The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is located in southeastern
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
near
Gardenton and
Vita, this is about south of
Steinbach, Manitoba
Steinbach () ( Plautdietsch: /ˈʃte̞nbah/ or /ˈʃte̞nbax/) is a city located about south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Steinbach is the third-largest city in Manitoba, with a population of 17,806, and the largest community in the Eas ...
. It is one of the last remaining stands of
tallgrass prairie
The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals (primarily bison) provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachm ...
in Manitoba and is part of the
Tallgrass Aspen Parkland conservation area in Manitoba and
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. Several groups and organizations help in land preservation in the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie such as the
Nature Conservancy of Canada
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is a private, non-profit, charitable nature conservation and restoration organization based in Canada. Since its founding in 1962, the organization and its partners have protected of land and water acro ...
, Nature Manitoba,
Environment Canada, Manitoba Conservation and the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.
Manitoba tallgrass prairie
![Cypripedium candidum Bluegrass](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Cypripedium_candidum_Bluegrass.jpg)
Only about 0.5% of the original tallgrass
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
in Manitoba remains. The area is characterized by a mosaic of habitat types, including tallgrass prairie, aspen woodland, sedge meadow wetlands,
riparian
A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...
woodland, and oak savannah. Over 1,000 species depend on this diverse habitat and 16 species that are on provincial or national endangered species list reside within the area.
The ecological significance of the area that is now the preserve was only discovered in the late 1980s by botanists of the Manitoba Naturalist Society who were cataloging native plant species in the area. They discovered that a significant portion of the tallgrass prairie remained despite the belief it had been wiped out. There are just over that are protected in the preserve.
The 13-part television series
Canada: A People's History was filmed on location in the preserve for the realistic settings of First Nations encampments and
Metis
Metis or Métis may refer to:
Ethnic groups
* Métis, recognized Indigenous communities in Canada and America whose distinct culture and language emerged after early intermarriage between First Nations peoples and early European settlers, prima ...
ox carts.
Flora and fauna
![Platanthera-praeclara](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Platanthera-praeclara.web.jpg)
The Manitoba Preserve is home to over 1,000 species during the course of the year, as well as a number of endangered or threatened species of plants and animals.
Plants
The Tall Grass Prairie Preserve consists primarily of
big bluestem
''Andropogon gerardi'', commonly known as big bluestem, is a species of tall grass native to much of the Great Plains and grassland regions of central and eastern North America. It is also known as tall bluestem, bluejoint, and turkeyfoot.
Taxon ...
(or turkey foot, resembles the bird's foot),
little bluestem
''Schizachyrium scoparium'', commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a species of North American prairie grass native to most of the contiguous United States (except California, Nevada, and Oregon) as well as a small area north of t ...
,
porcupine needlegrass (''Stipa spartea''), and
prairie dropseed
''Sporobolus heterolepis'', commonly known as prairie dropseed, is a species of prairie grass native to the tallgrass and mixed grass prairies of central North America from Texas to southern Canada. It is also found further east, to the Atlant ...
grasses. The last known Canadian remnant population of the endangered
western prairie fringed orchid (''Platanthera praeclara'') is within the preserve.
It is the world's largest ''Platanthera praeclara'' population, containing over half the known population of the orchid.
Other federally and provincially listed endangered species are the
small white lady's slipper (''Cypripedium candidum''), of which 34,491 stems were counted in the Preserve in 1998, and 16,899 of them were flowering stems. Others include the
Great Plains ladies tresses,
Culver's root, and Riddell's goldenrod. Some other prominent plants include
sundrops,
two-flowered cynthia,
whorled loosestrife, whorled milkwort, and
wild geranium which can all be found within the preserve, though they are not listed on provincial or federal species at risk lists.
Animals
The endangered
Powesheik skipper can be found in the preserve. The
Dakota skipper was previously found in the area with specimens being retrieved in the 1980s and last claimed to be found in 2000.
Since then they are believed to have been extirpated, their loss believed in part possible from a wildfire and burns designed to control
woody encroachment in 2001 and 2002.
This prairie-endemic species is also threatened by
woody encroachment into prairies.
The possibility of reintroducing the skipper to the preserve was studied in 2006 but considered unfeasible at the time due to the low density of larval and adult host plants.
Also found are nesting pairs of
sandhill crane
The sandhill crane (''Antigone canadensis'') is a species of large crane of North America and extreme northeastern Siberia. The common name of this bird refers to habitat like that at the Platte River, on the edge of Nebraska's Sandhills on ...
s,
garter snakes
Garter snake is a common name for generally harmless, small to medium-sized snakes belonging to the genus ''Thamnophis'' in the family Colubridae. Native to North and Central America, species in the genus ''Thamnophis'' can be found from the sub ...
, the
plains pocket gopher
The plains pocket gopher (''Geomys bursarius'') is one of 35 species of pocket gophers, so named in reference to their externally located, fur-lined cheek pouches. They are burrowing animals, found in grasslands and agricultural land across the ...
, and
prairie vole
The prairie vole (''Microtus ochrogaster'') is a small vole found in central North America. The vole has long, coarse grayish-brown fur on the upper portion of the body and yellowish fur on the lower portion of the body. It has short ears and a ...
.
Trails
There are a number of partnerships in the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve one of which being
The Nature Conservancy of Canada which owns some land in the Vita area. The NCC also maintains and operates a 1.6 km trail which is available to the public called the Aggasiz Trail as well as the Prairie Orchid Trail adjacent to the Weston Family Tall Grass Prairie Interpretive Centre in Stuartburn.
There is also another trail in the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve that has been laid out in the southern portion of the preserve. This trail is owned by the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, a provincial Crown Corporation which owns some land in the Vita area. There is a "Prairie Day" in the community of Gardenton that is held on the second Saturday of every August. During this time they showcase the flora and fauna of the land and help to educate children and others on the preserve. During this time some species like the
smooth green snake
The smooth green snake (''Opheodrys vernalis'') is a species of North American nonvenomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is also referred to as the grass snake. It is a slender, "small medium" snake that measures as an adult. It g ...
are showcased.
Management
Much of the original tallgrass prairie disappeared due to the fact that it was prime agricultural land. Indeed, the reason why most of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve remains is because much of the land is unfarmable by machine because of the many boulders left behind by glaciers.
Tallgrass however is a complicated ecosystem that has relied on various measures over time to control it and encourage growth of different species. Historically vast herds of the now extirpated
plains bison
The Plains bison (''Bison bison bison'') is one of two subspecies/ecotypes of the American bison, the other being the wood bison (''B. b. athabascae''). A natural population of Plains bison survives in Yellowstone National Park (the Yellowstone ...
would help through grazing to eliminate grasses and more importantly the growth of shrubs and trees to prevent the prairie from turning into forest. Fires would sweep through the areas helping to again eliminate trees and shrubs but allowing the native prairie species to survive because of their deep root systems that have adapted and evolved to survive grass fires.
Management and conservation groups have taken these past lessons into consideration and are trialing various methods in the preserve which include grazing and
controlled burns
A controlled or prescribed burn, also known as hazard reduction burning, backfire, swailing, or a burn-off, is a fire set intentionally for purposes of forest management, farming, prairie restoration or greenhouse gas abatement. A cont ...
. They are trying to determine which method or group of methods is best to control invasive species and which encourage growth of the native species as each species of flora in the preserve grows and flourishes in one specific area or another. When these tactics are used together it helps to maintain a diverse and balanced prairie ecosystem.
Agricultural Use
Native
prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
is thought to have had a historical dependence on regular disturbances such as grazing, browsing and fire in order to prevent widespread
encroachment of trees and shrubs into grasslands and
sedge meadows
A hydrosere is a plant succession which occurs in an area of fresh water such as in oxbow lakes and kettle lakes. In time, an area of open freshwater will naturally dry out, ultimately becoming woodland. During this change, a range of different la ...
. As such, land managers work with local agricultural producers to ensure regular disturbance of thousands of acres annually via modern agricultural practices such as cattle grazing and haying.
Research
Dozens of research projects have occurred at the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. A one-day research symposium focused on the Preserve was hosted by the Nature Conservancy of Canada at the Weston Family Tall Grass Prairie Interpretive Centre in October 2013.
References
External links
Map of the protected areas in the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve vicinity
{{Manitoba parks
Geography of the Canadian Prairies
Grasslands of Canada
Important Bird Areas of Manitoba
Nature reserves in Manitoba
Canadian Prairies
Eastman Region, Manitoba