YORKTON - Increasingly the native Prairie is disappearing.
But, south of Montmartre there is a piece of the Prairie that will now be protected for decades to come -- the Adam Herold Project.
Adam Herold was the youngest player killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus accident in April 2018, in the tragic highway collision that took the lives of 16 and injured 13 others. He was six days away from celebrating his 17th birthday.
While Adam Herold will be remembered as a hockey player, there was a place that he loved as much as a hockey arena, it was outdoors, in nature, said his father.
“Nature was kind of dear to his heart,” he told Yorkton This Week. “. . . I definitely think he’d be in favour of this.”
Given Adam’s love of wildlife and nature, his family decided that a project to protect local habitat would be a fitting tribute to their son. His parents Russell and Raelene Herold signed a Ducks Unlimited conservation easement on two pieces of land in Adam’s memory; one a portion of native prairie on a quarter already held by the family, and an additional quarter that was purchased solely with its protection in mind.
Conservation easements are legal tools to help you protect the habitat on your land.
While maintaining ownership, there is a commitment to conserve the natural integrity of the habitats agreed upon by owner and DUC, by limiting the amount and type of development that can occur.
The Adam Herold Project includes roughly 190 acres (77 hectares) of aspen bluffs, wetlands, and native and tame grassland.
“It should last forever,” said Russell.
Russell said conserving the natural habitat that remains is the important first step in protecting wildlife, and was an idea the family has had for some time.
“We had talked about it,” he said, adding they saw protecting the land in Adam’s memory as a “long-lasting” tribute which protects nature which their son so appreciated.
“He loved everything about the outdoors; snowmobiling, quading, hunting,” said Russell.
Russell said he was taking Adam out hunting long before he could hunt on his own.
Once Adam could hold a license they were out hunting waterfowl, deer, pheasant.
“But it wasn’t so much about the hunting itself as being outdoors,” said Russell. “. . . Walking in the hills he always commented how beautiful it was,” watching geese flying over head, or seeing a moose or deer wander out of a bush.
Russell said the love of nature came naturally to Adam.
“He was a farm kid, so he grew up outdoors. He’d come home from school and just step out the door and he was in the outdoors,” said his father.
The project lands shows just how varied prairie biodiversity can be.
Russell said its not unusual to see moose, or deer, grouse, pheasant, songbirds and waterfowl on the sloughs, and wildflowers galore -- goldenrod, brown-eyed Susan, and prairie coneflower; wild blue flax, meadow blazing star, and prairie rose.
“It’s the way the land was hundreds of years ago. It’s never been cultivated,” said Russell.
That the land will stay natural now is critical.
“It’s just disappearing at an alarming rate. . . It’s going the way of the dodo. . . And once it’s gone, it’s gone,” said Russell.
In that regard Russell said he encourages others who might be seeking a way to remember a loved one, or that “have a little thing for nature in their hearts,” to preserve natural sites, even smaller bush areas and sloughs, so they become places “generations of people can come and find nature to enjoy.
