Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America with more than 1,300 hectares of natural habitat, rich biodiversity, and loads of hiking, walking, and biking trails to explore.

The forested areas on lands are often overlooked for their values by many, but these forests and other treed areas often extremely valuable, holding values both in their ability to be sold as a product and through natural functions that trees can provide while living. This document seeks to introduce you to major values and to help realize the potential that is in these areas. 

The Sensitive Habitat Inventory Mapping (SHIM) project for Lac La Biche was initiated in 2016 to respond to community concerns expressed by the Stewards of the Lac La Biche Watershed, over the health of the lake. This project characterizes the physical and biological features of the lake’s foreshore so that sensitive areas can be identified and subsequently protected during shoreline development. The SHIM methodology was developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in British Columbia, and while it has been successfully incorporated into land use planning for several lakes there, the Lac La Biche SHIM project will be the first example of its use elsewhere in Canada.

Lac La Biche is a large lake situated in the Boreal Mixedwood Ecoregion of northeastern Alberta. It has numerous bays and rocky offshore islands, as well as wide areas of shallow littoral habitat characterized by extensive submerged and emergent vegetation. The lake provides important habitat for many fish species, as well as colonial and migratory waterbirds and aquatic mammals. It supports sport and domestic fisheries and is a popular recreational destination for swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, and nature appreciation.

In recent years, Lac La Biche has experienced declines in water quality and fish populations, leading to widespread blue-green algal blooms and fishery closures. The Sensitive Habitat Inventory Mapping (SHIM) project for Lac La Biche was initiated in 2016 to respond to community concerns over the health of the lake. This project characterizes the physical and biological features of the lake’s foreshore so that sensitive areas can be identified and subsequently protected during shoreline development. While this method has been applied to several lakes in British Columbia and successfully incorporated into land-use planning there, the Lac La Biche SHIM project, once completed, will be the first example of its use elsewhere in Canada.

Farmers and ranchers can play a pivotal role in building the low-carbon economy of the future. Especially in Alberta, home to one-third of Canada’s agricultural land and two important carbon sinks—grasslands and the boreal forest. The wildrose province also has some of the best solar and wind power resources in Canada.

Climate solutions are often viewed as being an inconvenience to our everyday lives. But farm solutions are climate solutions and many of them have multiple concrete benefits that go beyond stopping climate change: improving soil fertility; creating new economic opportunities; protecting biodiversity; energy independence and building resiliency against droughts and floods. It is a win-win strategy.

Fish Creek Provincial Park is one of the largest urban parks in North America with more than 1,300 hectares of natural habitat, rich biodiversity and loads of hiking, walking and biking trails to explore.

Updated February 2020

The forested areas on lands are often overlooked for their values by many, but these forests and other treed areas often extremely valuable, holding values both in their ability to be sold as a product, and through natural functions that trees can provide while living. This document seeks to introduce you to major values and to help realise the potential that is in these areas.

The Biosphere Institute, in collaboration with the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, local REALTORS^® and the Town of Canmore, created this booklet to help new residents of the Bow Valley take part in meeting the goals of Town of Canmore’s Climate Action Plan. Learn more about the Climate Action Plan goals here.

Water is the nexus between food, energy, and people. Water is required to meet the demands of our growing population, to maintain and improve environmental health, and to support the production of food and energy. As the availability of water changes and our population grows meeting the demands in the Nexus will become increasingly challenging.

The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative (Y2Y) is a joint Canada-U.S. not-for-profit organization that connects and protects habitat from Yellowstone to Yukon so people and nature can thrive. They are the only organization dedicated to securing the long-term ecological health of this entire region.
There are many conservation initiatives underway in this vast region. One such initiative is to look at the establishment of a park or protected area in the area known as “The Bighorn”. This area is made up of many uses, including industrial (coal, logging), parks, wilderness areas and crown land. It’s an extremely important area for many reasons; habitat for grizzly bears and other large mammals and it is also part of the headwaters for the North Saskatchewan River –Edmonton’s main drinking water supply.
Y2Y contracted NRG Research Group and the Praxis Group to undertake a poll to gauge opinions and attitudes toward the establishment of a park in this area. Although Y2Y has no actual jurisdiction for park establishment, the information is being gathered to help decision-makers understand how the various options might play out.

The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Southern and Northern Alberta Chapters worked with the Praxis Group™ (Praxis) to undertake a survey of Albertans to better understand the public’s behaviour, attitudes and opinions related to outdoor recreation and use of public lands. The survey instrument was developed jointly by CPAWS and Praxis and reviewed by selected stakeholders in government, academia, nonprofit organizations and industry.

