As a local charity with a small staff team, we rely on our dedicated volunteer team to help steward and care for our conservation lands. The Conservation Land Stewards program is intended for volunteers who are interested in taking on more responsibility and a bigger commitment.

Conservation Land Stewards (CLS) are champions of EALT and ambassadors of their chosen conservation land, where they provide a consistent stewardship presence over two years. They perform basic fieldwork and monitoring on their chosen land and provide EALT with regular reports. By committing to one conservation land, Conservation Land Stewards develop a relationship with their land and can help identify stewardship needs and changes over time.

What does the program involve?

Tasks may include (varies by conservation land):

• Perform basic trail maintenance, generally by hand clipping

• Remove invasive plants through hand pulling or clipping

• Monitor boundaries for trespassing

• Remove trash and debris

• Maintain infrastructure such as signs and barbed wire fences

• Check on geocaches

• Clean nest boxes

• Remove black knot fungus from infected trees

• Checking wildlife cameras

• Document and report activity to EALT after each visit

• Assist EALT with ongoing stewardship work as needed

Learn more about some of the work we do on our stewardship and fieldwork training page.

Which conservation lands are stewards assigned?

EALT involves Conservation Land Stewards at ten of the twenty-two conservation lands. These are lands that EALT owns and manages and are accessible to the public. You can visit our Conservation Lands page to learn more about each of these lands. You may be interested in stewarding one that is closest to you: 

Each year, EALT recruits for a subset of these lands based on the current number of stewards at each land. If the land you were interested in visiting is not recruiting this year, you can either request to switch your land assignment in your second year of the program or inquire to join the program next year. 

Am I eligible?

You are eligible to join the program if you are:

• Over the age of 18

• Have access to a vehicle (our sites are usually within a 1 hour drive from Edmonton)

• Able to work with a partner while on the land (this can be another CLS, or a family member or friend).

• Able to safely perform stewardship responsibilities

• Able to attend a mandatory online training session and an in-person field training session (training dates are listed below)

• Available for a two-year commitment

• Able to visit the land at least twice per month from May-September, and two visits between October-April (12 total visits per year – we can be flexible on a case-by-case basis)

• Able to communicate and record data effectively

• Able to represent EALT in a professional and polite manner while on conservation lands

• Able to follow all EALT safety and check-in protocols, including site-specific hazard assessments at each visit

Why join the program?

• Free core training in land management and stewardship

• Work with EALT staff and other volunteers with similar interests and a shared commitment to conservation

• Get to know a beautiful piece of land intimately

• Volunteer hours will be recorded and can be requested for use on resumes or reference letters

• Invitation to annual volunteer appreciation event

How can I join?

Conservation Land Stewards are recruited once per year in winter. Applications will be reviewed and candidates notified in early spring. Participants must attend the mandatory training (see below). Please note that Conservation Land Stewards must go out in pairs, and EALT will not assign you a partner. We strongly recommend signing up for training with a partner. Stewardship duties commence in May.

Applications are due by March 28, 2025.

Training

Conservation Land Stewards must attend the mandatory online and in-person training sessions. Each person must attend one online training session in addition to the in-person training for their chosen conservation land.

Online Training (attend one)

Tuesday, April 8 - 7pm OR Wednesday, April 16 - 7pm

In-person Training

Volunteers must attend the in-person training for their chosen conservation land. This training goes through land-specific information and stewardship tasks and is an opportunity to show you around the land and go over how to conduct the various stewardship tasks. Training dates are usually on weekends and take place from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm (but may end early).

• Saturday April 26 - JBJ McDonald

• Sunday April 27 - Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary

• Saturday May 3 - Smith Blackburn Homestead

• Sunday May 4 - Boisvert’s GreenWoods

• Saturday May 10 - Carbyn Creek Wildlands

• Saturday May 24 - backup training date in case of cancellation due to weather

Questions

For more details about the program e-mail Kayleen at kayleen.falkenstein@ealt.ca

Is this program not the right fit? Sign up for our volunteer newsletter to receive details about our upcoming group volunteer events, or check out our Citizen Science or Conservation Outreach opportunities!

See examples of Conservation Land Stewards in action! Click below to read more.

For Current Conservation Land Stewards: