Land Stewardship Resource Centre

Image loading..."Land stewardship . . . because small changes can make a big difference"

What is it?

Similar to other "one-window" services, the Resource Centre is an electronic clearinghouse and free educational referral service. Designed for land stewards everywhere, it contains a wealth of information about user-friendly, land-use conservation practices, programs, agencies and referrals for hundreds of resources – from books and videos to websites.

 Whether you’re a farmer, rancher, acreage owner or backyard gardener, when it comes to looking after the land (now, and for generations to come), tracking-down the best available resources, conservation programs, practical tools and management techniques can be a confusing, and often difficult or impossible task.

You can search the Resource Centre by any keyword or you can browse by topic. Either way you quickly get a listing of resources, programs and organizations that could be helpful, along with a synopsis describing each item you select and concise ordering information.

A referral system plus

We’ve researched and collected hundreds of community educational resources and program information from across North America relevant to Alberta’s landscapes, and brought it all together to make it more easily accessible than ever before.

Right now, it’s available through Internet. In the months ahead, Albertans will be able to access the service through live, personal 1-800 service and portable travelling kiosks (set-up by partner agencies at tradeshows and agricultural workshops).

Maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat, improving water quality, ensuring the long-term productivity of the soil . . . the Land Stewardship Resource Centre is a way for organizations, governments and the private sector to work together, on common ground, to help Alberta citizens easily find the information they need to care for their land. All that you see (and will be developed) was made possible entirely through the commitment and support of Our Partners.

Major features of the Resource Centre

  • Internet access – referral information on over 700 resources (books, videos, factsheets, websites), as well as information on programs and organizations helpful to Albertans. Information is organized by land-use: water, grazing ranges, crop fields, woodlands and shelterbelts, nature and biodiversity, backyards and communities, etc. Records are being refined and new records added on a continual basis. This is not a stagnant website!
  • Travelling Resource Centre Kiosk - once enough support is secured, a portable display featuring a computer kiosk (for accessing the d-base system), plus on-hand distribution of some materials (factsheets, booklets, manuals, videos, etc.). Recognizing more than 80% of Alberta farmers do not yet have access to the Internet (Western Producer, 1996), the Kiosk will be set-up at major conferences, trade fairs and other exhibitions, targetted primarily at rural (agricultural) audiences and other private landowners. (Approximately 25 - 35 events per year starting in 1999.)
     
  • 1-800 Service – once enough support is secured, the Resource Centre referral service will be accessible through a toll-free telephone service.
     
  • Land Stewards' Network – an electronic community of farmers, ranchers, other resource managers and agency staff willing and able to provide insights and experience into ecologically-sound land management at the local community level.
     
  • Kitchen Table Forum – an Alberta newsgroup for discussing issues and topics concerning land stewardship and natural resources.
     
  • Round River General Store – a virtual store and mail order service promoting "sustainably" produced, goods and crafts made-in-Alberta, as well as a collection of books and other resources.

Resource Centre Plans

Our major objective is to continue building and improving the service for Albertans. We are also planning to work closely with other organizations and governments in Western Canada to help create Resource Centre information systems and Round River product networks that serve each province.

If you have any ideas or suggestions that would help improve the service for you, let us know.
 

Alberta Ecological InfoService (AEIS)

This service was set-up by Alberta’s major forestry companies three years ago and is managed and co-ordinated by the LSCC. It’s a bibliographic database, library search and loan service to help Alberta’s natural resource managers gain quick access to the most relevant and up-to-date information they need. The service also includes an extensive, in-house database that has a special focus on Alberta-related reports and unpublished studies not easily available through other commercial services. The service is currently available by subscription.

Future Plans: Transfer service to Internet and make the In-house database available free to students and other members of the public.

Alberta Conservation Lands Registry

The Land Stewardship Centre developed this special registry to provide a database search service for natural resource companies. Subscribers can request searches of specific quarter sections by legal land description. The database includes: Ducks Unlimited Canada - Alberta lands (exclusive source); Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board - Specific areas; Alberta Conservation Association - wildlife program lands; Alberta Sustainable Resource Development - Fisheries conservation projects; Wildlife Habitat Canada – Habitat conservation properties; as well as self-registered private landowners.

Future Plans: Transfer service to Internet and continue to build and update.

Donations Welcome

Would you like/are you able to contribute a donation?

The Resource Centre and all other initiatives developed by the Land Stewardship Centre of Canada do not receive ongoing, government financial support. Most projects are initiated with one-time grants and sponsorships. Whether a business or an individual, your generous contribution helps us continue operating in our work to ultimately inspire and enable citizens to practice good land stewardship and minimize environmental impacts. As a contributor to our initiatives, you join a growing list of Alberta organizations, government agencies, businesses, industry and citizens united in this common cause.

