Joint letter to MD of Taber Council asking for protection of native prairie

August 5, 2026

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Alberta Wilderness Association (AWA), Alberta Native Plant Council (ANPC), Southern Alberta Group for the Environment (SAGE), Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and Nature Alberta wrote to the Municipal District (MD) of Taber Council, asking for legal protections on the remaining native prairie within the MD.

In particular, we asked the Municipal Council to:

1. Review existing policies preventing the cultivation and breaking of tax recovery lands, identify gaps in policy, and extend protections to all development interests.
2. Explore the feasibility of registering caveats against the title on tax recovery lands to prevent breaking of these lands.
3. Extend the Prairie Conservation Bylaw to include cultivation or breaking of these lands by the MD of Taber and other interests.
4. Consider the application of conservation easements on tax recovery lands managed by the MD of Taber, in partnership with local land trusts.
5. Engage with stakeholders, including local grazing associations, local ranchers, environmental organizations, and residents, to determine other appropriate protection measures.

Native prairie ecosystems are relied on by a diverse range of species, as well as the ranchers and local communities who work on these lands. Previous cultivation on these lands has already proven unsuccessful. The value of native prairie is increasingly being recognized and prioritized through regional planning. As one of the most effective ways to

The full letter is available here.