Press Release: ALUS Program Launching for Saddle Hills County Producers

PRESS RELEASE

2024-06-21

ALUS in Saddle Hills County

Saddle Hills County is pleased to formally announce that we are launching a three-year trial of the ALUS program for our resident producers.

ALUS helps farmers and ranchers build nature-based solutions on their land to sustain agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations.

Agriculture is at the heart of who we are in Saddle Hills County, and therefore protecting our livelihood and land for future generations is incredibly important to us. We are excited for what this will mean for our resident producers and the future of farming and sustainability in our rural community.

The ALUS Saddle Hills Program Coordinator will work with interested local producers to help establish ALUS projects that work to address several important environmental issues. 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.

ALUS Saddle Hills participants will receive professional support and an annual per acre payment for the establishment, maintenance, and long-term environmental outcomes of these ecological projects.

The first step towards making the program a reality, is the establishment of an ALUS Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC), to allow for community stakeholders to help guide the program in the community. The PAC is critical to the ALUS model as it ensures that the community-based programs are directed, implemented and managed by the communities themselves. The PAC is also responsible for deciding which projects will move forward in the community. The committee is designed so that approximately 50% of the representation is local farmers or ranchers, ensuring that context and knowledge is available to inform and guide the ALUS program.

Saddle Hills County will be seeking Members-at-Large for the Partnership Advisory Committee, and applications will be accepted ahead of the annual Organizational Meeting of Council, in October.

For more information and updates on the program, please visit our dedicated ALUS webpage at www.saddlehills.ab.ca/ALUS or follow us on social media @saddlehillscounty, #SaddleHillsAg.

ENDS

Media Inquiries:

Monica Randell, Communications Coordinator

mrandell@saddlehills.ab.ca