On Dec. 17 The Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation announced a $230,000 partnership with Shell to create the Shell Foothills Fescue Research Institute at the Glenbow Ranch Park, located between Calgary and Cochrane along the Bow River.
The announcement of a new fescue research institute will allow the park foundation to bring their work to the next level, said Tara McFadden, community engagement officer for Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.
The money will go towards building a greenhouse and research facility and expanding research and education programs at the park.
McFadden admitted it “may not sound like the most amazing thing,” but said fescue grassland, a native species to the province, plays an important role in the ecosystem and has proven to be drought resistant.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada estimates only 17 per cent of original Alberta Foothills fescue remains.
McFadden said settlement is a large reason why the grass, which provided protein to roaming buffalo during the winter months, has disappeared.
The park has one of the largest remaining groupings of fescue and the foundation has been researching the grassland since before the Glenbow Park Foundation opened in 2008, said McFadden.
“We want to find ways to reproduce and reintroduce the grassland,” she said of how the new institute will help.
Although it survives with minimal water, the fescue is difficult to reproduce and faces attack from non-native plant species.
“Shell’s partnership will allow us to research innovative ways to restore grasslands while cultivating an unrivalled way to store carbon,” said Andy Crooks, CEO of the foundation.
“This is the largest partnership in our short history as a park.”
Christine Cusanelli, Alberta’s Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation, said this partnership will allow visitors to develop an “even greater appreciation for our natural spaces and the important role they play in our province.”
The Institute will be led by Steve Tannas, who has a PhD in Agriculture, Range and Pasture Management from the University of Alberta. He has been conducting research at the park for several years.
