Every fall, Don Gregorwich would dig a small v-shaped trench from a slough in one of his fields to a nearby ditch. Then, every spring after runoff and before seeding, he would fill it in again. This process continued year after year, costing him in time and equipment use.

But in the back of his mind, the Kelsey, Alberta producer often wondered how much he was really gaining from that effort. Would it, he reasoned, make more sense to work with nature than against it?

So when the opportunity came to rethink that land as wildlife habitat, he jumped at the chance. By identifying a small parcel that could be returned to its state as a natural wetland, Gregorwich found he could return the slough to its original drainage pattern and his fall trench digging days were over.

Gregorwich's three-acre parcel may not be big from a farm production perspective, but he thinks it may ultimately represent a bigger impact on his farm. He believes he's like a lot of farmers today, rethinking the value of wildlife habitat on their farms and ranches. Whether driven by high stewardship standards or habitat's connection with land value, they are all acknowledging one thing: that the time might be right to rethink some of the land and water development decisions of the past.

New management tool

That's precisely what the "Natural Advantage: The On-Farm Wildlife and Biodiversity Planning Service" is designed to address. This free service, funded by the Technical Assistance Component of Greencover Canada, is designed to help Alberta farmers and ranchers identify, protect and manage wildlife habitat on their properties. It's also an extension of the Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) program's habitat management Beneficial Management Practice.

Participation in the EFP program is a prerequisite to the Natural Advantage process, says project director Kim Schmitt with Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), which manages the project.

"Some of the options in the EFP process involve on-farm biodiversity planning and wildlife habitat enhancement. We found that not a lot of people are doing this. Through this project, we hope to get more people to look at wildlife in a broader sense to gain an understanding of habitat and how cropping and farming practices can be complementary.

"We believe that when people have a solid plan built on a strong technical foundation, they're in a much better position to implement beneficial practices."

Building a habitat plan

The Natural Advantage process is designed to be a straightforward one for producers. The first step is to sign a simple, one-page letter of understanding to outline how the habitat analysis component of the process will work. A phone interview in which biologists from DUC discuss the project with the participant follows.

From there, biologists will analyze and classify on-farm habitat using air photos and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping. They then spend up to half a day meeting with the landowner on the farm to discuss their findings. Biologists also spend time completing field verification and a rapid assessment of the condition of the areas identified.

In the end, the producer will receive a comprehensive written report based on the information gathered, including resource materials and contact information to assist with the implementation of recommendations in the report.

"Integrating this type of conservation management into farm operations can have significant environmental, social and economic advantages," says Schmitt. "In many cases, the value of land today is driven by aesthetics and diversity, including the quality of its wildlife habitat. Doing this today could well result in significant reward in short, mid and longer terms."

Reprinted courtesy of Ducks Unlimited Canada.