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The Yarrow, Photo by MULTISAR

The Yarrow, Photo by MULTISAR

The Yarrow

The Yarrow (Photo by Brent Calver)

The Yarrow (Photo by Brent Calver)

Along the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Alberta is a special place where you can still encounter roaming grizzly bears and see waves of native grass ripple across the prairie. This area along the Waterton Park Front, where grasslands sweep out from pristine headwaters nestled in the Rocky Mountains, represents Canada’s remaining great plains.

The Yarrow is an extraordinary 1,650 hectares of dazzling natural beauty, and ecological and species diversity  it's a home for life. Traversed by Yarrow Creek and dotted with vibrant wetlands, this landscape boasts an incredible array of micro-habitat types, with 40 different plant communities represented across the property. Recognizing its unique significance, the Fischer-Cuthbertson family has worked closely with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to protect this precious landscape for the long term. 

Charlie Fischer (Photo by Fischer-Cuthbertson family)

Charlie Fischer (Photo by Fischer-Cuthbertson family)

“For our family, we feel we can honour Charlie’s vision for this beautiful location — a spectacular landscape which he loved and wished to conserve — by ensuring it will thrive for generations.”
Fischer-Cuthbertson Family 

What is at risk

The unique topography and flora of The Yarrow make it an ideal home for wildlife, with over 100 distinct wildlife species documented on the property, including 27 federally and provincially designated vulnerable species. An established great blue heron rookery overlooks the winding creek, sharp-tailed grouse dance on the prairie, and large, roaming species — like grizzly bear, cougar, wolf, moose and elk — all thrive in this incredible place. Conservation of this rich mixture of foothills parkland and fescue grassland — intersected by over three kilometres of Yarrow Creek — will support not only the species that live here, but the health and well-being of our headwaters, security of our food production and protection of nature’s beauty for generations.

Trumpeter swan (Photo by NCC)

Trumpeter swan (Photo by NCC)

Grizzly bear (Photo by Jenel Bode)

Grizzly bear (Photo by Jenel Bode)

Western (boreal) toad (Photo by NCC)

Western (boreal) toad (Photo by NCC)

Nature needs you

Throughout the last 30 years, NCC has protected over 13,000 hectares in the greater Waterton Park Front area. These conserved lands provide an important buffer for the neighbouring national and provincial parks and the species that depend on them. NCC’s conservation buffer provides wildlife with lowland habitat and improves their ability to move across the landscape. Your donation to conserve The Yarrow will directly build on these efforts, adding to the larger community of conservation in this highly threatened area.

“Working with Charlie Fischer and Joanne Cuthbertson to assemble The Yarrow property is one of the highlights of my 35 years with NCC. This generous opportunity ensures the permanent protection of a working landscape, outstanding not only for its natural beauty but also for the number of rare species it contains.”
Larry Simpson, Conservation & Strategic Philanthropy Advisor, NCC

A conservation legacy

Thanks to generous supporters like you, we have conserved The Yarrow for generations. Contact us today to learn more about this project or discover how your support can conserve more of Alberta's incredible places. 


Visit TheYarrow.ca to watch our campaign video and learn more about this project. 


Lynne Hately
Director of Development & Communications
Nature Conservancy of Canada - Alberta Region
(587) 227-4684
lynne.hately@natureconservancy.ca

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Funding provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada