlands, floodplains and other water-retention areas.
Eligible Lands
Eligible lands are those in the watersheds of Seine River, Rat-Marsh River and Roseau River with all of their respective drains and tributaries, such as the Manning Canal, Seine River Diversion, Tourond Creek, Joubert Creek, Angle Drain and Jordan Creek.
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.
Landowners will remove vegetation (flash grazing or baling) from the protected areas after mid-July as weather permits to reduce nutrient runoff.
Participants are required to submit a self-report with pictures to receive full payments.
Without a self-report or fulfilling your duties will result in a half payment or no payment.
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 Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District ALUS program commit to the following:
Cultivated Crop Land
Landowners sign a 5 year or 10-year contract committing to transitioning cultivated land to perennial grasses in natural flood plains along rivers, streams, creeks, drains, or other low-lying poorly drained lands.
Class 4 Forage/Grazing Land
Landowners sign a 5 year or 10-year contract committing to the re-establishment of wetland buffers and floodplains or the creation of areas for water retention on Class 4 agricultural land that is being used for forage, cropland or rangeland.
Class 5 and Higher Forage/Grazing Land
Landowners sign a 5 year or 10-year contract committing to the re-establishment of wetland and floodplains or the creation of areas of water retention on Class 5 agricultural land that is being used for forage or rangeland.
Pasture Riparian Fencing
Landowners sign a 5 year or 10-year contract committing to fencing of riparian areas along creeks, streams, and rivers.
Preservation
Landowners sign a 10-year contract committing to preserve ecologically sensitive land from future development; currently, SRRWD has funding to preserve old growth Oak stands.
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.
The Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District ALUS program offers the following incentives:
Class 5 and Higher Forage/Grazing Land
$20/acre annual payments and 80-100% of establishment costs
Class 4 Forage/Grazing Land
$35/acre annual payments and 80-100% of establishment costs
Cultivated Crop Land
Maximum of $125/acre annual payments and $100/acre for establishment costs (labour, equipment, and seed).
Pasture Riparian Fencing
$15/acre annual payments and SRRWD covers fencing of riparian areas up to $1.25 per foot.
Preservation
$30/acre annual payments
Contact Information
For more informtion, contact Joey Pankiw info@ssrwd.ca or call 204-326-1030.
Important to Know
This program is delivered in partnership with ALUS Canada .
ALUS Canada supports local organizations to deliver payment for ecosystem service programs across Canada, including the prairies. ALUS programs provide participants with per-acre annual payments in exchange for actions that support the continued flow of ecosystem goods and services, including creating, enhancing and restoring wetlands, planting trees and windbreaks, planting riparian buffers, creating pollinator habitat, and piloting alternative land management practices.
The ALUS program is currently delivered in six provinces across Canada, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. For more information see https://alus.ca/frequently-asked-questions/