Alternative Land Use Services (ALUS)
The ALUS-WUQWATR program is a progressive initiative that works with farmers and rancher in the Wascana and Upper Qu’Appelle watersheds to help enhance the benefits of nature on the working landscape.
ALUS expanded into the Wascana and Upper Qu’Appelle Watershed (WUQWATR) community in 2015 and is now supported by the Wascana and Upper Qu’Appelle Watersheds Association Taking Responsibility (WUQWATR), a non-profit, source-water protection agency established to implement the source water protection plan for the Wascana and Upper Qu’Appelle Watersheds of Saskatchewan.
The program is available to all four sub-watersheds within WUQWATR, the Wascana watershed, Upper Qu’Appelle watershed, Lanigan-Manitou watershed and the Last Mountain Lake watershed.
“We’re very excited to see this program expand to over 4,000 agricultural producers in our watershed area,” says WUQWATR Board Chair, Fred Clipsham. “Getting demonstration sites and projects onto farms will prove the importance of this conservation initiative for the watershed’s environmental health.”
ALUS-WUQWATR staff works with each producer to provide the support and technical resources specific to their needs. This individualized approach allows for innovative and non-prescriptive solutions to environmental priorities on their lands.
Partnering with private landowners through the ALUS program allows WUQWATR to address key matters within their Source Water Protection Plan. The watershed’s environmental targets include reducing soil erosion and nutrient loading, protecting groundwater and aquifers, and mitigating flood risks.
Justine Melo is the ALUS Program Coordinator at WUQWATR. if you are interested in the program, you may reach her at justine@wuqwatr.ca, or by phone at 306-552-3560.
Click Here to download our ALUS Program factsheet (PDF).