Ball Berg property (Photo: NCC/Brent Calver)

By rdnewsNOW staff

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Nature Conservancy of Canada working to Keep the Beaver Hills Wild

Jul 15, 2020 | 2:27 PM

Nature Conservancy of Canada working to Keep the Beaver Hills Wild

EDMONTON – The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) says it is showing major progress in its campaign to expand and connect the Beaver Hills, an internationally recognized natural area located just 20 minutes from Edmonton.

The Beaver Hills Biosphere encompasses an area of 1,400 square kilometres, twice the size of Toronto. Thousands of people living in the municipalities of Strathcona, Leduc, Beaver, Lamont and Camrose call this area home.

NCC is announcing the securement of three new conservation properties totalling 128 hectares (326 acres) in the Beaver Hills. One of NCC’s new sites, the Astotin project, is located directly west of Elk Island National Park, and the second, Illerbrun, is on the southern shore of Gambling Lake. The third site, called the Ball Berg property, was generously donated by the landowners and is southeast of Sherwood Park.

These land conservation projects were made possible by the generosity of landowners, private donors and funding from the Government of Canada’s Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund. A portion of the Ball Berg property was donated to NCC under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program, which provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals or corporations who donate ecologically significant land.

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“Albertans are lucky to have access to amazing natural spaces, and this globally-significant landscape is right in our own backyard. The Nature Conservancy of Canada, our conservation partners and local communities have a chance to conserve this incredible natural treasure for the future. We‘ve already done important work in this area already, and are excited by what we will achieve thanks to the help of all of our supporters,” says Bob Demulder, Regional Vice President, Nature Conservancy of Canada

The Beaver Hills is home to hundreds of different species of wildlife and is globally important for a variety of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds. The biosphere is home to moose, elk, lynx, wolf and black bear. Waterfowl in this area include black-crowned night-heron, American white pelican and great grey owl. Species at Risk that have been identified in the Beaver Hills include barn swallow (threatened) piping plover (endangered), and horned grebe (special concern).

This area is also home to two endangered bats: little brown myotis and northern long-eared myotis.

The Beaver Hills area contains numerous provincially and federally protected areas, including Elk Island National Park, Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area, Ministik Lake Game Bird Sanctuary, Miquelon Lake Provincial Park and the Beaverhill Lake Heritage Rangeland Natural Area.

Working together, NCC and other partner land trusts have already conserved 5,300 hectares (13,000 acres) around these protected spaces.

The Beaver Hills has a rich conservation history that began when the area was designated as a forest reserve in 1892. The Beaver Hills initiative was founded in 2002 as a platform to engage and educate the community on how to balance development and environmental conservation. Because of their efforts, the Beaver Hills became a Biosphere Reserve in 2016, a UNESCO designation that recognizes the harmonious integration of people and nature on the land.

NCC is asking for Albertans help in creating a conservation legacy that will be a place of pride for everyone who lives and recreates in the Beaver Hills.

To learn more or get involved, visit KeeptheBeaverHillsWild.com.