Land Stewardship Centre (LSC) in Alberta has been given a multi-year, $925,000 grant by Alberta’s Environment and Parks to help protect the province’s water resources.

The grant provides $250,000 for 2017, followed by $225,000 grants for each subsequent year, ending in 2019-20.

This funding will allow the centre to support the development of long-term planning and community-based projects.

“Land Stewardship Centre is an important partner in Alberta’s efforts to promote healthy aquatic ecosystems. Programs funded by these grants will result in reliable, quality water supplies for a sustainable economy and safe, secure drinking water,” said Shannon Phillips, Minister of Environment and Parks.

The centre provides an array of programming including the Alberta Stewardship Network, which supports local conservation initiatives. The network defines its goals as “to serve the needs of these grassroots stewardship groups by identifying funding opportunities, supporting the development of volunteer recruitment and training opportunities, and providing access to relevant, current and useful stewardship resources.”

The new grant builds on previous provincial support for LSC’s Watershed Stewardship Grant Program, which supports local stewardship projects across the province. This program recently expanded to support projects benefitting the government’s wetland policy implementation.

Some of the other programs conducted by LSC include a searchable database of conservation easements, a database of conservation agreements in the province, and stewardship guides for small acreages, hobby farms, and recreational properties.

Brian E. Ilnicki, executive director of Land Stewardship Centre, said of the funding, “Over the years, the Watershed Stewardship Grant program has enabled stewardship groups to bring about positive action and deliver results in communities across Alberta. On behalf of these groups which rely on this funding, we thank Minister Phillips and her ministry for this grant, which demonstrates their leadership and commitment to our collective efforts.”

In addition to grant funding provided to the centre, a total of $3.2 million in provincial grants were allocated to Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils this year to promote the health and sustainability of Alberta’s water resources.

LSC is a not-for-profit, charitable organization working to facilitate land and environmental stewardship by improving understanding of healthy ecosystems, supporting community stewardship and strengthening policies that affect resource use.

Visit Land Stewardship Centre at their webpage for more information on their work and resources.

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