Our Mission, Our Vision

Sustainable Landscapes, Sustainable Futures

Our mission is to be a world leader in the delivery of land-use cumulative effects simulation modelling tools, strategic land-use planning advice, and the provision of practical strategies to assist governments, businesses, and society make balanced, informed decisions that achieve environments in which we and our grandchildren thrive today and in the future.

We achieve our mission through emphasis on the following principles and practices:

Innovation
Integrity
Commitment
Collaboration
Communication
Excellence
Experience
Education
Knowledge
Respect

Innovation

We apply innovative modelling tools and planning approaches to land-use issues. The ALCES Group is the creator of the ALCES® (A Landscape Cumulative Effects Simulator) computer model, which allows stakeholders to explore a range of potential land-use issues, strategies and outcomes. In collaboration with our strategic business partners, we have developed ALCES Mapper™ and the Urban Growth Simulator. ALCES Mapper™ is a companion mapping application for the ALCES® simulation model which displays ALCES® results spatially, and allows users to examine a range of sub-regional issues and zoning strategies. Our Urban Growth Simulator provides tools for communities to explore different growth strategies in order to understand and prepare for alternative futures. We have also developed an educational version of ALCES® (Alberta Tomorrow) to convey land-use concepts to students. We work to integrate ALCES®, ALCES Mapper™, Urban Growth Simulator, and Alberta Tomorrow with other leading modelling tools to increase modelling capacity and fulfill client requirements.

Integrity

We work on projects where clients seek solutions that are meaningful and long-term as opposed to expedient and uncontentious. We seek to demonstrate both positive and negative effects of land-use in order to facilitate well-informed and balanced decision-making. The ALCES Group practices sound business and environmental ethics. We contribute one percent of our gross earnings to fund environmental initiatives. We are active and contributing citizens in our communities, and strive for professional relations built on trust, respect and open dialogue.

Commitment

ALCES Group members are committed to the sustainability of our communities and regions where we live and work. We are committed to providing our clients and colleagues with on time, on budget, high quality services.

Collaboration

Identifying and addressing complex land-use problems requires a range of skills, approaches and perspectives. The ALCES Group emphasizes a team approach and collaborates with a range of discipline experts and business partners to bring the appropriate tools and skills to our projects.

Communication

The ALCES Group is committed to effective communication both internally among group members and externally with clients and the public. Our commitment to communication recognizes our roles as both senders and receivers of messages. We strive to convey thoughts and ideas effectively, and to be careful and empathic listeners in our everyday practice. We also recognize that effective communication can be enhanced through strategic messaging and new technologies.

Excellence

ALCES Group team members have a strong commitment to professional excellence, which is reflected in academic and community awards. Dr. Brad Stelfox is the recipient of the Alberta Science and Technology Leadership Foundation Award for Innovation in Integrated Landscape Management (2002), the Alberta Science and Technology Award (2003), the Alberta Emerald Foundation Award for Innovation and Science (2004), and most recently the Canadian Boreal Initiative Canadian Boreal Award (2009). Other ALCES Group members are National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) scholars; others have achieved excellence in teaching, research and writing. Publication of peer-reviewed research is encouraged. We are members in good standing with our relevant professional organizations. Continuous improvement is achieved through on-going professional, personal and model development.

Experience

ALCES Group team members and our many associates have applied their skills, knowledge and expertise to planning issues throughout Canada and other regions, including South America, Australia and Alaska. We have provided services to all levels of governments (federal, provincial, territorial, municipal), industry, First Nations, community groups and environmental organizations. Our team consists of ecologists, computer modellers, software developers, planners, facilitators, and a range of domain experts.

Education

Education and learning is an important focus for our team. The ALCES Group, with the support of many different industry and government partners, has created Alberta Tomorrow, a land-use simulation model targeted for students and the general public. This free, internet-accessible tool allows people to explore potential trade-offs associated with land-use, conservation and economic development decisions. Our Urban Growth Simulator allows communities to explore alternative growth rates and patterns to achieve desirable futures. Each year, our team members give numerous lectures on land-use, development and conservation issues.

Knowledge

he ALCES Group values the creation and dissemination of reliable knowledge as it pertains to land-use issues. We use a systems approach to problem solving. Our pursuit of knowledge is based on the principles and practice of science. We focus on asking meaningful questions within a scientific framework, which is often more challenging and difficult than providing the ‘right answers’ to the ‘wrong questions’. We also recognize the value and importance of knowledge gained through experience both within a person’s lifetime and through cultural traditions.

Respect

Respect is a core value of the ALCES Group, and forms the basis for developing and maintaining positive, constructive relationships among team members, and with our clients and associates. Respect also grounds us when we seek to resolve conflicts and address differences in opinion among ourselves and with others.

A New Approach For A New Era

A new era in land use planning and resource management has arrived - fuelled by society’s increasing demand for triple bottom-line performance; people, planet, profit. In the eyes and minds of regional, national, and global markets, it is no longer acceptable to seek narrow solutions to narrow questions. The distinction between economic and environmental indicators has blurred as stakeholders better understand that true economic performance requires the maintenance of ecological goods and services on our working landscapes.

Meaningful time, space, and context have become the new measuring yardsticks. The measure of time is no longer just tomorrow; it is both now and generational. The measure of space is no longer just the individual project but the combination of all regional projects of each land use. Society is no longer focused on the benefits of a single land use but the collective benefits and liabilities of the combined suite of land uses that shape our environment. When evaluating land use scenarios, the performance of water, air, and carbon has become as relevant to society as are GDP, employment, and return-on-investment.

In response to these new demands, the ALCES team has carefully crafted a series of balanced products for the progressive resource planner and manager. Our solution-oriented, computer modelling-based projects are designed to efficiently identify and resolve key resource management and planning issues.

The ALCES Group offers a pro-business approach that embraces the performance of environmental values– a new approach for a new era.

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