If you would like to support any of our programs and services, donations of any amount are always welcome and needed.

A charitable tax receipt will be issued to Canadian donors (more than $10). Please make cheque or money order payable to: "Land Stewardship Centre of Canada"
Land Stewardship Centre of Canada
17503 - 45 Avenue
Edmonton, Alberta, T6M 2N3
Phone: (780) 483-1885
Fax: (780) 486-9599
 

Frequently Asked Questions

QUESTION 1:

"How do you determine what makes the list of resources, programs, organizations etc. you include in the Resource Centre?"

ANSWER:

Generally, all resources, programs and organizations we include must be:
  1. Accessible/available to serve the public;
  2. Focussed on helping persons acquire knowledge and skills to take direct and practical actions in caring for landscapes that can be personally influenced (e.g. their own backyards, farms, ranches, neighborhoods and communities);
  3. Positive with or at least neutral/not detracting from Four Guiding Principles of "environmental sustainability"
The Four Guiding Principles for "environmental sustainability", we refer to are:
  1. Caring for the system as a whole (ecosystems, holistic resource management approach) - understanding the fundamental roles and values of natural systems, building up biological fertility in the soil, incorporating an understanding of the ecological cycles on the landscape (water, energy, nutrients) and how land-use practices can either benefit, be in harmony or negatively impact these cycles and other land-users, flora and fauna.
  2. Resource conservation - maximizing efficiency and striving to reduce the linear use (consumption) of renewable and non-renewable resources; long-term optimization versus short-term maximization of production.
  3. Maintaining, building and enhancing stability in Nature - maintain and encourage natural biological diversity and complexity; maintaining natural areas and functions on the land (a.k.a. wildlife habitat conservation).
  4. Cultural values - caring for the health of the land for future generations and long-term economic stability; the link between civilization (urbanization) and the land-base and ecosystems that are vital to survival; the intrinsic value and right to exist of all life on Earth.
In some cases, we may not be absolutely sure if all these factors are met. But we are trying our best, and if users have serious objections to certain items being included, we will examine these, and if necessary review items with our Guidance Committee - a multi-disciplinary peer group. We observe two guiding maxims in reviewing controversial items:

1) This is a long-term journey – This service is a "non-denominational" clearinghouse, recognizing no one sector of society or organization has all the knowledge and ALL the answers. Considering the global population and extent of human impacts on the planet in the last 100 years, looking ahead to some point in the future where we can all say with certainty: "we have achieved total environmental sustainability" won’t likely happen in the near future. There is a long way to go and many changes to take place.

2) When in doubt, leave it out - if we receive serious concerns from users and/or the Guidance Team has doubts that the item in question is consistent with our acceptance criteria, we will not include it on the database.


QUESTION 2:

"Why do you have listings for chemical weed control resources on your site? I thought this was an environmentally conscious service?"

ANSWER:

The use of government-regulated chemicals on agricultural lands is, and will continue to be, the subject of public debate and scientific study. There are organizations and individuals that are vehemently opposed to each other’s views and research - pitting scientific experts against scientific experts. Some say pesticide use is completely safe, without a doubt; others say it is totally dangerous, without a doubt.

This is all wrapped up in the bigger picture of global population growth, most of the world’s citizens living in urban areas, growth market-demand curves, food price policies, industry size, and an economic/political system of international trade and export agriculture that are vastly complex. There are no simple solutions that will bring all sides together in harmony; and farmers are very much caught in the middle.

Amid the environmental/social/economic aspects of the debate, and the ongoing scientific study of farm chemical applications, assessment of cumulative impacts on the landscape, as well as continued research into technological, cultural and other weed controls, our position at the Resource Centre is to not marginalize or eliminate from consideration the 50,000 farmers in Alberta that apply some level of pesticides on their fields each year. Ideally, the preference would be to never use any chemicals at all to be absolutely safe, but this would be ignoring the reality most food producers are working within. Resources, programs and organizations listed on this site pertaining to chemical use emphasize safety, careful application and Integrated Pest Management approaches. There are also many other listings for cultural and organic controls.

The use of pesticides on lawns and gardens is another matter. On this scale, chemical use is largely for cosmetic reasons and often done by homeowners who have made little effort to become knowledgeable about the impacts of misuse, safety/application precautions and, most importantly, the wide-range of options, ideas and landscaping techniques that would drastically reduce or eliminate pesticide use and expense. The Resource Centre lists resources, programs and organizations that promote alternative approaches to the way we care for lawns and gardens.