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Lacombe County ALUS program ready for more participants

Feb 21, 2019 | 5:36 AM

LACOMBE COUNTY- The Lacombe County Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program, which promotes sustainable agriculture, is looking for its next group of participants for the 2019 program year.

“Since we launched ALUS, we have established some remarkable relationships and projects, and are putting out a call to producers and landowners in Lacombe County to come on board and help us grow this program even more,” explained Marilyn Sharp, chair for ALUS Lacombe County Partnership.

The ALUS program places a value on the delivery of ecosystem services and financially compensates landowners and agricultural producers on a per acre rate for projects such as constructing off-site watering stations, planting trees, shelterbelts or natural vegetation, seeding grass or perennial crops around ecological sensitive areas, building hen houses, or establishing pollinator habitat, just to name a few.

Since launching in 2017, the Lacombe County ALUS program has had:

– Eight landowners participate in the ALUS Lacombe County program (four in 2017; four in 2018)

– Eight projects accepted for ALUS funding (for in 2017; four in 2018)

– 138 acres enrolled in the program to improve ecosystems (55 in 2017; 83 in 2018)

– $16,230 in compensation committed to county landowners for providing ecosystem systems for both 2017 and 2018

“Each of these projects will lead to significant environmental impacts for the county as a whole, and will ensure we continue protecting sensitive lands and resources for future generations,” explained Jalene Makus, Lacombe County Assistant Ag Fieldman.

For more information, visit www.ALUS.ca or contact Lacombe County. 

(Lacombe County – Gary McKinnon)