The Green Acreages Funding at Work

During June, Green Acreages Program Coordinator Milena McWatt visited two acreage owners who received funding through the program.

Stephanie Ayotte of Brazeau County planted hundreds of native shrubs along the back end of her acreage, which slopes down into a ravine behind her property and was becoming eroded. This project helped her to learn a lot about native species and gain a greater appreciation for her land.

When talking with Milena, Stephanie mentioned that the support and resources from the Green Acreages Program went a long way in motivating her to address the erosion and slope destabilization on her property and that the Green Acreages Guide workbook had been so helpful that she has shared it with another acreage owner. Next on Stephanie’s stewardship journey is finding (or founding!) a local stewardship group to work on the ravine area that lies behind her property.

Milena also visited Travis Thiessen, whose family property is located in Foothills County. Travis learned about the Green Acreages Program through his permaculture group and is interested in developing his land for agrotourism.

With the Green Acreages funding, Travis was able to plant trees and shrubs in the riparian zone of a seasonal creek on his property and is also doing some bioinfiltration work with soil building through polycropping and mob grazing to increase the organic matter of soil and hold water on his property for longer. The Green Acreages Guide helped Travis learn some best practices for managing his property and his future stewardship plans include constructing a rain garden and bioswales to capture and manage water on his property.