A nexus is the place where points intersect, linking many different parts of a system together. Water is the nexus between food, energy, and people. Water is required to meet the demands of our growing population, to maintain and improve environmental health, and to support the production of food and energy. As the availability of water changes and our population grows, meeting the demands in the Nexus will become increasingly challenging.

Are you a REALTOR® that has clients new to Canmore? Help them feel more at home: Give them a Sustainable Action Canmore booklet. Hard copies available from the Biosphere Institute.

*FOR UPDATED VERSION CLICK HERE*

This project was catalyzed by Operation Grassland Community, with a focus on building a dynamic simulator that could track cattle dynamics and explore alternative cattle production strategies in Alberta against a range of economic, social, and environmental factors. This report is a written summary that accompanies the Alberta Livestock Alces Online (ALAO) simulator (www.online.alces).

The land that drains into the Battle River and Sounding Creek- these watersheds- provide a backdrop for the unfolding lives lived full of courage and tragedy, heroism and heartbreak. Over time, this landscape has witnessed the retreat of glaciers, Indigenous peoples and great herds of bison, the arrival of the Fur Trade and European settlers, the ploughing of fields, and the creation of modern cities. This book tells these stories, and many more.

Format: full hard copy available at AREF’s office

The Southern Foothills Community Land Stewardship Initiative is a citizen-based process to develop recommendations that will provide direction to provincial, municipal and non-profit land use planning and stewardship efforts, in order to protect and enhance the integrity of the Southern Foothills landscape of SW Alberta.

The issues surrounding green housing, and the results of the household monitoring are summarized in this report. The project provided an occasion for public discussion on green building in Lethbridge, and an opportunity for students of Lethbridge College to engage in an authentic and practical experience applied directly to industry.

Report on the completion of bike trail signage and mapping within the Tunnel Mountain Bench lands, which are adjacent to Banff National Park. BVMB is a volunteer group that has taken over management of the trail in close cooperation with Parks Canada.

Educational and outreach presentation materials developed by Cows and Fish to reach a diverse audience of Albertans, including realtors.

An educational program offering presentations geared to teaching Alberta communities about how to manage growth in a way that promotes sustainability, supports a robust economy, encourages collaboration, and improves the quality of life of its citizens.

The Foothill’s land trust developed these materials to enhance a small land trust’s sustainability and operations. Templates developed include: (1) Policies and Procedures (2) Legal Defence Costs (3) Conservation Easement (4) Baseline Template (5) Baseline documentation. This resource is available as a hard copy in the AREF office.

Report on the results of testing on three green roofs established in Edmonton. The performance of plant species moderately affected by the depth of growth medium in which they were growing. All of the native plant species tested survived the environmental conditions experienced in a roof environment.

This project was a pioneering community-based program designed to foster sustainable behaviour among the Town’s households. Combining door-to-door canvassing with the tools of Community-Based Social Marketing, the program enlisted residents to take action in one of four domains: water use, energy efficiency, waste reduction, and transportation impacts.

*FOR UPDATED VERSION CLICK HERE*

Manual designed to address the needs of Alberta’s land trusts and to provide information for new land trusts. It supports the Canadian Land Trust Alliance’s standards and practises and has built in CLTA standards and practices. Modules include (1) Baseline Documentation Report (2) Stewardship Monitoring (3) Dedicated Stewardship Funding (4) Best Stewardship Practises (5) Beneficial Management Practises (6) Funding Development Guide.

This study assessed the feasibility of incorporating a “green” building rating system into the MLS® System for resale homes in Alberta. 

A comprehensive analysis of how land use impacts the health of watersheds, Making the Connection points out the best – and often cheapest – way to maintain clean drinking water, healthy aquatic ecosystems, and abundant fisheries is not to allow them to be compromised in the first place.

The Alberta Land Trust Alliance (ALTA) is a not-for-profit organization that strives to ensure Alberta’s future landscapes are rich in biodiversity and have strong ecological integrity. The Foundation funded a series of factsheets on private land conservation in Alberta and the services offered by land trusts. Hard copy available in the AREF office.

These latest publications offer creative methods to help municipalities, businesses and organizations find the balance between planning futures and protecting the environment. The Sustainability Primer offers strategies to difficult planning challenges, while Planning for Sustainability: A Planners Guide details the framework to develop strategic and sustainable goals.

These latest publications offer creative methods to help municipalities, businesses and organizations find the balance between planning futures and protecting the environment. The Sustainability Primer offers strategies to difficult planning challenges, while Planning for Sustainability: A Planners Guide details the framework to develop strategic and sustainable goals.

