About ALUS 

ALUS (originally an acronym for Alternative Land Use Services) is a charitable organization that sustains agriculture and biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations. ALUS provides direct financial and technical support to a network of more than a thousand farmers and ranchers who deliver ecosystem services in more than 30 communities across Canada, such as cleaner air, cleaner water, carbon sequestration, erosion control, flood mitigation, pollinator support and wildlife habitat. Learn more at ALUS.ca.

About ALUS Mississippi - Rideau

The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority and the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority are partnering to deliver the ALUS Mississippi-Rideau program (formerly ALUS Lanark), an agricultural stewardship program aimed at producing, enhancing, and maintaining ecosystem services on agricultural land. The new ALUS Mississippi-Rideau program will cover 8,500km² which encompasses 31 municipalities and is home to approximately 986,000 people. In this region, agriculture is the backbone of many local communities and farmers have been stewards of the land for generations. ALUS recognizes the value of their stewardship efforts and provides financial support to enable farmers to continue producing food and commercial goods while protecting and enhancing habitat, biodiversity and clean water.

ALUS Mississippi-Rideau is made possible with the financial support of ALUS Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

ALUS Mississippi-Rideau is a community-based and farmer-delivered program that provides expertise and financial support to farmers, as well as annual payments to ensure the ongoing stewardship of ecosystem services on their land.

The program supports the following types of projects on marginal, ecologically sensitive, or inaccessible land:

• Wetland creation, enhancement, or restoration
• Reforestation, windbreaks, shelterbelts, and buffers
• Grassland restoration
• Pollinator habitat and wildlife food plots
• Delayed cut and delayed grazing
• Erosion control and livestock exclusion
• Habitat structures
• Other ecologically beneficial projects

To be eligible:

• Projects must be within the Mississippi Valley watershed or the Rideau Valley watershed.
• Landowners must have a valid Farm Business Registration Number.
• Projects will not replace existing habitat with a new habitat type.
• Projects will not remove more than 20% of land from farming operation.

To get started, head to Rideau Valley Conservation Authority’s Rural Clean Water Application Page to access supporting application documents.

If you have any questions, you can contact ALUS Mississippi-Rideau Coordinators via the Rideau Valley Rural Clean Water Program at 613-692-3571 ext. 1136 or by email at rcwp@rvca.ca