Alberta Conservation Association

Use Respect
Ask First

Use Respect - Ask First signs are available at no charge to private landowners through ACA and these supporting organizations.  Signs will also be available in some rural areas at select outlets in upcoming months.

• Alberta Beef Producers
• Alberta Fish and Game Association.
• Alberta Hunter Education Instructors’ Association
• Alberta Professional Outfitter Society
• Alberta Sustainable Resource Development
• Alberta Trappers’ Association
• Ducks Unlimited Canada
• Federation of Alberta Naturalists
• Federation of North American Wild Sheep
• Hunting For Tomorrow
• Pheasants Forever
• Report A Poacher
• Trout Unlimited Canada
• Western Stock Growers Association

 Background

Hockey legend Lanny McDonald and the most successful coach in Oilers’ history, Glen Sather provided their fame and small town Alberta roots to promote the popular Use Respect program in 1986. Sporting the message of “use respect” was likely similar to implementing a player’s code of conduct, only this one involved encouraging proper land-user etiquette on private land.

The Alberta Fish and Wildlife Division of the Alberta Department of Forestry, Lands and Wildlife piloted the original Use Respect program in 1985 and then implemented it province-wide in 1986 with the help of our Hanna and High Prairie, Alberta talent. Numerous organizations endorsed the program including the Alberta Fish & Game Association, the Outdoor Observer program, the WISE Foundation, Unifarm, the Alberta Cattle Commission, the Western Stock Growers Association and Report A Poacher. 

The program was designed to encourage recreationists to “use respect” and seek the permission of private landowners before to accessing private property for responsible recreation. Essentially, the program supports the rights of private landowners to determine how their land will be used and by whom, while providing hunters and other recreationists with an opportunity to improve their behaviour towards landowners. The end result is co-operation between two groups and potentially, an increase in the number of landowners granting permission to access and hunt on land that was previously inaccessible. 

The Use Respect program was by all accounts successful and well received, yet over time awareness of the original program dwindled. Twenty years later, Alberta’s population has surged from 2,365,825 to 3,497,881, accompanied by increased pressures on land available for recreation, and in particular hunting, which has led to escalated landowner and access-related issues.

Individuals with a keen interest in the program and understanding of the current land user/landowner challenges wanted to revitalize the basic principles of Use Respect in one form or another. In the past year, we took the lead and met and spoke with numerous individuals and organizations about developing and launching a new version of this important program.  The support we received was remarkable, proving that the ‘use respect” message is as relevant today as it was in the ‘80s.

A new logo was created to capture the variety of people seeking access to private lands, whether they are hunters, anglers or simply outdoor enthusiasts. Consequently, the name of the program was revised to Use Respect - Ask First to retain the connection with the original title yet underscore the overall intent of the program; namely, encouraging land users to cooperate with and respect landowners rights before accessing private property.

Use Respect - Ask First signs were developed for landowners, which includes a simple message for the land user: “Please act responsibly and obtain permission from private landowner for access.”  Landowners can provide contact information in order to identify themselves to the land user. The sign clearly indicates the land with which the sign is associated.

Remember:  please act responsibly and obtain permission from private landowners for access.