The Alberta Ecoroof Initiative co-hosted a regional conference on green roofs in 2008 with the Calgary Zoo and various local organizations. One hundred delegates attended the conference representing a variety of industries including landscaping, architecture, roofing, and real estate and development. The conference featured speakers from Canada and the US on demonstrating the benefits of a green roof system, sharing information on challenges, and advancing an action plan to establish a local green roof industry through case study review, research and policy development. On June 10, 2008, 52 delegates participated in a tour of green roofs both old and newly established to demonstrate what has already been achieved in and around Calgary. The tour concluded at the Alberta Ecoroof Initiative demonstration roof at the Alastair Ross Technology Centre in the University Research Park.

As one of the fastest growing municipalities in Canada, Rocky View embarked on a Growth Management Strategy in order to facilitate sound land use and development decisions regarding community sustainability, resource management and the environment.

The Green Communities Guide will be an essential tool to help elected officials, municipal planners, developers, real estate associations, stewardship groups and citizens develop strategies to conserve water, protect water quality, conserve valuable agricultural land, and protect critical open space and wildlife habitat. Through the guide, municipalities, stewardship groups, and developers will be informed about the innovative approaches other communities are taking to avoid, mitigate, or reduce the impacts of growth and development, to maintain the flow of ecological goods and services from their landscapes.

Grant #: 2007-17
Author: Land Stewardship Centre
Year: 2009
Format: full hard copy available at AREF’s office

Sustainability at home is a toolkit that helps homeowners understand how to apply sustainable development concepts to everyday household decisions The toolkit covers an explanation of sustainability; questions to ask while making household decisions; concrete and simple suggestions for every room in your house; renovations; resources for further information and idea and more.Designed for Alberta, this guide will be useful for REALTOR®S® to distribute to new and experienced homeowners alike.

Given the recent surge of media attention and consumer interest in “green” opportunities and challenges, the Alberta Real Estate Association and the Alberta Real Estate Foundation commissioned research to better understand the implications for Alberta REALTOR®S®. Seven key trends were identified that make the business case for enhanced attention to green issues by Alberta REALTOR®S®.

This policy brief examined the most current and cutting edge research on sustainable cities. It examines the principles of smart growth as a sustainable approach to urban sprawl. 10 key actions are identified to move Calgary on the road to smart growth. This resource is available as a hard copy in the AREF office.

Summary of the joint review between Urban Development Institute Calgary (UDI) and the City of Calgary for the building and development review process.

The Alberta Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA) recognizes that the increasing urbanization of Alberta has significant implications parks planning, quality of life and economically sustainable communities. The premise, upon which the Proximate Principle is based, is that residential properties located near an amenity such as a park, open space or water way, will attract a higher capitalized value. Further, the higher capitalized value will result in incrementally higher levels of municipal property taxes, which when aggregated, are theorized to be sufficient to pay for the annual costs related to the development and maintenance of the amenity.

A report on Smart Growth in Alberta and steps needed to advance the smart growth principles.

The Alberta Ecohome outlined four primary goals relating to the environmental performance of the home and the engagement of community groups, industry groups and the greater community. A. Design and construct an eco-demonstration home. B. Provide a platform for numerous collaborations and partnership in the community. C. Build the capacity of environmental non-government organizations (NGOs). D. Provide new opportunities to build awareness of energy efficiency and environmental options for new homebuyers and the community.

Grant #: 2004-22
Author: Alberta Ecotrust Foundation
Year: 2006
Format: hard copy

This course was funded as part of the Albert Eco-Home Demonstration project and identifies the builder and renovator requirements for developing “green” homes. It also outlines the homebuyer benefits of each of the “green” programs and initiatives in Alberta, including: EnerGuide for New Houses, EnerGuide for Existing Houses, Built Green and R-2000. This resource is available in hard copy format at the AREF office.

The Urban Growth and Land Use Initiative is a part of the Canada West Foundation’s “Western Cities Project”. The report outlines the environmental costs of current development and highlights the potential econmic and environmental benefits of integrating natual features and ecological services into community design. The overall intent of the report is to encourage policmakers, the development industry , consumers and other interested parties to work together to enhance public policy. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF office.

The guide is a resource to inform prospective home buyers about the area’s environmental and lifestyle assets. It encourages environmentally responsible choices and stewardship actions relating to living in close proximity to wildlife and habitat corridors.

The purpose of the project is to enhance commercial REALTOR®S® understanding of the development potential around LRT stations for mixed use development/redevelopment and to enhance residential REALTOR®S® understanding of affordable housing strategies for first time buyers (starters) and mature buyers (finishers). This resource is available in hard copy format at the AREF office.

A practical legal guide to contaminated land transactions and promotions. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF Office.

A research document maintaining ecological integrity in a multi-jurisdictional area. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF office.

An examination of the potential legal liability facing the REALTOR® with regard to the new environmental regulation. This resource is available in hard copy format in the AREF office.