In late 2024, EALT launched a Community Survey to take a read on what people know and value about EALT and our work, what they might like us to start doing, and areas to improve. In total, we received 187 responses from volunteers to landowners, donors and the general public. Surveys like this are an invaluable way to hear from you, our community, so you can give your input on our direction and focus in the future.
Lu Carbyn and visitors looking at a map at Carbyn Creek Wildlands
Why Now?
Volunteers look at the views of the river valley from our new, yet-to-be-announced conservation land.
Right now, EALT is at a key juncture for the organization’s future. We’re putting together a new Strategic Plan to guide us through the next 5 years to 2030.
Our five-year Strategic Plan was from 2020, and since then, much has changed for us, and for the world in general. Without people to support us, charities like EALT could not exist – and on that front, we are extremely fortunate to have a wide group of supporters who are passionate about nature conservation, clearly demonstrated by the responses we received.
What We Heard
A collection of words that formed the strongest themes across all responses.
Stewardship
To begin, we asked what was most important to our community. Unsurprisingly, conserving land for biodiversity was a top priority. We will continue to conserve new lands, via conservation easements and accepting land donations, as well as purchasing lands on the occasions where funds are available to do so.
We asked what our community considered to be emerging issues, and we heard that habitat loss, fragmentation, and encroachment by urban development are key concerns. This also is accompanied by concern regarding climate change, which land conservation directly helps to mitigate. We hold in trust some amazing habitats that support ecosystems that are key to carbon storage, and by extension, climate mitigation. EALT is committed to land-based climate mitigation strategies, and we will continue to accomplish this by conserving key habitats within the Parkland and Boreal regions.
Outreach
Outreach is a crucial component of our work as a charity, and it’s a key part of maintaining and expanding our role in the community at large. We asked for your thoughts on our programs and activities, and what you would like to see from us. We received a variety of responses, which included requests for more activities like nature walks and educational events, which we have already planned to include as events in the coming year.
EALT ran a natural dye/paint making station at the Telus World of Science for National Indigenous Peoples’ Day in 2024.
The survey revealed that advocating for land conservation is important to our community, and while we’re a non-advocacy organization as it pertains to politics, we need to continue to focus on highlighting the importance of land conservation, working with other organizations and initiatives by sharing our knowledge and resources.
While there was a lot of enthusiasm for ambitious outreach and education efforts, this was balanced by a consciousness from respondents that adding too many elements could lead to our existing faculties being stretched too thin. We also are keenly aware that a multitude of fantastic organizations exist within Alberta who cover ground that we don’t, such as nature education for kids, wildlife safety and rescue, and other environmental causes. By operating within our sphere, not only do we preserve our own energy, we respect the professionalism, knowledge, and capacity of our fellow organizations.
Thank you!
We received wonderful feedback from you with respect to our conservation lands, with many people complementing our conservation lands, outreach efforts, and accomplishments over the years. These kind words mean a lot to us, and we are incredibly lucky to have a community with such strong values who are so passionate about the conservation of our natural landscapes.
We’d like to extend a sincere thank you to everyone who took the time to respond to our survey and shared your thoughts with us. The 2025-2029 strategic plan will be made available on our website in spring of 2025.
