Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has been given a private land donation of 2,681 hectares in the RM of Woodlands.
The Lake Ranch Project will conserve endangered tallgrass prairie, wetland, forest, and lakeshore. NCC Director of Conservation for Manitoba Cary Hamel, says they're been given an incredible opportunity with this land.
"Grasslands are actually the most endangered habitat type on land in the world. They're the least protected, and they're the most prone to being converted to other uses like cities and things like that. So this project happens to have thousands of acres of tallgrass prairie on it, and that alone makes it one of the most significant land conservation projects we've done."
The land has historically been used as a Stock Cattle Farm, and the owners wanted that history to continue says Hamel.
"In conservation, livestock needs grassland and places to water, and that's what this land was used for. So the landowners wanted to work with us as an organization that would sustain that use, not just to keep nature around, but also to keep the economic use of the land for livestock farming and all the families that depend on that."
On top of the land itself, Lake Ranch is contained within the Shoal Lakes Important Bird Area; an important site for migratory birds in the prairie provinces. NCC staff recently documented approximately 170 Western Grebes, a species of special concern, as well as approximately 30 various shorebird species.
Aside from Lake Ranch, NCC has a project they're working on right here in the Parkland says, Hamel.
"It's in an area we call the Makinak Woods at Nature Conservancy of Canada, and that's that area off of the Northeast of the escarpment between Dauphin Lake and Riding Mountain National Park. A really special area, a unique forest, lots of wetlands, and conservation work there helps ensure the water quality of the lake, and flooding is slowed down. So we're working on a project, we call it Makinak Woods 2, and we're working to raise $100,00 dollars to help us ensure that we can conserve that for the future."
You can find out more about Makinak Woods 2 on the NCC website here.
