The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation (SSGF) has marked a major milestone with the signing of its first-ever term conservation easement—a move that could reshape how grassland conservation fits into ranchers’ long-term plans.
Unlike traditional, perpetual easements that stay on a land title forever, these new agreements allow for flexibility with term lengths starting at 25 years, says Mindy Anderson, communications specialist for SSGF, in this interview with RealAgriculture's Amber Bell. That flexibility, she says, is a game-changer. “It helps to meet more ranchers where they’re at… and hopefully get more enrollment in these types of conservation programs.”
The first easement, located near the Montana border and adjacent to Grasslands National Park, protects a 640 acre stretch of native prairie home to species at risk like the greater sage grouse and swift fox. Anderson emphasizes that the agreements come with just three restrictions: “no break, no drain and no development.”
SSGF supports landowners not only through the easement process, but also by providing habitat assessments, species data, and potential funding for water projects or habitat management. As Anderson puts it, “sometimes they have no idea… the amount of grassland birds that it’s supporting.”
Anderson says that ranchers interested in learning more can visit ssgf.ca or connect via social media to explore options for their own land.
