with Ruiping Luo and other specialists

June 6, 2026
Taber, AB (meeting details will be emailed to participants a few days before the event)
11:00 a.m.
Difficulty: Moderate 

Did you know that 2026 is the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists? Join us in MD Taber for a day of all things grasslands! Learn about the plants that grow here, and understand the threats facing these ecosystems. 

In September 2025, the Municipal District (MD) of Taber voted to convert 6 sections of municipal public native grasslands into irrigated cropland, despite historic promises not to convert the grassland under consideration. Alberta Wilderness Association has strongly opposed this, as Alberta’s recent approach to develop and expand irrigation in southern Alberta threatens an already heavily devastated grassland ecosystem, as well as the ranchers who rely on this land. These six sections are lost, but there remains a large portion of native grassland adjacent to these sections that AWA and local ranchers are hoping to protect.

On this adventure we will discuss the issue of grassland conversion, as well as what kind of grassland protections that we are hoping to see in the future. We will discuss how ranching communities connect to native grasslands. We will also be looking at the diversity of native plants that you can find in the grasslands, and spending some time understanding how native plants function in comparison to agricultural crops. This is a great chance to learn more about the interesting and unusual natural diversity that can be found in Alberta’s grasslands.

Register below by donation