Healthy land supports everyday life
What happens on the land does not stay there. Wetlands, grasslands, river valleys, farms, and ranches shape how water moves, how food is produced, where wildlife can travel and what communities can pass on to the next generation.
Where these connections show up
Healthy wetlands and streambanks help slow runoff and trap some soil and sediment before it reaches creeks and rivers. This supports the water sources communities depend on and can make it easier for water treatment systems to do their job.
Deep roots, healthy soil, and wetlands can keep moisture in the ground longer during hot, dry weather. That moisture helps grass and forage remain productive, gives wildlife food and shelter, and helps the land recover when rain returns.
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Keeping farms and ranches whole gives producers room to grow crops, graze livestock, manage water, and adapt between seasons. When working land is divided into smaller parcels, producing food locally can become more difficult and expensive.
Large, connected landscapes give wildlife more room to feed, rest, and move without crossing as many roads or developed areas. They also preserve familiar views, stories, and places that help southern Alberta feel like home.
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Wetlands and low-lying areas can temporarily hold rainwater instead of sending it downstream all at once. Slower-moving water gives creeks and culverts more time to carry it, reducing pressure on nearby roads, fields, and neighbourhoods.
Working farms and ranches support more than food production. They sustain families, local businesses, practical skills, and knowledge built over generations. Keeping these landscapes functioning helps rural communities remain active and connected.
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Why action matters now
Southern Alberta is growing, and the land is being asked to do more. Acting while wetlands, working lands, and wildlife corridors are still intact gives landowners and communities more options. Voluntary agreements help these places continue supporting people and wildlife into the future.
The choices made today help shape what remains possible tomorrow.
The choices made today help shape what remains possible tomorrow.
How Western Sky works
Every place and every relationship is different. Our role is to listen, understand what matters, and help people explore practical options that can endure.
Where care becomes action
Bow & Beyond
Following the water A river depends on more than the water between its banks. Wetlands, streambanks, floodplains, creeks, farms, ranches, and natural areas all influence how water moves across the landscape. Bow & Beyond works with the people connected to these places so that river corridors and surrounding working lands can continue holding water, retaining soil, supporting food production, and providing room for wildlife. |
Prevailing Winds
Rooted in the prairie Native grassland is more than an open field. Its deep roots hold soil, retain moisture, and store carbon below the surface. It also supports food production, ranching families, and wildlife that cannot thrive without large connected landscapes. Prevailing Winds gives willing landowners another option for the future of their land, one that can help keep native prairie and working ranches whole. |
What this work looks like close to home
Western Sky’s work grows through the choices, relationships, and knowledge connected to individual landscapes. These stories show what long-term care can look like in practice.
Eight wetlands and a lasting wish
Northwest of Airdrie, eight waterbodies connected to the larger wetland system feeding West Nose Creek are being kept intact. They hold water on the land and provide refuge for migratory birds. This work honours Dr. Bob’s wish that the place he and Gina cared for would continue supporting life beyond his lifetime. |
Seventy years of knowing the land
Wayne Dresser spent more than 70 years farming and ranching here. With no one in the next generation planning to take over the operation, he chose a future that keeps its native grass and connected coulees intact. That allows the land, wildlife, and knowledge built over a lifetime to continue together. |
A place to pause, learn, and connect
This park in Diamond Valley brings grasslands, wetlands, riverside forest, and river habitat together in the Sheep River watershed. People can walk, learn and spend time outdoors while wildlife retains room to live. The park was made possible by Gordon Gray’s generosity and is cared for through an ongoing partnership between Western Sky and the Town of Diamond Valley. |
Help keep the places we depend on working
Lasting care begins with people choosing to act. A gift helps Western Sky begin conversations with landowners, understand a landscape, complete the assessments and professional work needed for voluntary agreements, and remain involved in caring for those places over time.
Whether you care for land, want to experience these places, or would like to support the work, we would be glad to hear from you.
Whether you care for land, want to experience these places, or would like to support the work, we would be glad to hear from you.