With funding from the ALUS program, Larry Grant planted 3,700 deciduous trees in 2013 and an additional 475 the following year.
His three-row shelter belt near Davin, Saskatchewan, covers 1.6 kilometres and this summer is looking healthy and well established.
A single 10-year-old tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year.
While this amount can vary from site to site, that still adds up to a lot of carbon captured!
That means Larry Grant’s shelterbelt could soon be absorbing a 200,000 pounds or 100 tons of carbon dioxide each year!
Last Mountain Lake Project
Cattle on Tom Harrison’s farm adjacent to Last Mountain Lake often wandered through riparian area to access water.
With financial assistance from the ALUS program, Tom built an exclusion fence to keep the cattle away from the shoreline. It’s now a popular location to launch canoes and kayaks.
ALUS Projects Within WUQWATR
WUQWATR has delivered more than 800 projects covering 3,848 acres since inception and last year, 15 new projects were established on 276.6 acres.
This year, WUQWATR is set to renew projects covering 793.8 acres and initiate projects covering 74 new acres.
ALUS is a unique, community-developed, and producer-delivered program.
ALUS recognizes the important role producers play as stewards of the land and empowers them to deliver nature’s benefit on the working landscape.
The ALUS WUQWATR program has helped landowners in our watershed produce ecosystem services on their land. This helps create cleaner air, cleaner water, flood mitigation, carbon sequestration, protection for species at risk habitat and support for native bees and pollinators.
This environmental stewardship program helps producers initiate projects on or adjacent to marginal or environmentally sensitive agricultural land.
Types of Projects
Projects include restoring and enhancing wetlands, planting pollinator strips, installing wind breaks, planting tame or native forage, building exclusion fencing to help mitigate erosion and sediment loading downstream and more.
The WUQWATR team works with each producer to provide the support and technical resources specific to their needs.
This individualized approach creates innovative and non-prescriptive solutions to environmental priorities on their land.
ALUS WUQWATR provides per-acre annual payments to recognize a participant’s dedication to managing and maintaining their projects over the course of the contract terms.
The contract may be renewed if the landowner wants to continue to provide these ecosystem services..
Annual payments are based on a schedule approved by our Participant Advisory Committee (PAC). These payments are usually based on the average land rental rates in the local area.
Payments are made when work begins and continue while the producer maintains the project.
Download our ALUS WUQWATR Program factsheet (PDF) and to find more details on annual payment rates.
Interested in initiating a project in the ALUS WUQWATR program, or just looking for more information, contact Nathan Avery (nathan@wuqwatr.ca or 306-529-5125).
ALUS Vision
Community-developed and farmer-delivered, ALUS sustains agriculture, wildlife and natural spaces for all Canadians, one acre at a time.
ALUS Mission
ALUS Canada’s mission is to enable Canadians to provide direct support to a national network of farmers and ranchers delivering ecosystem services in their communities, including clean air, clean water, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood mitigation, pollinator support and wildlife habitat.
