Born out of a desire for a local land trust, EALT was founded in 2007 by the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Community Foundation, Edmonton Nature Club, Land Stewardship Centre of Canada, Urban Development Institute, and Legacy Lands Conservation Society.

In the first few years several conservation lands were secured at a rate of nearly one per year – not bad for a brand new land trust! Hicks was secured first, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Golden Ranches was secured not long after, again in a joint partnership with NCC, the Alberta Conservation Association, and the Alberta Fish and Game Association. Ministik Conservation Lands came a little bit later. All three of these lands are located in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, an important area for waterfowl and other wildlife. EALT’s conservation lands in this region contribute to a broad network of conserved and protected areas. Two other conservation sites were secured in these first few years as well – Glory Hills- maskihkîy meskanaw, and Pipestone Creek.

By 2013, these land securements, plus our stewardship and community outreach, earned EALT an Alberta Emerald Award for environmental excellence and partnership building, a prestigious award that recognizes innovation in environmental initiatives.

In the next 5 years, we secured several more conservation lands – Boisvert’s GreenWoods, Coates, Bunchberry Meadows (with NCC), Larch Sanctuary (with the City of Edmonton), and the Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary. Each of these lands has unique values, and offer citizens the chance to visit and connect with nature. We also began our signature outreach program, Protecting Pollinators, to raise awareness about the importance of pollinators and their habitat through presentations and bee hotel workshops.

After these first 10 years, we conserved the Smith Blackburn Homestead, also in the UNESCO Beaverhills Biosphere Reserve, a conservation easement in Parkland County, and two more conservation easements in the City of Edmonton - New Jubilee and Evelyn’s Acres. In 2019, we were thrilled to win an Alberta Emerald Award for environmental excellence in the Grassroots Non-profit category. To be recognized as a leader in conservation is an incredible honour.

Despite the pandemic beginning in 2020, we strengthened our volunteer capacity by launching the Conservation Land Stewards and Citizen Science volunteer programs.

In an EALT first, we purchased a new conservation land, JBJ McDonald, with help of a generous donor in 2022. Located just 800 meters away from Lu Carbyn Nature Sanctuary, this property is an important addition to the connectivity of the region’s natural areas, as both conservation lands are next to  Lily Lake Natural Area.