Habitat for iconic burrowing owl protected in southern Manitoba
Conservation group secures landowners' legacy of love for grassland birds
They’re as tall as pop cans, as voracious as T-Rexes and among Canada’s most endangered species. But now burrowing owls have more conserved habitat to call home in southern Manitoba.
At an announcement today in the Grassland Bird Capital of Manitoba, Melita, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) launched its plan to protect over 500 hectares of native prairie and wetland habitat across two new conservation areas near the communities of Broomhill and Sifton. Significant and rapid habitat loss means these lands now stand among the last bastions of native mixed-grass prairie in the province, an ecosystem which is critical for many at-risk species, including burrowing owl (endangered).
The Jackson Pipestone Prairie and Wetlands project features almost 520 hectares of native prairie and wetlands, with Jackson Creek and its floodplain area making up the remainder. Beyond burrowing owls, the songs of chestnut-collared longspur (threatened), bobolink (threatened) and Baird’s sparrow (special concern) form a chorus in the air, signalling its importance for biodiversity in the region.
Located within two internationally recognized Important Bird Areas, portions of the project are made up of sustainably pastured lands that support birds such as the burrowing owl (endangered), and wetlands that are alive with birds like red-necked phalarope (special concern), lesser yellowlegs, black-crowned night herons, and tundra swan.
The former owners of these lands are largely to thank for the vibrant diversity of birdsong and prairie species observed on them today. The Gervin family has been involved in burrowing owl recovery since the 1980s. They’ve worked with the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program since it’s inception in 2010 to protect habitat for the endangered birds across their properties and support their reintroduction. In 2019, the family was awarded the Prairie Conservation Award for Manitoba, in recognition of their dedication to the stewardship of the lands. Now under the stewardship of NCC, the family’s love for the land can continue in perpetuity.
By working together to support sustainable management practices, such as the grazing that is taking place on the Jackson Pipestone Prairies and Wetlands, NCC can help protect biodiversity. NCC works with livestock producers whose cattle graze the Prairie grasslands and help Prairies to thrive, while supporting a strong livestock industry.
This project is a part of NCC’s Prairie Grasslands Action Plan — aimed to conserve more than 500,000 hectares by 2030 — an area six times the size of Calgary, equivalent to what will be lost if we don’t act now to protect the grasslands that remain. NCC has already raised nearly 90 per cent of what’s needed to secure and steward these ecologically important lands in southern Manitoba forever. Learn more about how you can take action to care for Canada’s iconic Prairie grasslands at prairiegrasslands.ca.
These conservation projects were supported through funding from generous residents and businesses. Additional support came Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Nature Fund and Nature Smart Climate Solutions Funds. Contributions were also made by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Facts
- The burrowing owl population in the Canadian Prairies has fallen by over 96 per cent since 1987, according to the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program.
- An adult burrowing owl can eat 1,800 rodents and 7,000 insects in one summer.
- The agricultural sector relies on wild pollinators to produce nutritional and economic benefits for people. Grasslands provide nesting sites, refuge and food for a diverse community of wild pollinators.
- Launched in June, the Prairie Grasslands Action Plan is a cross-country, $500-million campaign to conserve 500,000 hectares by the end of 2030. An estimated 82 per cent of native prairie grasslands have been lost in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- Grasslands’ deep, sprawling root networks store vast amounts of carbon beneath the soil surface. These roots help keep soil in place too, enabling grasslands to collect and retain moisture. During rain runoff or snow melt, water is collected and stored by its roots and absorbed into the soil, rather than flowing rapidly into lakes and rivers and causing erosion damage.
- Protecting intact grassland systems retains the carbon stores in the ground, rather than releasing CO2 into the atmosphere. Since it is underground, grassland soil carbon is protected from surface fires (unlike forest-based carbon) and is more resistant to being released back into the atmosphere.
- By storing and sequestering carbon, grasslands also contribute to Canada’s efforts to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Quotes
“In Manitoba, it is estimated that 90 per cent of native prairie grasslands have already been lost, creating a real and urgent concern for the species, communities, farmers, producers and Indigenous Peoples who rely on them. We want to thank everyone who made these two important conservation projects possible. By working together, we can protect Manitoba’s natural gems and sustain healthy communities for wildlife, plants and people.” — Josh Dillabough, Natural Area Manager, NCC in Manitoba
“Manitobans know very well the beauty and value of the native mixed-grass prairies that form some of the most iconic landscapes in the province. Working in partnership with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, our government is helping to protect native mixed-grass prairies in Manitoba, which play a critical role in the recovery of species at risk, like the small and mighty Burrowing Owl that calls these habitats home. These investments are part of our national conservation campaign to protect 25 percent of land and water in Canada by 2025, working toward 30 percent by 2030. Protecting nature not only helps reverse the dramatic loss of biodiversity, but also helps sequester more carbon in the fight against climate change and keeps our environment free from pollution.” — The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“Burrowing owls are conservation-dependent. The Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program (MBORP) has worked with the Gervin family and NCC since 2010 reintroducing burrowing owls on this land. Most recently, we have observed wild owls back in this area that are using artificial nest burrows that our program has installed for extra protection for nesting burrowing owls. Without people and organizations like the Gervin's and NCC working to protect spaces like the Jackson Pipestone Prairie for species like the burrowing owl, the burrowing owl will disappear from Manitoba” — Alexandra Froese, Founder & Executive Director, Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program
About
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the country’s unifying force for nature. NCC seeks solutions to the twin crises of rapid biodiversity loss and climate change through large-scale, permanent land conservation. As a trusted partner, NCC works with people, communities, businesses and government to protect and care for our country’s most important natural areas. Since 1962, NCC has brought Canadians together to conserve and restore more than 15 million hectares. To learn more, visit natureconservancy.ca.
Canada’s Nature Smart Climate Solutions Fund (NSCSF) is a $1.4 billion, ten-year fund (2021–2031) administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada to help conserve, restore, and enhance the management of ecosystems such as wetlands, forests, and grasslands, in order to help tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The NSCSF will focus on three main objectives: (1) conserving carbon-rich ecosystems at high risk of conversion to other uses that would release their stored carbon; (2) improving land management practices to reduce their greenhouse gas emission-causing impacts on Canada’s ecosystems; and (3) restoring degraded ecosystems. Overall, these projects will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and increased carbon sequestration, while also providing benefits for biodiversity and human well-being.
The Canada Nature Fund supports the protection of Canada’s biodiversity through the creation of protected and conserved areas and through initiatives that help to recover species at risk. The Fund is available to not-for-profit and Indigenous organizations, provinces and territories, and others.
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