Grassland Restoration Forum

Monitoring Frame

How to Use the Range Plant Community Guides and Recovery Strategies Manuals for Project and Reclamation Planning in Grasslands

An understanding of the concepts of range ecology is an important skill for designing effective
conservation and reclamation of native grasslands. This one day, class-based course presents the theory
behind the Range Plant Community Guide manuals and guided practice using them. It will provide
context to apply the results of data collected during pre-disturbance site assessment, to development of a recovery strategy for impacts to native grasslands for development and reclamation planning.

Learning Objectives
  • Gain a basic understanding of the ecosystem classification concepts for the Grassland and Parkland
    Range Plant Community Guides.
  •  Learn how to navigate through the guides to link site conditions, soils and determine plant communities.
    Participants will practice on data sets for each of the two classification systems.
  •  Overview of disturbance risk assessments and strategic siting for grassland plant communities
  • Work through the development of appropriate mitigation and restoration strategies, linked to types of
    disturbance, for each plant community discussed.
Target Audience


Designed for planners, reclamation practitioners, agrologists, ecologists, land stewards, regulators, students, and
anyone interested in learning more about native grassland classification, strategic siting of potential disturbances,
and recovery strategies planning.

Registration is $250.00 per person.

Register online via Paypal or contact Donna Watt at:
[email protected] or (403) 563-8925, for student rates, etc.

There is a $50 administration fee for
registration cancellations up to 48 hours in advance of an event.

Sorry, no cancellations after that. Please bring your own lunch. Lunch will not be provided, and the site is out of town.


Course Materials

“Recovery Strategies for Industrial Development in Native Grassland for the Foothills Fescue,
Foothills Parkland and Montane Natural Subregions”.

“Range Plant Communities and Range Health Assessment Guidelines for the Dry Mixedgrass Natural
Subregion of Alberta”

“Range Plant Communities and Range Health Assessment Guidelines for the Foothills Parkland
Natural Subregion of Alberta”


Available on this website. 

Please note: the workshop is full. The next offering will be September 13th near Brooks, Alberta.

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Event Cancellation

How to Use the Range Plant Community Guides and Recovery Strategies

Unfortunately with a number of late cancellations for the Range Plant Community Guides & Recovery Strategies Workshop scheduled for September 13th, 2023 we’ve had to make the tough decision to cancel the workshop for this fall due to insufficient registrations for a cost recovery event.  We will be offering the same workshop in conjunction with the CLRA Conference in March 2024.  The GRF Mailing list will receive notice/announcements about the event as details become available.

We are still proceeding as planned with the Grassland Assessment Classroom & Hands on Field Training on September 14th at the Cassils Hall/Antelope Creek Ranch.

Apologies for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.