The Issue / Idea

Municipalities are eligible holders of conservation easements, but have very little information on how – and why – municipalities might go about using this tool.

The Project

To respond to the issue, the Miistakis Institute developed a ‘How To’ guide that informs municipalities about what conservation easements are, the municipal considerations for using this tool, details on what a conservation easement includes, and direction on how to create and administer a conservation easement program. The guide also comes with several Alberta-based resources and templates.

The sections of the guide are:

• The Basics (What is a conservation easement?)
• Conservation Easements and Municipalities (policy, planning, financial, and special considerations
• Administration (preparing, creating, and stewarding a conservation easement and/or program)

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Municipal Conservation Easement Guide

Municipal Conservation Easement Fact Sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

Municipal Conservation Easement Program Resources

(Click on any item to go to it!)

Conservation Easement Web Resources

• CE Alberta Comprehensive Web Resource
• Alberta Conservation Easement Registry
• Canada Land Trust Standards and Practices
• Canada Land Trust Standards and Practices – Backgrounder

Templates and Drafting Resources

• Common conservation easement provisions
• Common conservation easement agreement clauses
• Template Baseline Document Report
• Conservation easement monitoring template
• Strathcona County monitoring template

Example Plans and Policies

• • Examples – Conservation easements used by Alberta municipalities
    • Brazeau County
    • City of Edmonton
    • Leduc County
    • Strathcona County (Template)
    • Strathcona County (Deer Mountain Bareland Condo)
    • Town of Canmore

 

• • Examples – MDP Excerpts
    • City of Edmonton
    • City of Airdrie
    • Birch Hills County
    • County of Wetaskiwin
    • Flagstaff County
    • Lac La Biche County
    • Lac Ste Anne County
    • MD of Bighorn
    • MD of Foothills
    • Parkland County
    • Red Deer County
    • Saddle Hills County
    • Town of Stony Plain
    • Town of Thorsby
    • Westlock County

 

• • Examples – IDP Excerpts
    • Alberta Beach Regional IDP (General Development Policies)
    • Cypress / Redcliff / Med Hat – Tri Area IDP
    • Gull Lake IDP

 

• • Examples – ASP Excerpts
    • Lacombe County – Highway 11 ASP
    • Leduc County – North-Pigeon-lake-ASP
    • Parkland County – Highvale
End Land Use
 ASP
    • Red Deer County – Burnt Lake ASP (Draft)
    • Red Deer County – East Gasoline Alley ASP

 

• • Examples – LUB Excerpts
    • MD of Bighorn – LUB Conservation Easement District

 

• • Examples – Conservation easement Bylaw
    • Strathcona County – Unauthorized Use of Conservation Easement Bylaw (47-2008)
    • City of Edmonton – Conservation Easement Registration Bylaw (17502)

 

• Examples – Other policy excerpts
  • County of Wetaskiwin – Pigeon Lake Watershed Area Concept Plan
  • Lac Ste Anne County – ESA Policy
  • Parkland County – Maintaining Biodiversity on Public Land Policy
  • Strathcona County – Policy Handbook (Dedication of Conservation Easements)

Provincial Legislation

• Alberta Land Stewardship Act (ALSA)
• Conservation easements clauses verbatim and simplified

Support Organizations

• Miistakis Institute
• Environmental Law Centre
• Land trusts

(Did we miss something important? Let us know!)

Organization

This project was undertaken by

The Miistakis Institute

Status

This guide was released in

October 2017

Supporters

Max Bell Foundation

Anonymous Foundation