Big bluestem, Tall Grass Prairie, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)
The largest intact blocks of tall grass prairie in Canada occur in the Tall Grass Prairie Natural Area. With less than one half of one percent of tall grass prairie remaining in North American, the Natural Area acts as a significant refuge for plants and animals that were once a common sight.
Habitat
The area supports a diversity of habitat types: wet and dry tall grass prairie, marshes and fens, savannah and dense woodlands, riparian areas and rivers.
Species
Nearly 1,000 species are known to use these habitats, including many that are listed on national or provincial endangered species lists. Half of the global population of the endangered western prairie fringed orchid occurs here.
Threats
Prior to European settlement, the native species present in the Natural Area developed or evolved in the presence of wildfire. Recurrent fire promotes a landscape of open prairie and savannah, whereas in the absence of fire, woody species such as aspen and basket willow encroach on the open prairie, causing a shift in habitat to a wood and shrub-dominated system.
Conservation status
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) presently owns more than 23,000 acres (9,300 hectares) of land in this natural area and maintains a base of stewardship operations in the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. NCC works in partnership with The Nature Conservancy (Minnesota ) and other conservation partners to carry out prescribed burns to mimic wildfire conditions and maintain the open tall grass prairie.
NCC also uses a range of agricultural activities, such as haying and managed grazing, as habitat management tools to control the intrusion of woody invasive species.
