Alberta Fish and Game Association Landowner Recognition Habitat Programs

With Alberta's land base being almost 30 percent privately owned, The Alberta Fish and Game Association realizes the importance of retaining wildlife habitat on private land. In August of 1985, the Association initiated two landowner recognition habitat programs to assist local fish and game clubs throughout the province in recognizing landowners for retaining habitat.

The programs, entitled "Habitat Steward" and "Heritage Farmstead", were developed to recognize landowners who have a life long interest in preserving wildlife habitat and who also carry out responsible land management practices on their land.

Local fish and game clubs throughout the province have the opportunity to thank these important stewards of the land and, by doing so, educate other landowners of the need and encourage them to maintain wildlife habitat on their land.

The two programs were initially funded from the Association's Conservation Lottery. However, with the discontinuation of the lottery in 1987, other funding sources have been sought.

The Alberta Conservation Association, the Recreation, Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Buck for Wildlife Program have all contributed to the successful continuation of the two programs.

The following outlines the program's accomplishments since their inception back in August of 1985. These results are current as of May 2002. In total, the Habitat Steward and Heritage farmstead programs encompass 408 Landowners and 85,890 habitat acres. This includes more than 178 kilometers of riparian habitat. Landowners participating in these two programs own more than 203,293 acres of land across Alberta.

1. Habitat Steward Program: A total of 366 volunteer stewards have participated in the program, encompassing 85,449 acres of various habitat types.
   
   
2. Heritage Farmstead Program: A total of 42 farmsteads, involving approximately 441 acres of habitat are presently part of the program.

Signing Up

The Habitat Chairperson or competent member of the local fish and game club is required to complete the application forms for the Habitat Steward Program or the Heritage Farmstead Program.

Include as much information about the lands as possible, as opportunity may also exist for doing habitat enhancement projects or with the Association's Wildlife Trust Fund. A rough sketch of the site (on the reverse side of the application form) will assist habitat staff in evaluating the application.

Submit completed application forms to the:

Habitat Development Coordinator
The Alberta Fish and Game Association
6924-104th Street Edmonton, Alberta T6H 2L7
Phone: (780) 437-2342

The Coordinator will review all applications. He will contact the local club, do a field inspection if possible, and in many cases, receive aerial photographs to learn more about the existing habitat type.

Applications approved through the "Habitat Steward" program will receive an 18" x 24" yard sign, along with a wall plaque. The landowners name will appear on the sign and plaque.

Approved applications for the "Heritage Farmstead" program will also receive an 18" x 24" yard sign to be installed at the abandoned farmstead site. The current landowners name, as well as the pioneering families name will appear on the yard sign.

There is no binding contract with the landowner involving these programs. If the habitat is destroyed or seriously altered in any way, we ask that the landowner return the yard sign to the Alberta Fish and Game Association. There is no financial compensation offered to the landowner for being involved in these programs.