Farmers in the Battle River area may be eligible for financial grants that will help restore its riverbanks.
Sarah Skinner is the watershed planning co-ordinator with the Battle River Watershed Alliance and she took some time Wednesday, Sept. 2 during registration night to speak with farmers about a new program with the alliance.
In an effort to restore the riparian areas along the Battle River in Ponoka, the alliance has developed a program that brings water to livestock without the animals having to trek far or too close to the river.
Skinner said funds are available to farmers who want to develop ways to do this. “We can fund 100 per cent of projects that they have, up to a certain amount of money. A cap of $5,000 is the limit per project.”
She said the alliance had developed several ways to not only benefit the farmer but that see improvements in the land and riparian areas along the river. Some of those benefits include cleaner drinking water, said Skinner.
The funding application process has been streamlined to give farmers an opportunity to start a program sooner than later. The group’s first project similar to this started in the Ferry Point Reach area in Camrose County and the alliance has used the data and findings from that project to build Ponoka’s.
This project will continue into 2017 and Skinner recommends farmers interested in the program contact the Battle River Watershed Alliance soon to see its full benefits.
For more information visit: www.battleriverwatershed.ca/riparian-areas or call (780) 672 0276.