'Special piece of property': southern Manitoba habitat now protected from development

Burrowing Owls at Jackson Pipestone (Nature Conservancy of Canada)

A section of wetlands and grasslands in southern Manitoba will remain pristine and free from development.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced Wednesday it has secured two new conservation areas near the community of Melita. The project, called the Jackson Pipestone Prairie and Wetlands Project, features almost 520 hectares of native prairie and wetlands, while Jackson Creek and its floodplain make up the remainder of the protected space.

“We feel very honoured to be brought into this process,” said Josh Dillabough, natural area manager for the NCC in Manitoba. “This is a special piece of property that conservation agencies have known about for quite some time. That just goes to show the ongoing care and stewardship that the family who grazed these lands and looked after this property had.”

The Gervin family previously owned the land, which is home to several at-risk species, in particular the burrowing owl, which is classed as endangered.

Other at-risk species that call the area home include the longspur, bobolink, and Baird’s sparrow.

Dillabough said mixed-grass prairie, the habitat for these animals, is among the most threatened habitats in Canada.

“Between Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan, we’ve lost about one-third of it,” he said.

He added, “If they don’t have a home, we haven’t really done our job.”

The NCC has a goal of protecting 500,000 hectares of prairie grasslands by 2030.

“Now is the time to do it,” Dillabough said. “We don’t feel like we can pass the baton on to another generation. We’re getting close to a tipping point.”