Alberta Land Trust Alliance
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association urge the Government of Alberta to provide ongoing operating funds to the Alberta Land Trust Alliance thereby ensuring its future vitality.
WHEREAS Alberta’s Land-use Framework provides a comprehensive approach for managing lands and natural resources to achieve Alberta’s long-term economic, environmental and social goals;
WHEREAS a key objective in the Land-use Framework is to develop a strategy for conservation and stewardship on private and public lands;
WHEREAS the Government of Alberta initiated and funded the creation of the Alberta Land Trust Alliance with a mission to represent the land trust community and build capacity in land trusts to conserve diverse and ecologically important landscapes in Alberta; and
WHEREAS the Alberta Land-Trust Alliance and local land trusts can play a vital role in municipal efforts to conserve and steward land.
Nov 22/11 – Sustainable Resource Development
Alberta Land Trust Alliance, Land trusts are an important resource to help identify and protect lands with high conservation values. While funding for the operation and capacity building of the land trusts is not provided, the government announced on August 10, 2011 the Alberta Land Trust Grant Program under the Alberta Land Stewardship fund.
May 3/12 – Sustainable Resource Development
Sustainable Resource Development Provides support for land trusts through the Land Trust Grant Program. Although the grant program does not provide funding for capacity building, land trusts may use grant funding to purchase a conservation easement or for ongoing management of conservation easements. I encourage the local trusts receiving grants under this program to re-examine their budgets. Using grant funding to manage conservation easements may free up internal budget dollars that could then be allocated to capacity building.
I appreciate your interest in this matter. I recognize that land trusts are important partners and I look forward to working with them to support conservation of Alberta’s ecologically important land.
AUMA Accepts this response.