Mrs. Hallen on right.
Stoney Creek has seen many changes over the years. The most recent of these changes will provide long lasting benefits for the Hallen Family Farm, for Stoney Creek and for future generations who will live here.
Dick and Marian Hallen decided to protect the habitat on their family farm by entering into a Conservation Agreement (CA).
We’ve watched as trees along the creek have been ploughed under upstream, they commented. Wanting to ensure the creek remains permanently protected long after they are gone, they decided to act now.
“It gives an added degree of protection,” said Dick, a retired mixed-farmer who has always practiced good stewardship on his farm. “We want to keep it (the habitat) permanently.”
“This is good for the creek, it’s good for the environment and it’s good for the next generation,” he added.
Conservation Agreements are a type of easement where the landowner receives a financial incentive to commit to long-term habitat protection. However, the landowner still owns and controls access to all the property. While the habitat is permanently protected, the rest of the farm is used as it was prior to signing the agreement.
“This is the first partnership CA we have done with the Whitemud Watershed Conservation District (WWCD),” said Gerald Forsyth, the MHHC habitat conservation specialist in Minnedosa. The two agencies work cooperatively with landowners wanting to protect habitat on their land within the Conservation District.
Several years ago the Whitemud Watershed Conservation District board identified a need to protect certain riparian areas in the District, according to Wes Pankratz, manager of the WWCD. All eight sub-districts passed a resolution to start a Riparian Conservation Agreement reserve fund to be used in partnership with MHHC’s CA program.
“The fund is used to make the landowner payment, with MHHC holding the conservation interest,” Pankratz said. “The Hallen project is the first partnership riparian CA where the Whitemud Watershed Conservation District accessed the fund to pay for the riparian conservation interest.”
Dick Hallen’s parents moved to this Stoney Creek farm, west of Neepawa, in 1937 when Dick was ten years old. He took over the operation in 1948 and, together, Dick and Marian have raised their family of two daughters here.
Protecting the riparian habitat is good for future generations, Marian explains. During her many decades spent living here she has witnessed considerable clearing adjacent to the creek. The Hallens want to ensure the same thing does not happen on their farm. While they hoped the farm will remain in the family, they want to ensure the riparian habitat remains regardless of who owns the place.
About six years ago, the Hallens took part in a riparian fencing program that allowed them to install fences on both sides of the creek. This allows them to manage their cattle’s access to the creek.
Today the creek bank is lush and in a very healthy state. A recent biological survey showed that a wide variety of songbirds freely move along the river corridor.
“We see songbirds and lots of woodpeckers,” Marian said. “We see lots of deer and raccoons.”
“A horned owl nested here this year,” added Dick. He also mentioned that a family of foxes has a den on the area now protected by the CA.
