Edmonton Area Land Trust
CONTACT INFORMATION
#101, 10471 - 178 Street |
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Organization's mandate
To conserve, in perpetuity, natural areas and working landscapes throughout the Edmonton region
Geographic area of conservation program
Edmonton region ~ 100 km from City Centre
Areas (geographic) of particular focus
N/A
Thematic or ecological areas of focus
EALT has general priorities, and will focus its conservation and land securement efforts on properties that include:
- Large, natural shorelines (lakes, rivers)
- Major corridors or linkages
- Prairie remnants
- Unique topographical features
- Large woodlands
- Important cultural sites
- Areas within or adjacent to natural core and linkage areas (e.g., Elk Island Park, Big Lake Provincial Park, etc.)
Also of particular interest is select farmland, particularly non-active farmland that can be managed for early successional habitat or blocks of farmland abutting existing protected open space property. Large blocks of unfragmented forest or forest blocks abutting existing protected unfragmented forestland are similarly desirable, as well as non-active farmland that can be managed for restoration or that is adjacent to existing protected areas, and lands adjacent to existing protected areas.
Donation or sales
EALT accepts donations of land title, and of conservation easements.
Compensation
EALT obtains a professional appraisal of fair market value (FMV) of donated lands, and issues a charitable donation receipt based on this appraisal. If the lands have high ecological values, EALT assists donors through the federal Ecological Gifts program, which provides donors with even greater income tax benefits over a 10 year period.
Minimum parcel size
There is no minimum parcel size, although larger parcels are better for their increased conservation values and opportunities. Properties are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Associated programs
EALT is involved in information sharing, education and outreach, related to all manner of conservation information and activities. EALT may support field studies, inventories, and other ways of increasing the knowledge base, where necessary, in Boreal and Parkland habitats. EALT actively works on outreach and education programs with municipalities, land owners, developers, families, students and youth, higher levels of government, networking partnerships, and collaborations with other environmental non-governmental organizations.
Relationship with landowners
EALT provides:
- Assistance in the various steps of donations, CE granting, benefits, and suggests donors review their intentions with family and advisors
- Assistance with Eco-gifting procedures
- Discussions about potential values and rights to be donated (preserved)
- Ongoing education about EALT monitoring and stewarding requirements
- Encouragement for landowners to take stewardship and monitoring roles in future conservation activities, and to recruit others to assist
- Education about land uses, and prohibited activities
- Education/meetings with new CE donors, checking they are clear about what to do when in doubt about activities on CE lands
Support for landowners
For donations of properties (land or other property), EALT can support landowners through appraisal and legal work, and provide Ecological Gifts program support.
Stewardship activities
WHO MONITORS: EALT with volunteers
HOW OFTEN: Annually at minimum
INFORMATION PROVIDED: Findings from the monitoring may be shared with the landowner, neighbours or others
Endowment fund
At the time of a land or CE donation, EALT aims to add funds to their Stewardship Endowment (or to create a property-specific endowment) to ensure that future management costs can be covered. Depending on the property's significance and anticipated management requirements, EALT may first require a target level of stewardship funds to be in place.
Grazing
Grazing may be allowed but it would depend on the allowable and exclusive uses defined by the landowner on a specific conservation easement.
Public access on conservation easement lands
Public access is allowed only if it has been negotiated with the landowner. EALT prefers that there be no motorized recreational vehicle access on properties. EALT has worked with partners on fee simple properties where hunting is allowed, but prefers no hunting on land EALT owns.
Defense fund
N/A
