The Alberta Emerald Foundation showcases those who are working at the top of their game to address environmental challenges. In June 2026, the 35th Annual Emerald Awards recognized another round of ex...

The Oldman watershed is a big place, and our staff of 11 work hard to have the biggest positive effect on as many places as possible. We sometimes focus our work on specific areas, begging the questio...

Please welcome our new Development Manager, Angela!

YouTube video by CBC News Alberta

Come learn about our bumble bees, pollinator gardens, and native plants.

Come learn about our bumble bees, pollinator gardens, and native plants.

Come learn about our SAR bumble bees (gypsy cuckoo, suckley’s cuckoo, western and yellow banded), pollinator gardens, and native plants.

What is nature worth? It’s a question that’s impossible to answer. But we can put a price tag on the services provided by nature (think things like filtering water, reducing the effects of floods and ...

Alberta’s government is strengthening its defences against aquatic invasive species to protect lakes, rivers and critical water infrastructure.

Within a context of moderate political polarization and an increase of fake information online, the OWC bridges divides to bring people with many different perspectives together and build cooperative ...

Please welcome our new Watershed Stewardship Assistant, Elijah!

7PM SHOW SOLD OUT! Click here for the 1pm show.

Do bumble bees make honey? Do they die after stinging? What’s the difference between honey bees and bumble bees, anyway? Get the answers in this blog.

3 days of inspiring presentations and networking with Blackfoot environmental leaders about Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) Cultural Keystone Species

Like a river with many tributaries that join to form a larger body of water, the OWC is made up of many pieces. Maybe you’ve seen OWC planting willows or taking water samples from a creek, or spoken t...

Watershed Stewardship Assistant Rachel says goodbye for now to OWC. Check out a photo reflection of her restoration, monitoring, and education work across the watershed.

A hands-on introduction to bumble bee identification

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A hands-on introduction to bumble bee identification

Join our webinar on water risk management in western Canadian farming, with speakers Mathieu Lipari (Farm Management Canada) & David Sauchyn (University of…

If you have been following the work of the OWC, you may have noticed that we invest significant time and effort in restoring Alberta’s landscapes with our many partners—planting willows on streambanks to reduce erosion, building beaver dam analogues, installing wattle fencing, removing invasive plan

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Dr. Christy Goldhawk, general manager of the Waldron Grazing Co-operative, shares how this unique collective approaches shared land and water stewardship.

If you have been following the work of the OWC, you may have noticed that we invest significant time and effort in restoring Alberta’s landscapes with our many partners—planting willows on streambanks...

Alvin First Rider is the Environmental Manager with Blood Tribe Land Management. In this blog, he shares his experience working in land stewardship, and his knowledge of the role that fire plays, and ...

Healthy grasslands, wetlands, and shorelines are critical to maintain water security and a resilient watershed that is able to withstand floods and droughts. The OWC implements natural infrastructure ...

Watershed Stewardship Assistant Chantel Youmans reflects on the experience of learning from Api’soomaahka, and the prairie itself, on ecology and the deep significance of prairie plants in Niitsitapi ...

A hands-on introduction to bumble bee identification

A hands-on introduction to bumble bee identification

The Oldman Watershed Council (OWC) has received many requests for information about coal mining. In this FAQ blog, we answer the most common questions and provide links for readers seeking additional ...

YouTube video by Oldman Watershed Council

It’s a beautiful, windy day on the range, where I’m about to receive a thorough sermon on beaver ecology and coexistence from southern Alberta’s resident ‘beaver guy,’ Kirby England.

OWC is committed to ecological restoration work in this and every other version of reality. What do we mean by that? No, we’re not talking about Matrix 5: Neo’s Creek (fun as that would be); we’re t...

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Here in Alberta, our grasslands are the result of many thousands of years of shaping and influence, from both geologic processes and the animals that came before us. Today, every field I pass is a rem...

Want to invite County staff to your event or group? You can do that.Decide what you'd like to learn about:All things agriculture E.g., innovation, EFPs, shelterbelts, local plant life and crittersMatt...

Fourth-generation rancher Sarah Green shares how water development, riparian restoration, and a commitment to learning are shaping a resilient future for Mt. Sentinel Ranch and the Oldman watershed.

On Oct. 30, 2025, the Alberta legislature introduced Bill 7: Water Amendment Act, which would make several changes to the Water Act around water use reporting, transferring licenses, moving water betw...

With fall in full swing around us and winter starting to nip at its heels, it’s once again time to take a look at how the Oldman watershed fared over the summer, and what we might expect in the upcomi...

Gain hands-on skills in restoration, pollinator science, Indigenous knowledge, and agriculture in this full-day outdoor workshop.

Crouching in the soft mud along the Belly River after a morning of planting trees, I asked, “Why are willows important?” To answer, Ninna Piiksii taught us about ways Blackfoot people use willows, how...

Gain hands-on skills in restoration, pollinator science, Indigenous knowledge, and agriculture in this full-day outdoor workshop.

Gain hands-on skills in restoration, pollinator science, Indigenous knowledge, and agriculture in this full-day outdoor workshop.

Gain hands-on skills in restoration, pollinator science, Indigenous knowledge, and agriculture in a full-day watershed experience.

Gain hands-on skills in restoration, pollinator science, Indigenous knowledge, and agriculture in a full-day watershed experience.