MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - The county’s agricultural services board (ASB) has approved several land use conservation projects, including plans for wetland and dugout fencing.
The approvals came by way of motion at a recent ASB regularly scheduled meeting and came under the ALUS program.
The ASB is made up of county councillors and appointed public members from the district’s agriculture community.
The board approved 100 per cent of funding for materials, up to a maximum of $969, for a dugout fencing project at NW 5-32-27-4.
The board approved $3,191 for a wetland fencing project on the site, and 25 per cent of the materials for a solar watering system to a maximum of $1,250 at the same site, located in the Kneehills Creek watershed.
The new dugout fences will be 197 metres long and the new wetland fence 648 metres long.
Annual payments for the maintenance of the projects totalling $965 was also approved from the ALUS 2022 budget.
In a second project, the board approved funding for 100 per cent of materials, to a maximum of $4,124, for a wetland fencing project on a property at SW 10-33-27-4.
The board also approved 25 per cent of materials, to a maximum of $562, for the shelterbelt fencing project, and 100 per cent of the forage seeds to a maximum of $4,200, and 25 per cent of the shelterbelt seedling to a maximum of $300 on the SW 10-33-27-4.
In the third project, the board approved 100 of the funding of material costs for the tributary and dugout fencing project, to a maximum of $5,000 for a property at E 09-33-27-4, located on a tributary of the Spruce Creek.
The board also approved 100 per cent of the material cost for the wetland project to a maximum of $2,598 and additionally $5,535 to annual payments for project maintenance.
The project will involve 69.5 acres of new forage seeding, 838 metres of new wetland fencing and 457 metres of new shelterbelt fencing.
The board also approved a separate project under the Riparian and Ecological Enhancement Program.
The project sees funding for a creek fencing project on the parcel at SE 02-32-06-5 of 25 per cent of the material costs to a maximum of $375. As well, 25 per cent of material costs for two watering system projects to a maximum of $466 and 75 per cent of material costs for the creek crossing improvements to a maximum of $581 were approved from the 2022 budget.
