LONGUEUIL, QC, Aug. 10, 2016 /CNW Telbec/ - ALUS Canada and the Fédération de l'UPA de Montérégie launched the first-ever ALUS program in Québec today.
A provincial press conference at the UPA Headquarters in Longueuil was followed by a local press conference on a farm south of Montreal, complete with a guided tour of one of the first ALUS projects in Quebec.
"We're launching an exciting new era today," said Bryan Gilvesy, Executive Director of ALUS Canada, a national not-for profit organization that has already invested nearly $2.8M in farm communities nationwide, with nearly 18,200 ALUS acres established in six provinces.
The new ALUS Montérégie program aims to help Quebec's farmers produce clean air, clean water, more biodiversity and other ecological services, for the benefit of all.
"The UPA is working closely with ALUS Canada to make this new program a success in our region," said Christian Saint Jacques, President of the Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie and of the ALUS-Montérégie Partnership Advisory Committee.
"The UPA has always recognized the importance of ecological services, and now this partnership with ALUS Canada will allow us to act on it. ALUS provides the mechanism to put projects on the ground, and the funding to make annual payments to our participants, including our host Mr. Jules Malouin."
In its initial year, ALUS is developing six hectares of pollinator and wildlife habitat. In addition to producing habitat for native pollinators, these ALUS projects also address one of the most serious environmental issues in the region by helping to improve water quality.
Malouin's ALUS project is a perfect example. It not only sustains pollinators, but also serves to stabilize the riverbank, reduce erosion and provide cooling shade over the river, thus improving water quality for the Copper Redhorse, an endangered fish species.
For its debut in Quebec, the ALUS Montérégie program is focused on a 420-square kilometre area comprised of two watersheds, that of the rivière des Hurons, and that of the ruisseaux Hazen-Bleury et à la Barbotte.
SOURCE ALUS Canada
Image with caption: "ALUS Launches in Quebec (CNW Group/ALUS Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160810_C5158_PHOTO_EN_751219.jpg
Interviews, photos and info: Bridget Wayland, ALUS Canada Director of Communications, Tel: 450-298-1003, Cell/text: 514-770-3001, [email protected], ALUS.ca - new website preview now live!; Chantal Legault, Conseillère en communications, Fédération de l'UPA de la Montérégie : T : 450 454-5115, poste 6233, C : 514 210-5968, [email protected], upamonteregie.ca, #alusqc
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