What is Cows and Fish?
The Riparian Management Society, more commonly known as Cows and Fish, is a non-profit society striving to foster a better understanding of how improvements in grazing and other management of riparian areas can enhance landscape health and productivity, for the benefit of landowners, agricultural producers, communities and others who use and value riparian areas.
Our Approach
The Cows and Fish program is based on a set of five elements or phrases which collectively make up the “Cows and Fish Process.”
Awareness
Team Building
Tool Building
Community-Based Action
Monitor and Evaluate
Where Have We Been?
Since its creation in 1992, Cows and Fish has delivered presentations, field days and workshops to over 92,200 people across Alberta and Canada. We’ve also completed more than 2670 riparian health assessment sites in Alberta since 1996 on streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands. Click on the map to see and enlarged view showing where we have done riparian health work in Alberta.
Our Awards
“What an honour and a privilege to be recognized amongst a national suite of great conservation initiatives.”
– Lorne Fitch
The success of Cows and Fish stems from the voluntary nature of the initiative, which is largely propelled by ranchers, farmers, other landowners and local groups themselves. We speak directly to their needs and ways of life. The community and landowners are the driving force in making things happen.
Our programs and staff’s commitment to hard work, honesty, integrity and ongoing evaluation paired with our dedication to promoting understanding and expertise in riparian areas and their management has led us to receive the awards below. We are proud to be able to promote a proactive, voluntary and community driven approach to riparian management with the support of our members, supporters, donors, and the landowners and community groups that make it happen on the ground.
