Posted by C. Richard Campbell on Oct 26, 2017

Story by: C. Richard Campbell

Photographs: Tim FitzGerald and ALUS Canada (Ontario) website
http://alus.ca/alus_community/alus-norfolk/

October 2, 2017, Norfolk Golf and Country Club

Larissa Breedyk, ALUS Norfolk Co-Ordinator

Larissa Breedyk, ALUS Norfolk Co-Ordinator accompanied by Chris Van Paassen, Chair of ALUS Norfolk spoke to the club about ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services). It is a farmer-delivered program to restore marginal lands such as wetlands and steam banks into natural habitats for wildlife and natural species. Since 2007, there are over 166 Norfolk farm families and 1,400 acres enrolled in ALUS. Some of the principles guiding ALUS are community-driven, accountability, science-based, voluntary and market-driven. It is the farmer who is delivering the program by restoring wetland habitat, planting tall-grass along streams and creating pollinator habitat. He or she is compensated for participating in the project.

Norfolk farmers are innovative, progressive risk-takers who in my opinion can grow anything that the soil and the climate will permit. By embracing ALUS and similar conservation and restorative initiatives, they are once again showing that human beings are not alone on this planet.

Before - 9 years ago

Before

After

After