Overview
We are gathering input from targeted stakeholders and Indigenous communities and organizations on a draft Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan and from Albertans on an amendment to the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan to support implementation of the OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland Management Plan.
The draft Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan aims to protect and conserve the native rough fescue grassland and species at risk, while supporting existing grazing practices and Indigenous traditional uses.
The Pekisko Heritage Rangeland plan area is located between the OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland to the north and the Black Creek Heritage Rangeland to the south, and east of the Cataract Creek Snow Vehicle Public Land Use Zone.
Get informed
The Pekisko Heritage Rangeland boundary contains only Crown lands managed under long-term grazing leases.
The area also contains some privately owned parcels, some of which are protected by conservation easements. Private lands in the area are excluded from the Pekisko Heritage Rangeland.
Learn more about the draft Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan:
- Draft Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan
- Heritage Rangeland Management Plans fact sheet
- Pekisko heritage rangeland boundary map
- Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan engagement fact sheet
- Alberta Land Stewardship Act
Get involved
Written feedback
We are proposing a minor amendment to the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan Note A, p 209. The section would be updated with language enabling forest harvesting that manages forest encroachment for range health.
Email your feedback on this targeted amendment to us at [email protected] by November 17, 2026.
Stakeholder engagement
Information session
We will work directly with statutory consent holders (including grazing leaseholders and other disposition holders), embedded deeded private landowners and local municipalities in the Pekisko area. Stakeholders will be invited to attend an information session (dates to be determined).
Online survey
Stakeholders will be invited to provide feedback through a survey by November 17, 2026.
Indigenous engagement
Indigenous communities and organizations in the Pekisko area can request one-on-one meetings and/or provide written submissions.
How we got here
In 2014, the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan identified several parcels of Pekisko Crown lands for designation as a heritage rangeland. A committee was formed in 2015 to begin developing a draft management plan.
The current draft plan builds on that earlier work and incorporates updated policy direction. This engagement confirms whether the initial management intent remains applicable and gathers further input before finalizing the plan.
Completing the Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan supports Alberta’s accelerated land use planning approach, as outlined in the 2025 mandate letter to the Minister of Environment and Protected Areas. The South Saskatchewan Regional Plan establishes the legal direction to create the Pekisko heritage rangeland, which would be Alberta’s third one, and the need for a management plan. The Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangeland (WAERNAHR) Act designates the area as a heritage rangeland and provides the information on the allowable activities within a heritage rangeland.
Outcomes
Feedback will be used to help inform, refine and finalize the Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan. Proposed changes will be considered to ensure alignment with government mandates, policies, and technical and legal requirements.
A decision on the final plan will be made by government in winter 2026-27.
If approved, the area will require formal designation as a heritage rangeland under the Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves, Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands Act. Stakeholders and Indigenous communities and organizations will be notified of the land designation change and when the final plan is published.
Contact
Connect with us about the Pekisko Heritage Rangeland Management Plan engagement:
Email: [email protected]