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A rare piece of property

Visser’s 93 hectares are in Horse Hill, a farming neighbourhood within city limits that was given the go-ahead for suburban redevelopment four years ago. It’s also in the study area for a future provincial bridge. The conservation plan would add political pressure to avoid a bridge being pushed through.

The land includes 28 hectares of old growth forest in the river valley, land currently used for First Nations ceremonies and where rare medicinal plants are grown. Unlike most of the land in this stretch of the North Saskatchewan River, it was never mined for gravel.

The rest of the land is and will continue to be used for farming – for Riverbend Gardens, a market garden that supplies many of the city’s farmers markets; and for Lady Flower Gardens, a community garden that lets homeless or disadvantaged people experience growing and eating their own vegetables. The land owner works with 15 different local organizations including the Mustard Seed Community Support Centre.

The land is located where 195 Avenue hits the North Saskatchewan River.

If the money can be raised, this would be the Edmonton and Area Land Trust’s first agricultural easement, adding to the nine natural areas it manages around the city. The land trust studied the issue for two years before agreeing to take it on.

A tricky assignment

Executive director Pam Wight said the land trust will need at least $140,000 to start and likely more to cover the costs of the legal agreement, baseline ecology studies and create a management plan. They don’t have a final cost. They need to raise enough money so interest from a permanent endowment fund managed by the Edmonton Community Foundation can fund the annual monitoring plan in perpetuity. Donations go to that fund.