Conservation a Different Way
Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) Will Improve Canada's Duck Production
By Delta President Rob Olson
"WE WOULD DESTROY THEM…"
ALUS is the greatest duck conservation program that you've likely never heard of.
Strong words. Fighting words, spoken by Alberta beef producer Allan Blesheim on the north shore of the North Saskatchewan River, high on a bluff overlooking a broad, green valley. A spot of incredible beauty. The kind of place that seems squarely at odds with such sentiment.
Blesheim, a fourth-generation cattleman, clearly loves his land and his community. He is bright and interesting, in a way that draws people to him.
So why the shockingly and decidedly un-Canadian tough talk by a guy who would clearly be the first to stop and help a lady change a flat tire?
I had asked a simple question: "How would you react to government forcing you to buffer waterways on your farm?"
Clearly, Blesheim harbors a strong distrust of government, as well as of traditional conservation groups and their approaches. Is he alone in his views?
I recently toured the new Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) demonstration site in the County of Vermilion River in east-central Alberta. The county is larger than some European nations. Vermilion River boasts a varied and stunning landscape that despite past drainage and ongoing oil development, retains abundant wetlands and many nesting ducks.
We were hosted by the leaders of this ALUS project, local folks who are involved closely with the administration of the local county. Don Whittaker, a retired farmer and former Vermilion River County Reeve (top elected county official) was our tour guide. He is quite clearly a force in making ALUS happen in Alberta.
Vermilion River is administering Delta's ALUS program with 11 local farmers. Each landowner has implemented conservation measures such as restoring wetlands, planting native grasses, and establishing shelterbelts and pollinator strips.
ALUS is so important because simply put, we are losing the war for ducks on the Canadian Prairies.
Whittaker sees ALUS as the way to improve the environment. If you hunt ducks in the United States, you should be happy Whittaker is on your side.
ALUS is the greatest duck conservation program that you've likely never heard of. In it's simplest form, ALUS is about paying farmers to recreate habitat on their land, and in return, it also provides reward for the habitat that farmers have kept intact or improved for wildlife by their own hands. Costs are shared between ALUS and the producer. Delta is promoting ALUS across Canada as the best way for all Canadians to change the landscape for the better. It also happens to be the best way to help breeding ducks in Canada.
In my career, I have stood on literally hundreds of farm porches from North Dakota to Alberta and everywhere in-between. After all those talks, cups of coffee and pieces of pie, one thing is clear to me: Conservation leaders have not been listening to farmers enough. And it is killing us.
ALUS is so important because simply put, we are losing the war for ducks on the Canadian Prairies, and we have been steadily losing for many decades. Drainage rates are the same today as they were in past decades. Without water, ducks won't breed.
The reason we are losing is quite simple: Without an incentive to do something different, producers will understandably continue to maximize their land for grain production.
ALUS turns conservation around such that farmers and local counties are positioned as equal partners and leaders in delivering conservation in their own communities. Magic is happening on our ALUS site in Alberta because the locals are promoting it to their neighbors. Local leadership means trust and relationships are strong. When that happens, conservation can change from a program we deliver to farmers, into a phenomenon that occurs by farmers and for farmers.
Our experience shows that Blesheim is far from alone in his willingness to organize against society trying to regulate him to do good things. Do we want rural communities to organize against laws, or for conservation?
ALUS has shown that counties and rural communities will organize for conservation, if they have ownership in the decisions and projects. Let's give it to them. After all, they live on the landscape. Who knows better how to make grass grow there? Who stands to benefit the most from making the landscape healthier?
And who's the greatest winner of all?
Ducks, and the people who cherish them.
Rob Olson is president of Delta Waterfowl.
Related Links: ALUS in Alberta | Introduction to ALUS | How to Support ALUS