This two phase project supports a regional approach to land use planning and management in the moraine. The Beaver Hills Initiative envisioned creating a Land Management Framework that could facilitate a consistent approach to planning decision-making member municipalities, intended to result in sustainable development. This Phase 1 report focuses on the creation of a Land Management Framework and an associated Initial Implementation Plan for the Beaver Hills to foster regional cooperation through common land use/management.

This two-phase project supports a regional approach to land use planning and management in the moraine. The Beaver Hills Initiative envisioned creating a Land Management Framework that could facilitate a consistent approach to planning decision-making member municipalities, intended to result in sustainable development. This report summarizes the results of Phase 2 and provides the base elements of the Land Management Framework. It is intended primarily as a guide for land use planners, councilors and other interested agencies to provide the background information and tools required to manage the lands under their control in a sustainable manner.

The Moraine Mesocarnivore Project investigated whether protected areas, private woodlots, and anthropogenic patches within mixed-use landscapes are connected and working together to support mammalian diversity in Alberta’s heartland.

In 2019, the Association initiated a wetland conservation and stewardship pilot project in the Beaver Hills Biosphere that aimed to explore alternative approaches to wetland conservation and stewardship in a way that supports both traditional and current cultural attributes of the Biosphere. This report focuses on the policies and regulations that will materially impact the implementation and outcomes of the pilot project.

In 2019, the Association initiated a wetland conservation and stewardship pilot project in the Beaver Hills Biosphere that aimed to explore alternative approaches to wetland conservation and stewardship in a way that supports both traditional and current cultural attributes of the Biosphere. This second “state of” report summarizes and synthesizes the state of wetland science and ecosystem service assessments in the Biosphere and elsewhere and provides a summary and critique of the existing spatial data that may be leveraged as part of the pilot program.

As part of the Biosphere’s Wetland Conservation & Stewardship Pilot Project, a goal was set to initiate an inventory of cultural ecosystem services (CES) associated with wetlands, focusing on both traditional (First Nations and Métis) and western knowledge, to support the development of a wetland extension model. This report aims to understand the place of culture in the work of a Biosphere, synthesize contemporary debates and understandings of CES, articulate the potential contributions that engaging with CES can have for the conservation and stewardship of wetlands, and highlight several key questions that need to be addressed while pursuing an inventory of CES.

Developed in 2018, the purpose of this comprehensive report was to develop FireSmart mitigation strategies and actions to manage wildfire risk and support the health, sustainability and resiliency of ecological systems within the Beaver Hills Biosphere. It also includes innovative and adapted approaches to meet the needs of the different planning areas and project stakeholders.

This report highlights the second year of this project that investigates how protected areas, private woodlots and connectivity within the Cooking Lake Moraine – a mixed use landscape of protected areas and developed private land – affect mammalian diversity. The report features activities undertaken, data collected and results to date.

Through the analysis of selected indicators (relating to land, air, water, biodiversity and quality of life), this report highlights the unique environmental, social and economic conditions that exist within the Beaver Hills.

Originally developed in 2007, the Land Management Framework was reviewed and revised in 2014. The information and tools provided in the Framework can help identify solutions and develop consensus and mitigate risks through a fact-based approach to collaborative and regional land use management. This will help ensure the moraine continues to provide the quality of life valued by residents now and in the future.

Simple map featuring the Biosphere boundary, as well as outlines of national and provincial environmentally significant areas, special wildlife status areas, water features, and environmental/municipal reserves.

This comprehensive nomination application was submitted to UNESCO by the Beaver Hills Initiative in May 2015.

The comprehensive appendices to the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Nomination submitted to UNESCO May 2015.

This historical project gathered stories about people and the land to document the longstanding relationships of dwelling in the region’s landscapes both past and present.

To reinforce the importance of identifying, preserving and keeping alive the history of the Beaver Hills, the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Association (BHBRA) will appoint a Historian Laurate, who will serve as an ambassador for and will work to raise awareness of and appreciation for the history of the region.

To reinforce the importance of identifying, acknowledging and keeping alive the culture of the Beaver Hills, the Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Association (BHBRA) will appoint a Visual Arts Laurate, who will serve as an ambassador, raising awareness and appreciation for the visual arts and culture of the region and the artists who live and work here. The visual arts include art forms such as photography, painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture.

An updated wetland inventory for the Biosphere that provides information on the location, class, vegetation cover type and condition of wetlands.

In a recently published article, Dr. PearlAnn Reichwein examines the early years of the Canadian Birkebeiner as a heritage sport tourism event with routes near Edmonton, Alberta, that became an annual festival and attraction in western Canada