Cows and Fish (Riparian Management Society)

What Cows and Fish (Riparian Management Society) does

Cows and Fish, legally the Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society and operating under the Riparian Management Society brand, is an Alberta-based non-profit society registered in 2004 and originating from a 1992 initiative co-founded by Alberta Beef Producers and Trout Unlimited Canada (now Freshwater Conservation Canada). Its mission is to promote the conservation and beneficial management of riparian areas — the vegetated zones along waterways — through education, assessment, and stewardship programming aimed at agricultural producers, landowners, watershed groups, municipalities, youth, and government agencies across Alberta.

The organization's core technical product is its proprietary Riparian Health Assessment and Inventory methodology, a visual, field-based evaluation framework developed over more than three decades and delivered by a distributed team of riparian specialists. Programming includes the long-running Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women, formal partnerships with ALUS Canada and Red Deer County, the From Street to Stream urban stormwater initiative, and youth education reaching approximately 500 children annually. Delivery is supported through a provincial office network spanning Lethbridge (headquarters), Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Airdrie.

The business model is that of a registered charity / non-profit society rather than a commercial enterprise. Revenue is generated through a mix of project-based government and foundation grants (including from Alberta Environment and Protected Areas), individual and corporate donations and memberships, and at-cost educational materials and workshop fees. There are no equity funding rounds, and the organization reinvests operating surpluses into programming rather than distributing returns to owners or shareholders.

Name

Cows and Fish (Riparian Management Society)

Legal name

Alberta Riparian Habitat Management Society

Website

https://cowsandfish.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cows and Fish is an Alberta non-profit society that delivers riparian health assessments, education, and stewardship programming to agricultural producers, landowners, municipalities, youth, and government agencies across the province, using a proprietary field-based assessment methodology and a distributed regional staff model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Beef Cattle Ranching and Farming, including Feedlots (11211)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Beef Cattle Production Support Services (Fencing, Water Systems, Range Improvement) (AFAEABAM)

Keywords

• Riparian management
• Watershed stewardship
• Environmental education
• Grazing management
• Habitat conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Lethbridge

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: Cows and Fish is a registered non-governmental organization (NGO), registered society since 2004, relying on donations and membership support. Tax receipts are issued for donations above $20.
2. Educational Materials Sales: Publications are provided at cost (printing cost only, no handling or profit margin). Free orders are shipped to support their educational mission. Materials are funded by funders and available at minimal cost.
3. Project-Based Funding: Funding from government bodies (Alberta Environment and Parks, Alberta Environment and Protected Areas), foundations (Alberta Real Estate Foundation, The Calgary Foundation, RBC's Bluewater Fund), and conservation organizations supports specific projects and initiatives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Cows and Fish is a non-profit society that delivers riparian area education, assessment, and stewardship programming across Alberta. The organization works with agricultural producers, landowners, Indigenous communities, youth, and government agencies to assess riparian health, host workshops and field days, and provide practical grazing and land management guidance to support healthy watersheds and sustainable ranching.

Product overview

Cows and Fish (Riparian Management Society) is a non-governmental organization registered as a society since 2004, focused on riparian education and stewardship in Alberta. The organization offers a portfolio of educational products and services rather than a unified software platform. Core offerings include publications such as 'Caring for the Green Zone' and 'Riparian Areas: A User's Guide to Health', along with Riparian Health Assessment Field Workbooks and Forms that help landowners evaluate riparian condition. The organization provides digital educational content including Digital Stories, Podcasts, and Webinars covering riparian management topics. Educational programs include Workshops and Training sessions, the Southern Alberta Grazing School for Women, and youth programs like the 'Cows, Fish, Cattledogs and Kids!' game show. Additional resources include Technical Reports, Fact Sheets, a Photo Gallery, and collaborative initiatives like the From Street to Stream program. Publications are distributed free or at cost (printing cost only) through an online ordering system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Riparian Health Assessments

