Every day, Canadians are stepping forward to help protect the natural areas that define our country. We call them our force for nature. In celebration of the many gifts from Canadians who care about our natural heritage, and in time for Canada Day, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announces the protection of 1,342 acres (543 hectares) of ecologically significant lands at Fairy Hill South in Saskatchewan.
Fairy Hill South, located 20 minutes north of Regina on Highway #6, is an ecologically significant property with diverse vegetation. The area includes native grasslands, woodlands, river and flood plains, each offering homes for many aquatic and terrestrial species.
Linking river valley and hillside, this property is of excellent conservation value, with a broad variety of plant and animal species. The forces for nature have come together to help secure this rich and diverse native prairie area for species at risk such as Sprague’s pipit, loggerhead shrike, bigmouth buffalo and northern leopard frog. It is also an important staging area for migratory ducks, geese and shorebirds.
Partnership is at the heart of NCC’s work. Many gifts from Canadians were received to secure this land for future generations. The Nature Conservancy of Canada's Saskatchewan Region has worked with landowners and governments alike to secure and steward properties such as Fairy Hill South. This land acquisition involves a broad partnership of federal and provincial governments, Enbridge Inc. and individual contributions.
The Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program is a unique public-private partnership that helps non-government organizations secure ecologically sensitive lands to ensure the protection of our country’s diverse ecosystems, wildlife and habitat.
You can join with NCC and became a force for nature this Canada Day:
- Join NCC's Conservation Volunteers program. You can join friends, family and NCC experts at events throughout the year and help care for some of Canada's most important natural areas.
- Make a gift to NCC. You can celebrate a loved one, friend, teacher, perhaps a favourite Canadian species or a beloved landscape by making a donation today.
Quotes
“Today we celebrate the long-term conservation of native prairie and lowlands, a sanctuary for biodiversity. This land will never be cultivated, drained or developed,” said Carmen Leibel, regional vice president of NCC's Saskatchewan Region. “Fairy Hill is as magical as its name. Rare and diverse vegetation straddle river valley and hill side, offering five-star habitat for wildlife.”
“The Nature Conservancy of Canada has preserved key parcels of land to protect certain areas of our ecosystem for future generations,” said Robert Eisner, a member of the Nature Conservancy of Canada's Saskatchewan Region Board. “Awestruck by this vista, I believe Fairy Hill is one of these parcels!”
“This acquisition marks another achievement under our government's Natural Areas Conservation Program. With this investment, we are taking real action to protect and conserve our ecosystems and sensitive species for present and future generations,” said Minister Kent. “Your actions today will help to protect the abundance and variety of life that will constitute an integral part of our natural heritage tomorrow.”
“The Government of Saskatchewan, through the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, is pleased to be able partner with Nature Conservancy of Canada and other conservation groups to preserve this and other important natural areas,” (Saskatchewan) Environment Minister Dustin Duncan said. “Thirty percent of the revenue of all hunting, trapping and angling licences sold in Saskatchewan goes into the Fund and is used to conserve and enhance wildlife habitat for all to enjoy.”
“Fairy Hill South is an important conservation project for Enbridge,” said Paul Hunt, Director, Sustainability & CSR, Enbridge. “In 2009, as part of our Neutral Footprint program, we committed to conserving an acre of land for every acre of natural habitat that our company impacts. Since then, we’ve been working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to make that commitment a reality.”
Facts
- This Canada Day, the Nature Conservancy of Canada has protected more than 7,870 acres (3,185 hectares) of natural heritage for all Canadians to enjoy. This is greater than the combined size of St. Lawrence Islands National Park and Georgian Bay Islands National Park.
- For a complete list of NCC’s 10 Canada Day announcements and the forces of nature behind them visit, www.natureconservancy.ca/Gifts2011.
- Purchase of this Fairy Hill South property will ensure this ecologically-sensitive area is conserved forever.
- The Nature Conservancy of Canada's Saskatchewan Region has conserved more than 117,000 acres (47,400 hectares) in their native state, mostly through conservation easement agreements with landowners.
- The Province of Saskatchewan and the Nature Conservancy of Canada have now partnered to conserve more than 80,000 acres (32,400 hectares) in Saskatchewan.
- The Fish and Wildlife Development Fund of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment is designed to ensure habitat, and thereby wildlife, are preserved for everyone to enjoy.
- Donations to the Nature Conservancy of Canada deliver results you can walk on — 85 percent of donations go directly to protecting fragile landscapes in Canada.
- Almost 1,200 volunteers contributed approximately 7,300 hours of volunteer work through the Conservation Volunteers program last year.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the nation’s leading 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 protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares), coast to coast.
Learn More
Visit: www.natureconservancy.ca
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/NatureConsCDA
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