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A 1,600-hectare ranch along the Castle River, more than a century old, will be protected under a conservation agreement announced by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) Friday.

The Riverside Ranch, which is located in the foothills of southwest Alberta between the towns of Lundbreck and Beaver Mines, has been in the Zoratti family for more than a century, the organization said.

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“The Zoratti family and NCC have entered into a conservation agreement, which restricts recreational development on the property and will ensure the land is kept intact for the long term,” the NCC said in a news release. “The agreement allows the family to continue operating their cattle ranch while maintaining the landscape and the Castle River in a natural, healthy and unfragmented state.”

The agreement will help with the conservation of water quality, flood mitigation and the maintenance of an important watershed, the organization said.