Environment committee  As a kid I had the huge opportunity to work, as one does at 14, on the Stampede Ranch in the Eden Valley. That place was Guy Weadick's, the guy who started the Calgary Stampede. It was a wonderful experience to connect me to the natural world. Watching a calf come out of its moth

Environment committee  The way I look at the grazing system in western Canada is that in 1800 we had a couple of million bovids, animals with big hooves and square mouths, grazing the landscape. We've replaced them with domestic cows. The timing is different, but cattle play a very similar role in the

Environment committee  I think you can't make a profit if you aren't thinking about the ecology of the landscape you manage. It's crucial. That's where, in my view, we're not thinking appropriately about these things. Larry is the land manager of a big chunk of the Porcupine Hills. His role is critica

Environment committee  Do you mean conservation easements specifically?

Environment committee  I'm sure Larry will respond, but I'll give you my sense of it. This landscape to the south of Calgary called the east slope, where Larry lives, is an absolutely spectacular place. It's been maintained so that it's basically the same as it was when I was a kid. There are no subd

Environment committee  Thank you. I'm actually from just over the mountains in British Columbia. I'm a systems ecologist. I've been around for 40-odd years, but I'm a little bit of a different bird, because I've also ranched for 20-odd years. I wanted to explain something about people like Larry and