Protecting habitat is important for future generations.  Preserving habitat is essential for the survival of a long list of wildlife that includes black bear, elk, cougar and several at risk species such as the loggerhead shrike and the redheaded woodpecker.  Three new parcels of habitat are now protected in the area surrounding Riding Mountain National Park. 

“In the Manitoba Region, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is working hard to protect some of the last natural cover in the area around Riding Mountain National Park (RMNP),” said Ursula Goeres, Manitoba Regional Vice President. “By protecting irreplaceable habitat and the plants and animals that it supports, we can ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy its natural beauty.” 

While the RMNP is highly regarded as a large and important representative sample of this Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland (RMAP) ecozone, it is also known that the park proper is insufficient to provide the ongoing habitat needs of the entire region.  Thus additional effort and protection is required by NCC and others.

NCC along with its partners announced the protection of three new properties comprising an additional 462 acres (187 hectares) in the RMAP area.  These three parcels were selected for protection largely due to their habitat value and their strategic location within the RMAP and they are vital components of larger landscapes.  This creates networks of protected areas that give species the room they require to survive.

One of the properties lies at the northern end of the Little Saskatchewan River Valley about a half mile east of Riding Mountain National Park.  While this portion of the Riding Mountain upland is dominated by aspen, woodland, and pothole wetlands, the southeast half of the property is characterized by lowlands where two streams wind through.

The second property is within NCC's Elk Glen project, directly south of the Deep Lake road.  While part is farmed, the remainder of the property contains aspen parkland, boreal forest and permanent wetlands.  The surrounding area is home to a variety of wildlife including elk, moose, wolf, white-tailed deer, coyote, red fox, and the occasional cougar.  On June 12, volunteers from the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas Project identified 70 different bird species including the threatened Olive-sided Flycatcher a species at risk in Canada, during a survey on the Elk Glen project.

Northeast of Erickson, the Proven family has generously donated a conservation easement on land they own, thus ensuring that no development will take place and natural values of the land will be preserved.  This mixed habitat provides excellent grassland bird nesting cover, shelter, feeding and breeding grounds for many mammals, birds, and invertebrates.

Conservation easements, or Conservation Agreements (CAs) as they are also known, are a tool that allows landowners to continue to hold title to the land and to permanently protect the habitat on their property for future generations.  

The Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland represents one of the last remaining ecologically functional landscapes in prairie Canada, according to NCC.  Species and habitats of northern, western and eastern Canada meet here. Prairie wildflowers give way to aspen parkland, which yields to highland evergreens and lowland eastern hardwood forest.
This work ensures that habitat is preserved for the survival of a long list of wildlife that includes black bear, elk, cougar and several at risk species such as the loggerhead shrike and the redheaded woodpecker.

A number of partners have made possible the acquisition and long-term care of these three properties.  The Government of Canada is providing support under the Natural Areas Conservation Program. 

The Province of Manitoba has also provided funding as part of a $7 million Conservation Program Grant that it is providing to NCC's Manitoba Region to support the conservation and protection of areas of ecological significance in Manitoba.