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Agricultural leaseholders must allow access as long as it poses no harm to the land or to their investment in crops, livestock and property.
Recreational users must contact the leaseholder prior to entering a farm development lease or grazing lease. This conversation also provides an opportunity to discuss important information like sensitive areas and notable hazards.
Recreational users are required to give the leaseholder the following information:
The recreational user must always:
Learn more about recreational user responsibilities for access to agricultural crown land.
Leaseholders must allow reasonable access to the land for recreation. The Recreational Access Regulation addresses what reasonable access is by giving the leaseholder the ability to deny access when:
The Department of Environment and Parks may also add conditions or restrictions on recreational use. For example, the department may work with the leaseholder to make a detailed recreational management plan or user limits. If you would like to discuss department conditions, please contact your local agrologist.
The leaseholder can't limit the number of people who come on the land, but they can discuss the concern with the Local Settlement Officer. A recreational management plan or user limits can be put in place.
Both completed recreational management plans and user limits set by a Local Settlement Officer will be included with the contact information on the Recreational Access Mapping Tool. Contact the rangeland agrologist at your local Environment and Parks Lands office. To locate a Lands Office near you, see Land Management – Contacts.
Leaseholders may add conditions, such as specific times when they might allow motorized vehicle access or when to contact them. Alternatively, leaseholders can specify that they do not want to be contacted prior to a visit.
If leaseholders desire to place other conditions on access, department staff will review these conditions to ensure consistency with what is allowed under the legislation.
The focus will be on providing information to leaseholders and recreational users to encourage respect and co-operation. Recreational users who contravene the legislation can receive a ticket for up to $500. Leaseholders who contravene provisions of the Recreational Access Regulation may not receive extended tenure and repeated issues could result in lease cancellation.
To ensure recreational users are able to contact leaseholders before they access the land, the leaseholder must provide the department with the name of a contact person, including a telephone number or email address. It is the leaseholder’s responsibility to provide up to date contact information, if they do not, the department will apply a “No contact required” condition.
The department will place this information on the Recreational Access Mapping Tool.
To change contact information, the leaseholder can log in to the Rangeland Stewardship Audit Program (RSAP) online system using your Government of Alberta Extern user account. If you do not have a Government of Alberta Extern account, you can register for one, or you can contact your local agrologist.
Blank forms are also available at local Lands offices.
Leaseholders can choose not to put their contact information on the website.
However, providing the information has important benefits to leaseholders. Doing so helps ensure the leaseholder is contacted before a recreational user comes on the land.
Leaseholders can specify times, for example evenings only, as long as recreational users have a reasonable chance to reach the leaseholder.
Recreational users should plan a trip well in advance and expect that it could take a few days for the leaseholder to respond to the inquiry. However, recreational users should hear something within a week of their first call.
If the recreational user becomes injured while on the lease, the leaseholder’s liability is reduced unless the courts find the leaseholder intentionally or negligently tried to insure the user. Recreational users are responsible for their own personal safety.
As a courtesy, the leaseholder should identify anything unusual that may have done to the lease. For example, the leaseholder may want to notify users of any non-standard fences that may be on the property.
It is generally recommended that agricultural producers carry liability insurance whether it is private or Crown land.
We encourage both leaseholders and recreational users to show respect for each other and the land. If there is a disagreement between the leaseholder and the recreational user, either party may contact the rangeland agrologist at the local Lands office.
The agrologist will then discuss the concern with both the leaseholder and the recreational user to find a solution. Often this type of communication and/or mediation can resolve any issues. If an informal resolution cannot be reached, a formal dispute resolution process is available to both parties through a local settlement officer. To find your local agrologist, see Land Management – Contacts.
If you have questions about getting access to agricultural Crown land for recreation activities, contact 310-LAND (5263).
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