The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) today announced a priority conservation site at Buffalo Pound, located 40 kilometres from Moose Jaw.
The area consists of 866 hectares (2,140 acres) of native grasslands and seven kilometres of shoreline along the north shore of Buffalo Pound Lake. These grasslands help filter the drinking water for approximately one-quarter of the province’s population, including the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw and several surrounding communities.
The not-for-profit, charitable land conservation organization has been working on the Buffalo Pound project for two years. NCC has raised over 85 per cent of the funds required to complete the project. An additional $525,000 is needed to save this piece of Buffalo Pound for the long term.
NCC is working to ensure the Buffalo Pound area continues to provide quality drinking water for residents and safe habitat for endangered species. To complete this conservation project, NCC has launched a public fundraising campaign. People can help protect Buffalo Pound by donating today at ConserveGrasslands.ca.
Native grasslands are one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. The property is in the Upper Qu’Appelle Natural Area, which is an important wildlife habitat corridor. This natural area is home to many plants and animals, as well as wildlife listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, such as Sprague’s pipit, bobolink, Baird’s sparrow, American badger and northern leopard frog.
This area is at risk for future development, as shorelines are in demand for recreation and industry. Conserving this important natural area can sustain a healthy ecosystem, including supporting recreation and economic needs. Keeping the province’s grasslands and lakes healthy benefits the people and wildlife who depend on them.
Quotes
“NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is a beautiful area that contains native grasslands along a premium shoreline. Conserving these grasslands is one of the most important things we can do to help the plants and animals that live there, as well as filter the air we breathe and provide quality drinking water in southern Saskatchewan.” – Cameron Wood, Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Saskatchewan.
Facts
· Located 20 minutes northeast of Moose Jaw, Buffalo Pound Provincial Park is the heart of a major recreational area that includes cottage development, hiking and biking trails, and canoeing, kayaking and boating opportunities. The park maintains a bison herd in a paddock located among the rolling hills. NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is located at the other end of the provincial park
· NCC’s Buffalo Pound project will help protect Saskatchewan’s native grasslands, which are among the rarest and most at-risk habitats in the world and a critical part of the province’s environment.
· Over the past 25 years, Saskatchewan has lost more than 809,000 hectares (2 million acres) of native grassland. Today, less than 20 per cent of native grassland remains in our province.
· Grasslands buffer water, sequester and store carbon, and for thousands of years have provided sustenance for humans. They are also critical stopover sites for migratory birds and provide habitat for waterfowl and imperilled species.
Learn more
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation's leading not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, working to protect our most important natural areas and the species they sustain. Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to conserve 14 million hectares (35 million acres), coast to coast to coast. In Saskatchewan, more than 198,219 hectares (489,810 acres) have been protected. To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca.
