10 Year Golden Ranches
A Decade’s Worth of Accomplishments
► by Nikita Case
Twenty-twenty will go down as a landmark year for many reasons. One of them is the 10th anniversary of the extraordinary Golden Ranches Conservation Site. Ten years of transformation. Ten years of teamwork. And 10 years of conservation triumph. This is a story of hope, and it began, like most stories of hope, with the vision.
Strathcona County councillor and Beaver Hills Biosphere Reserve Association board member Glen Lawrence grew up in the Beaver Hills region, right next to Golden Ranches. He was friends with the owner, George Golden, fondly saying he was the “Big dawg of the family. He started the whole thing.” The ranch began in the 1950s when pieces of land were bought and sold until the land was located in one spot and became
known as Golden Ranches. The Goldens were avid rodeo people who participated in roping and quarter horse show competitions with their beloved Freddie, the first Canadian horse to make the World Top Ten. They lived by the motto, “You’re not a cowboy or cowgirl until you fall off a runaway.”
The owner’s original dream was a working ranch, similar to a heritage ranch. However, multiple parcels of the land were under different titles and companies George was involved in, making the process difficult. “That’s how I got involved with him as a councillor,” remarks Lawrence. “As the county councillor, and knowing the area and the family, we started to pull all that together.” Unfortunately, George passed away before this could happen.
photo: Edmonton and Area Land Trust
52
photo: Nature Conservancy of Canada, Jaimee Dupont
CONSERVATION MAGAZINE
FALL WINTER 2020
