Rocky View County (RVC) has announced it is now accepting applications for a national program developed by community members and delivered by local farmers to give residents an opportunity to play an active role in building a healthier environment.
According to Matthew Chilakos, agricultural services officer at RVC, the Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS) program provides support to farmers and ranchers to enhance and maintain ecosystem services through various projects.
“ALUS has a simple goal – to create a healthy working landscape that sustains agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces for all Canadians,” he said.
Participating communities across Canada are equipped to run their ALUS program based on their specific needs. RVC council approved the ALUS program in 2018 and projects were implemented in 2019.
According to Chilakos, RVC is the 12th community to launch the program in Alberta.
He said oftentimes, farmers and ranchers will already have plans in mind for a project or management change and just need the funding to implement their ideas, whether it be large or small.
“[ALUS] has a huge impact on the entire region,” he said. “Supporting ecosystem services address many concerns such as flood mitigation, promoting cleaner water and air, increasing biodiversity and pollinator habitat.”
Some examples of projects that contribute to fostering a healthy ecosystem include restoring wetlands, installing riparian buffers or offsite waterers, planting eco-buffers, restoring native grasslands, and addressing saline soil concerns.
Within RVC, Chilakos said farmers and ranchers interested in ALUS can submit applications to the County’s administration, who will take them to the Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) for approval.
“Projects are selected based on the potential to enhance or conserve ecosystem services on their farm or ranch as well as available funding in the year,” he said.
He added applications for the project are open year-round, but he encouraged interested applicants to submit their applications early for a better chance at receiving funding that year.
“The PAC will approve projects in the spring so that work can be completed throughout the summer and fall months,” he said.
Applications are still accepted later in the year in case more funding becomes available, or the application could be carried over to the following year.
Those interested in applying to the program are encouraged to complete an application form on the Agri-environmental tab of the RVC website at Rockyview.ca
Once the application has been completed, it can be sent to [email protected]
