Evening clouds at cairns, Alberta (Photo by Karol Dabbs)
Grasslands are fragile but ecologically important, supporting a large number of at risk species that rely on this habitat for at least some stage of their life cycle. Birds such as burrowing owl, ferruginous hawk and peregrine falcon are iconic grasslands creatures that are under increasing threat from habitat loss. Burrowing owls, with their underground nests, are especially vulnerable to the pervasive human development.
We focus our efforts in six Priority Natural Areas:
- Berry Creek Plain
- Milk River Basin
- Milk River Ridge-Foothills Fescue
- Milk River Ridge-Mixedgrass
- Pakowki Lake
- Cypress Uplands
Key features within these Priority Natural Areas
Large blocks of intact native grasslands, extensive wetlands and highly productive waterfowl, migratory bird and wildlife habitat are found here.
More than 75 percent of Alberta's original mixed grassland has been converted to tame forage and annual cropping, and up to 80 percent of the region's wetlands have been converted or degraded.
Only 17 percent of the original Alberta Foothills Fescue grassland remains and the largest remaining tracts of Foothills Fescue grasslands in the world are found here
These six Priority Natural Areas shelter habitat for numerous imperilled species, including ferruginous hawk, golden eagle and Sprague's pipit.
Featured project
- Sandstone Ranch
