WESTLOCK - Paul Parrent, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 69, was a proud Clyde-area farmer who “loved his land” and the wildlife who called it home.
His family, who continue to live and farm in the area, recalled that he planted trees whenever he could, never allowed any hunting on his property and always waited for nesting birds to leave before cutting hay. He was, by all accounts, a man who cherished his family and the land they’ve been on for more than a century.
So it’s apt that Paul’s legacy will live on following a 279-acre land donation from the Parrent family on his behalf to Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), a project also made possible by donations from MapleCross, the Edmonton Community Foundation and the Dr. Rene and Mrs. Carol Weber Foundation.
Dubbed South Wakomao Shores, the 113-hectare conservation site is located on the south end of Wakomao Lake, a shallow lake measuring about four kilometres long and one kilometre wide. The property, located 37 kilometres due east from Westlock on Highway 18, features marshy lake shoreline habitat, as well as a patchwork of forests, shrublands and wetlands.
The NCC release calls the site “striking” with a varied landscape that supports “a rich diversity of wildlife” representative of Alberta’s boreal forests, while the wetlands and shoreline provide excellent breeding and stopover habitat for migratory birds, including waterfowl, raptors and songbirds — osprey, bald eagles (listed as sensitive in Alberta) and common loons have all been recorded at the lake. Several species of mammal also thrive in the area, including mule deer, moose, elk, black bear and American badger, also a sensitive species in Alberta — the NCC says a formal species survey at the site is slated to start in 2023.
“Nature Conservancy of Canada’s work would not be possible without the vision of passionate land stewards such as Paul Parrent. This new conservation site expands protected lands in the southern boreal forest of Alberta, a region where pressures on natural ecosystems are growing,” said Tom Lynch-Staunton, NCC regional vice-president.
Norman Parrent called his brother a “mild-mannered and humble man” who was dedicated to their family and looked after their mother well into her 90s on the family-farm site until she passed in 2017 — their father, Laurier, passed away in 1966. Along with Paul and Norman, the family includes brothers Maurice and Lou and their sister Lorraine.
Lou, who said they will eventually put up a monument at the site, recalled that Paul was not only a successful farmer, but a kind-hearted soul who “would have given his shirt off his back to anyone.”
“That land in a way kind of represented him. He always enjoyed it for what it was and rather than us selling it on the market and leaving the potential for it to be developed, we felt it would be nicer for it to end up with the conservancy and have it left as it always been — natural and in his memory,” said Norman, who was a year younger than Paul.
“It will be a legacy to the nieces and the nephews and the next generations as to the kindness and contributions he made not only to our family but the community at large.”
Norman said the Wakomao area has always held a special place in their hearts as the family started homesteading there in 1906 and in the 1940s, their grandfather donated land around the lake to the Knights of Columbus for them to build a camp, a site that still stands to this day.
“That was a donation from our grandfather, so it’s in the tradition of making sure the land that is adjacent to the lake remains for the use of everyone and stays natural,” said Norman.
A “spectacular place” that needed to be conserved
NCC natural area manager Delaney Schlemko said when she first visited the site she was in “awe of all the wetlands, forests and marshy shoreline habitats.” The NCC says they’re working hard to preserve natural landscapes within Alberta’s aspen parkland and boreal fringe — this area, where aspen parkland to the south transitions to boreal forest to the north, supports significant biodiversity despite having experienced extensive land conversion and other human impacts.
“We even encountered a cow moose with her twins. After that visit, I knew this spectacular place needed to be conserved, to continue the lasting stewardship Paul Parrent fostered for so many years, and to ensure it will remain home for many incredible wildlife species,” said Schlemko.
In the past two years alone, NCC has “influenced the protection” of more than one million hectares coast-to-coast and claims that over the next few years it will double its impact. NCC has also conserved four other properties within a 33-kilometre radius of the lake, totalling 437 hectares of boreal forest habitat. The NCC release also notes a portion of the South Wakomao Shores project was donated under the Government of Canada’s Ecological Gifts Program which provides enhanced tax incentives for individuals, or corporations, who donate ecologically significant land.
“The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are two sides of the same coin, and we must tackle them together. By working with partners such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada and thanks to the generosity of landowners, we are helping to protect the natural environment in Alberta and across the country,” said federal environment and climate change minister Steven Guilbeault, in a release.
“Protecting lands plays a vital role in helping to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, and contributes to the recovery of species at risk. Through programs like the Ecological Gifts Program, the Government of Canada is making progress toward its goal of conserving a quarter of lands and oceans in Canada by 2025, working towards 30 per cent of each by 2030.”
Dr. Isobel Ralston and Dr. Jan Oudenes, on behalf of MapleCross, said they were “pleased to provide stewardship support to NCC to help protect the ecologically sensitive South Wakomao Shores property.” Established by the pair, Maplecross invests in and protects ecologically sensitive land to preserve natural features and biological diversity and has made major contributions to conserve land across Canada.
“We continue to respect the excellent work of NCC while recognizing the generous donation of land by the Parrent Family. During our university time in Edmonton, we gained an appreciation of Alberta’s unique natural environment and are now delighted to bring ‘home’ a contribution toward the preservation of this significant shoreline habitat.”
