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STEWARDSHIP AEPA WATER UPDATES Agri-Environmental Partnership of Alberta (AEPA) is a mul - stakeholder collabora on of the agriculture industry, government, and environmental non-government organiza ons, working to proac vely address agri-environmental issues from a policy perspec ve. AEPA brings a wide variety of agricultural groups together around a common table, enabling discussion and ac ng as a valuable resource where important figures and groups that affect agriculture can engage directly. While AEPA brings agricultural voices together, its two subgroups, the Water Working Group (WWG) and the Land Use Framework Working Group (LUF WG), dig deeper into the issues. While the LUF WG group researches topics affec ng land use and now climate change, the WWG digs into water. Over the last few years, the WWG has looked into the wetland policy, neonico noids, le drainage, and water quality for livestock amongst other subjects, and has been concentra ng lately on the large subject of on-farm surface water management. Some of the water- related informa on that has been circulated by the group includes: New Wetland Officers a Resource for Agriculture With one of their mandates being engaging and educa ng agriculture, five new Environmental Protec on Officer - Wetlands posi ons have been created across the province. Contact them with your ques ons on wetland related issues for the region in which you are interested: Peace: Wanda Wa s wanda.wa s@gov.ab.ca Upper Athabasca: Amanda Cooper amanda.cooper@gov.ab.ca Lower Athabasca: Jocelyn Beniuk–Elkins jocelyn.beniuk-elkins@gov.ab.ca Red Deer – North Saskatchewan Region: Ryan Adams ryan.adams@gov.ab.ca South Saskatchewan Region: Julian Marchand julian.marchand@gov.ab.ca Municipali es and Water A document was recently published on the subject of municipal management of water bodies: www.communityconserve.ca/wp- content/uploads/2018/04/FAQ-2- Management-of-Water-Bodies-FINAL. pdf. This makes clear some of the issues around water and the law. Another related document, this me from the Farmers Advocate Office on engaging with your municipality, explains Municipal Development Plans, Land Use Bylaws, Property Assessment, Star ng a Pe on, and dealing with the Ombudsman: www1.agric.gov. ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/all/ ofa16586 Soil Moisture Maps Want an update on soil moisture in the province? Check here for the latest: www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/ deptdocs.nsf/all/ppe9917 or subscribe to get them delivered to your inbox. CAP Update The Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) replaces the expired Growing Forward 2 (GF2) program. Applica ons and program details consis ng of cost- shares and eligible ac vi es and/or items will be released with the opening of each program. The following two programs are connected to the Environmental Stewardship Branch of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and have significant water components: • Environmental Stewardship Climate Change Producer Program supports producers in reducing nega ve impacts on the environment, while enhancing sustainable produc on, managing climate change and increasing profitability. This includes funding for wetland evalua ons. • Environmental Stewardship and Climate Change Group Program is a new program targeted to applied research/forage associa ons, commodity groups and rural municipali es. This program supports the delivery of targeted extension programs and services, applied research and the strategic management of data. Visit the website www.cap.alberta. ca for further informa on. Also, remember to subscribe for CAP updates. By Paul Jungnitsch, AEPA Project Coordinator 1 0

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