Quantifiable outcome

• Riparian health improvements documented at ALUS projects across Central Alberta with 150+ producers participating
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alberta Beef ProducerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Founding partner of Cows and Fish. Represents the cattle production community and emphasizes the organization's mission to demonstrate that cattle and fish can coexist with appropriate riparian management.
• Freshwater Conservation Canada (formerly Trout Unlimited Canada)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Founding partner representing freshwater conservation. The name 'Cows and Fish' reflects this dual-origin partnership bridging agricultural producers and conservation advocates.
• ALIDP (Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on the From Street to Stream Initiative, developing tools and outreach for low impact development connecting urban riparian and upland areas. Partners on workshops from Lethbridge to Edmonton.
• Alberta Native Trout CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember organization working to advance native trout recovery in Alberta via habitat restoration, restoration stocking, land use planning, watershed and fish population assessments, and public education.
• Southern Alberta Land Trust Society (SALTS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on Ranching in Alberta's Headwaters project, re-assessing riparian sites along two streams in the Bow River watershed where ranching is the dominant land use.
• StoryCenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational digital storytelling organization that has helped Cows and Fish enhance its storytelling skills and engage audiences with meaningful messages about riparian stewardship.
• ALUS (Alternate Land Use Services) – Red Deer CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALUS farmers and ranchers are having a measurable impact on riparian health. Cows and Fish collaborates on measuring riparian health improvements at ALUS projects, with Red Deer County having 150+ producer participants.
• Miistakis InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on 'Working with Beavers' project producing fact sheets on beaver coexistence tools, materials and suppliers, cost-benefit analysis, and the relationship between beavers and fish.
• Bow River Basin CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWatershed planning and advisory council. Cows and Fish staff featured in Bow River Basin Council publications including State of the Bow River Watershed Report (2025) and Preserving our Lifeline newsletter.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ALUS (Alternative Land Use Services) Canada: A national charitable organization that works with farmers and ranchers to deliver ecosystem services on agricultural land. Direct comparable: ALUS partners with Cows and Fish (Red Deer County has 150+ producers) and shares the same producer-facing, voluntary-stewardship model.
• Miistakis Institute: A Canadian conservation research and outreach institute based in the Rockies. Direct comparable: collaborates with Cows and Fish on the 'Working with Beavers' project and shares a focus on riparian/watershed science and producer engagement in Alberta.
• Trout Unlimited Canada (Freshwater Conservation Canada): Co-founding partner of Cows and Fish. Operates as the freshwater-conservation counterpart and shares the dual ag-conservation mandate; directly comparable as a Canadian riparian/freshwater NGO with a producer-engagement model.
• Alberta Low Impact Development Partnership (ALIDP): Partner organization on the From Street to Stream Initiative. Comparable as a collaborative Canadian NGO focused on watershed/land-use education, but with a specifically urban/low-impact-development focus rather than agricultural riparian management.
• Southern Alberta Land Trust Society (SALTS): A regional land trust working with ranchers in southern Alberta on conservation easements. Partnered with Cows and Fish on the Ranching in Alberta's Headwaters project; comparable as a regional NGO bridging agricultural land use and conservation outcomes.

Others

• Alberta Beef Producers: Co-founding partner of Cows and Fish representing the cattle production community. Not a direct competitor, but a closely aligned industry association whose mandate (cattle producer interests) overlaps the producer-side audience Cows and Fish serves.

Emerging players

• Canadian Forage & Grassland Association: National association focused on forage and grassland management for Canadian producers. Comparable overlap on range management and grazing best practices for beef producers, but operating nationally rather than at the riparian-habitat intersection.

Broad incumbents

• Nature Conservancy of Canada: Canada's largest land conservation NGO, with significant programs in Alberta. Comparable as a conservation NGO working with private landowners on stewardship outcomes, but at national scale and with broader biodiversity scope.
• Ducks Unlimited Canada: Canada's largest habitat conservation NGO, focused on wetlands and waterfowl. Comparable as a conservation NGO working with agricultural producers on habitat outcomes, but at significantly larger national scale and broader mandate.

Regional players

• Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (Alberta): Alberta government-established councils (10+) for watershed-scale planning. Not a competing NGO but a direct ecosystem partner and funder channel that Cows and Fish collaborates with across multiple watersheds (Bow, Oldman, Battle River, etc.).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GrazingSchools4Women
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cows-and-fish

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cows and Fish (Riparian Management Society)