Dundurn
Dundurn property (Photo by Jason Bantle)
The Dundurn property was identified as a priority for the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to acquire due to its pristine natural state and connectivity to surrounding native habitat. The 65-hectare (160-acre) property consists of rolling hills made from old sand dunes covered by aspen, shrubs, wet meadows and native grasslands.
The property is located near the town of Dundurn and is a 30-minute drive from Saskatoon.
“The Dundurn Property is next to some of the largest tracts of remaining native habitat in the Saskatoon area. Walking the hills and skirting the bushes on the property is a journey into the past. Here, my imaginings of wide-open, wild Saskatchewan are all real,” says Matthew Braun, manager of conservation science and planning for NCC in Saskatchewan.
Species spotlight
Meadowlark (Photo by Jason Bantle)
The Dundurn property is located in the Moist Mixed Prairie Ecoregion in Saskatchewan. This area is known for its diversity of species. Hairy prairie-clover, a species of special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act, is found here. Several other provincially important plant species have been observed in the area, including sand-dune wild rye, Menzies’ catchfly and red-stemmed cinquefoil.
The area is also excellent habitat for mammals, such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk and olive-backed pocket mouse.
