A Canadian ranch family’s two-decade effort to protect native prairie now covers more than 55,000 acres; auditors have verified its first grassland carbon-credit issuance under a national protocol

More than 55,000 acres of native prairie in Cardston County, Alberta, have become the first property to complete carbon credit verification under the Climate Action Reserve Canada Grassland Protocol. The milestone was announced on November 6, 2026, by environmental auditing company SCS Global Services and non-profit project developer The Climate Trust. It marks the official verification of carbon offset credits earned through the McIntyre Ranch grassland project. The property is owned by McIntyre Ranching Co. Ltd. and managed by the Thrall family. It is also one of the largest remaining areas of continuous, untouched native grassland in North America. The landowners have placed a permanent conservation easement across the property. This legal agreement prevents the land from being turned into cropland, plowed or disturbed in ways that damage the soil. These protections help keep stored carbon in the ground while protecting the area’s natural plants and wildlife.

Decades of negotiations culminate in conservation deal

The project’s registration under the Climate Action Reserve framework follows more than twenty years of discussions involving landowners, conservation groups and financial partners. To put permanent protections in place and qualify for the carbon market, the Thrall family worked with two major conservation organisations, Nature Conservancy Canada and Ducks Unlimited Canada. Together, the groups created what is now the largest agricultural conservation agreement in Canadian history. The agreement ensures that future generations cannot plow or convert the native grassland into farmland. In return for protecting the land, the project can generate carbon offset credits. These credits represent the greenhouse gas emissions that are avoided by keeping the soil intact instead of converting it to regular farmland. The Thrall family spoke about the history and environmental importance of the property. They said protecting its natural condition was important for preserving the landscape and wildlife. “The McIntyre Ranch is one of the most rare and significant grassland ecosystems in North America given its size and largely unchanged condition. Its diverse native plant communities, healthy wildlife populations, and natural processes still mirror historic grassland dynamics,” said the Thralls. “It is an honor for our family to help protect this land.”

Third-party auditing confirms carbon integrity

To make sure the carbon credits sold in international markets are valid, SCS Global Services carried out a detailed technical review of the McIntyre Ranch project under the Canadian grassland rules. The audit team was led by lead auditor Carolin Judd, with Saroop Sandhu serving as technical reviewer. They examined past land use records, models showing the risk of farming in the area, and soil management practices. Their review was designed to confirm that the project met all required standards. Heather Rosa, Director of Carbon Offset Verification at SCS Global Services, said checking natural climate projects is important for building trust in the carbon market. “Grassland conservation is one of several underutilized approaches with high potential to deliver climate change mitigation benefits. As the project developer, TCT’s thoughtful and close partnership with the landowners involved with the McIntyre project allowed for a smooth and efficient assessment process,” said Rosa. “We were delighted to lead the verification of the first project under CAR’s Canada Grassland Protocol to ensure the credits are of high integrity. This is a milestone worth celebrating, one that we hope opens the door to scaled investment in grassland protection across North America.” The project was measured against a baseline showing how much soil carbon would normally be lost through farming if the ranch were converted into land for annual crops. By legally preventing this change, the project helps protect large amounts of carbon stored deep in the soil through prairie root systems.

Expanding nature-based carbon markets across North America

The successful verification of carbon credits from McIntyre Ranch adds to the growing number of nature-based carbon projects managed by The Climate Trust across North America. With the addition of the 55,000-acre Alberta property, the organisation’s grassland conservation portfolio now covers more than 250,000 acres of permanently protected grazing land across 15 separate projects. Since it was founded in 1997, the non-profit has also developed more than 30 nature-based carbon projects. These include reforestation, improved forest management and grassland protection initiatives. Travis Croft, Program Manager at The Climate Trust, spoke about the growing threat to native grasslands and their importance in protecting the environment. “Large expanses of in-tact grassland like this are increasingly hard to find in the Great Plains, yet they represent one of our most important – and most at risk – natural carbon sinks. TCT is thrilled to add this project to our grasslands conservation program to support lasting soil carbon storage and biodiversity benefits,” said Croft. As more companies look for verified carbon credits to help meet their climate targets, project developers hope the McIntyre Ranch verification will become a model for other large agricultural landowners in Western Canada and the United States.