Calgary | Mohkinstsis, Treaty 7
September 3, 2026

There’s cause for celebration here in Southern Alberta: The government has proposed a new protected area and, what’s more, it’s in the grasslands! 

This summer, the Government of Alberta released the draft Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan, to designate the new protected area to conserve intact native rangelands. This area was identified as an area for future protection in the 2014 South Saskatchewan Regional Plan, and we are excited to see that protection finally moving forward. 

“The Pekisko is a key grasslands landscape of rolling foothills, is home to grizzly bears and bull trout and is at the heart of Alberta’s First Nations and ranching heritage. Legal designation of this area as a Heritage Rangeland ensures the protection of these values for generations to come,” says Katie Morrison, Executive Director of CPAWS Southern Alberta. 

Pekisko is in Southern Alberta along the Eastern Slopes of the Rocky Mountains southwest of Calgary and near the community of Longview. It is part of a landscape of native grasslands, foothills and forested uplands that transition between prairie and mountain environments. 

According to the draft Management Plan, “The Pekisko Grasslands […] have supported livelihoods rooted in ranching, stewardship, and food production linking ecological health, cultural heritage, and economic resilience across generations.” 

This landscape is also home to Festuca scabrella — the official grass of Alberta, also known as rough fescue. It is a symbol of Alberta’s prairie heritage, and it provides year-round forage for wildlife and livestock. Rough fescue grasslands are now rare and slow to recover once disturbed. Once prevalent across Alberta, over 75% of our Fescue grasslands (Foothills and Plains Rough fescue) have been lost to conversion to crops or other land uses. 

Notably, there are also numerous at-risk species, and species of special concern, who call the Pekisko Heritage Rangelands home, including bank swallow, bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, trumpeter swan, wolverine, little brown myotis, and limber pine. In the midst of a biodiversity crisis, it is profoundly welcome news to see habitat for species such as these conserved. 

This Heritage Rangeland protection comes as a result of long-time effort by Alberta’s ranching community, regional municipalities, provincial government and conservation organizations, and represents a successful model for conservation that we hope to see repeated in future.  

The government is currently consulting on the Pekisko Heritage Rangeland and updated draft management plan for the OH Heritage Rangeland. We’ll be preparing feedback on the management plans and providing guidance for input, so stay tuned for more!