August 11, 2005

The province and the Manitoba Naturalists Society (MNS) have agreed to protect 355 hectares of rare habitat within the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve located south of Winnipeg near PTH 59, Conservation Minister Stan Struthers announced today.

“Thanks to the early work of the Manitoba Naturalists Society to identify our prairie remnants, more than 4,400 hectares of this tall grass prairie and related ecosystems are part of Manitoba’s network of protected areas,” said Struthers. “Conserving rare lands is a challenge in southern Manitoba because of pre-existing development, but with conservation partners such as the Manitoba Naturalists Society, a portion of the province will remain as native prairie habitat.”

The lands owned by the MNS will be protected through a memorandum of agreement with the province, ensuring they will be sheltered from mining, oil and gas, and other forms of development.

“The Manitoba Naturalists Society has been working for nearly 20 years to preserve Manitoba's tall grass prairie and we are very pleased that the Protected Areas Initiative provides a mechanism to both bring attention to and help protect this unique area,” said Marilyn Latta, past president of the MNS and chair of the habitat conservation committee.

The agreement will be formally signed during Saturday’s Prairie Day 2005 celebrations at the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve in the rural municipality of Stuartburn. The event marks 85 years of promotion by the Manitoba Naturalists Society of the importance of the study and enjoyment of nature and the protection of the natural environment. Activities on Prairie Day will include guided walks, children’s games, displays, speakers and bannock baking.

The MNS began an inventory of prairie remnants in 1987. The society later purchased some prime prairie remnants with funds provided by the province and private donations. These private lands will be added to Manitoba’s network of protected areas.

The diverse prairie boasts more than 300 plant species and a variety of animals including butterflies, frogs, songbirds, deer, elk, moose, bears and some wolves. The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is home to a number of threatened and endangered species. The southwest corner of the province is the only location in all of Canada where the endangered western prairie fringed orchid (Plantanthera praeclara) can be found.

“We commend the Manitoba Naturalist’s Society for 85 years of service to the conservation of our natural history,” said Struthers. “It is a reminder the great outdoor beauty of Manitoba is an ever-evolving panorama of nature and its many faces.”

Tall grass prairie once thrived in the fertile soils of the Red River Valley, but since the 1800s, most of the prairie has been converted to agricultural land. Less than one per cent of Manitoba’s native prairie remains today, making it among the most endangered ecosystems in North America.

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