A sizable chunk of land in Lethbridge County has been donated for conservation. (Photo: Sean Feagan / Nature Conservancy of Canada)

By David Opinko

Lethbridge County family donates land for conservation

Oct 21, 2025 | 8:46 AM

A local family has ensured that a piece of land along the Oldman River will be protected from development.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has announced that Diane Glover, on behalf of her family, has donated 507 hectares of land in Lethbridge County to be preserved.

She says the donation was deeply personal and that it honours the memory of her parents, siblings, and grandparents.

“These unique lands existed long before we did, and we were taught that our ownership of it is an honour and is temporary. We consider ourselves caretakers of the property during our time here,” says Glover.

“Everybody who has become familiar with the property looks at it the same way we do: it’s special, unique and worth preserving, which is why I chose to entrust it with the Nature Conservancy of Canada.”

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The NCC says this property is one of the largest remaining contiguous tracts of intact Prairie grasslands in the area.

It has long been a place for grazing, roundups, wildlife encounters, camping, stargazing and family gatherings.

Tom Lynch-Staunton, Regional VP of the NCC, says that the native grasslands filter water, store carbon, and provide vital habitat for wildlife. That includes dozens of at-risk species such as American badger (special concern), common nighthawk (special concern), ferruginous hawk (threatened), long-billed curlew (special concern), northern leopard frog (special concern), and prairie rattlesnake (special concern).

However, he warns that environments like this are disappearing at “an alarming rate.”

Lynch-Staunton claims that less than 20 per cent of Canada’s original Prairie grasslands remain, and that every hour, another seven hectares are lost.

“This project is about more than one piece of land. It represents the dedication of landowners like Diane Glover and a growing movement to conserve some of the last remaining Prairie grasslands before they are lost forever. Thanks to this donation, this landscape, and all the species that depend on it will be conserved for generations to come,” says Lynch-Staunton.

The Miistakis Institute claims that roughly 60 per cent of the riparian areas in the Oldman watershed are privately owned, yet less than eight per cent of that has been conserved.