The Nature Conservancy of Canada announced the establishment of a priority conservation site at Buffalo Pound, located 134.8 kilometres north of Assiniboia.

The area consists of 866 hectares of native grasslands and seven kilometres of shoreline along Buffalo Pound Lake’s north shore. These grasslands help filter the drinking water for approximately one-quarter of the province’s population, including the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw and several surrounding communities.

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The not-for-profit, charitable land conservation organization had worked on the Buffalo Pound project for two years. NCC has raised over 85 per cent of the funds required to complete the project. An additional $525,000 is needed to save this piece of Buffalo Pound for the long term.

The NCC is working to ensure the Buffalo Pound area continues to provide quality drinking water for residents and a safe habitat for endangered species. To complete this conservation project, NCC launched a public fundraising campaign. People can help protect Buffalo Pound by donating at ConserveGrasslands.ca.

Native grasslands are an endangered ecosystem. The property is in the Upper Qu’Appelle Natural Area, which is an important wildlife habitat corridor. This natural area is home to many plants and animals, as well as wildlife listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, such as Sprague’s pipit, bobolink, Baird’s sparrow, the American badger and the northern leopard frog.

This area is at risk for future development, as shorelines are in demand for recreation and industry. Conserving this important natural area can sustain a healthy ecosystem as well as supporting recreational and economic needs. Keeping the province’s grasslands and lakes healthy benefits both the people and wildlife depending on them.

“NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is a beautiful area containing native grasslands along a premium shoreline. Conserving these grasslands is one of the most important things we can do to help the plants and animals that live there, as well as filter the air we breathe and provide quality drinking water in southern Saskatchewan,” said Cameron Wood, Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Saskatchewan.

Located 20 minutes northeast of Moose Jaw, Buffalo Pound Provincial Park is the heart of a major recreational area with cottage developments, hiking and biking trails and canoeing, kayaking and boating opportunities. The park maintains a bison herd in a paddock located amongst the rolling hills. NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is situated at the other end of the provincial park.

The NCC’s Buffalo Pound project will help protect Saskatchewan’s native grasslands, which are some of the rarest and most at-risk habitats in the world. Over the past 25 years, Saskatchewan has lost more than 809,000 hectares of native grasslands. Today, less than 20 per cent of native grasslands remains in the province. Grasslands are crucial for buffering water and sequestering and storing carbon. Grasslands are also critical stopover sites for migratory birds and they provide habitat for waterfowl and imperilled species.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the nation's leading not-for-profit, private land conservation organization, working to protect the nation’s important natural areas along with the species they sustain. Since 1962, the NCC and its partners have helped to conserve 14 million hectares across the country. In Saskatchewan, more than 198,219 hectares (489,810 acres) have been protected.