Community volunteers are invited to join the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to help upgrade the plains bison handling facilities at NCC’s Old Man On His Back (OMB) property near Claydon, Saskatchewan. Enjoy an opportunity to be directly involved in the conservation of Canada’s natural biodiversity and take advantage of the chance to visit a herd of plains bison roaming the prairie.
Over two days — Friday, August 20 and Saturday, August 21 — volunteers will upgrade the handling facilities by conducting a cleanup of the yard site, including removing old scrap material, fences and debris to enhance the visitor experience to the Old Man On His Back Visitor Centre.
OMB is a 13,100-acre (5,300-hectare) ranch located southwest of Eastend and is home to a conservation herd of nearly 100 plains bisons and numerous species at risk, including swift fox, ferruginous hawk, burrowing owl, long-billed curlew, common nighthawk, Sprague’s pipit and McCowan’s longspur. Pronghorns are a common sight at OMB.
NCC’s Conservation Volunteers program engages people in the protection of Canada’s biodiversity while providing a meaningful, hands-on educational experience in ecologically significant natural areas. Carefully designed projects ensure that volunteers’ time is dedicated to critical conservation action.
To find out more about how to become involved with the OMB Bison Grunt event or with other volunteer events across the province or country, please visit NCC’s Conservation Volunteers website at www.conservationvolunteers.ca.
Quotes
“Our Conservation Volunteers event is one way that NCC can engage the community and our partners to help complete some necessary stewardship work and at the same time introduce these conservation properties to the public,” says Jennipher Karst, stewardship activities coordinator with NCC in Regina.
Facts
- In 2009 eight volunteers installed more than 300 feet of belting to the plains bison handling facilities.
- OMB is a 13,100-acre (5,300-hectare) ranch located southwest of Eastend and is home to a conservation herd of nearly 100 plains bisons.
- NCC's Saskatchewan Region has held five volunteer events so far this summer, where more than 90 volunteers have helped NCC out with everything from tree planting, to scouting for leafy spurge (an aggressive noxious weed), to tearing down an old fence. The Bison Grunt event will be our sixth and final event this summer!
- Conservation Volunteers began as a small regional initiative in Ontario and Alberta. This is the second year for a full-scale national program
Learn more
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is the nation’s leading private land conservation organization, working to protect our valuable natural areas and the plants and animals they sustain.
Since 1962 NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 2 million acres (800,000 hectares), coast to coast. By investing in conservation we are ensuring that our natural world remains a home for wildlife, a haven for recreation and a vital resource that cleans the air we breathe and the water we drink. Through strong partnerships NCC works to safeguard our natural areas so that our children and grandchildren will have the chance to enjoy them.
Learn More
Visit: www.natureconservancy.ca
Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/NatureConsCDA
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