Historic ranch for sale with caveats

One of Alberta's oldest working ranches is for sale, but title to the sprawling land southwest of Calgary will come with some ecological strings attached.

The historic 20,000-hectare OH Ranch listed for $49 million was owned by Daryl (Doc) Seaman. The Calgary oilman died last year.

Two years ago Seaman put the land under a voluntary conservation easement, meaning that the new owner will face restrictions on what can be done with the property, which is near Longview.

The Alberta government also designated 4,000 hectares of public land leased by the ranch as the OH Ranch Heritage Rangeland, protecting it from development and oil and gas surface drilling.

"So it restricts, for example, subdivisions. It restricts the ability to build a lot of new buildings. It restricts the ability of people to tear up the native fescu grasslands," said Southern Alberta Land Trust Society spokesman Alan Gardiner, one of the groups that signed the easement agreement with Seaman.

The restrictions and the hefty price will limit interest in the property, said the late owner's son,Bob Seaman.

But his father hoped the ranch would continue to beacattle operation, he added.

"The front of the title will change and the back of the title will always carry the easement on the lands and restrict development. Yes there's only a certain amount of people that understand it or can afford to buy something of that magnitude, restricting development. But that was Doc's wishes," he said.

The ranch is made up of four pieces of land which can be sold separately if abuyer doesn't want the whole property.

The OH Ranch, founded in 1883 and originally called the Rio Alta Ranch, changed handsmany times.Pat Burns, one of the founders of the Calgary Stampede, bought it in 1918.

Seaman, who helped bringanNHL teamto Calgary, took the ranch over in 1987.