The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) are working together to help conserve one of the largest remaining areas of Prairie grasslands and wetlands in the Country.
A 130-year old ranch, McIntyre Ranch, located to the south of Lethbridge, will be conserved through an agreement with the landowners and the NCC and DUC. It’s once of the largest private landholdings in Canada and reaches over 22,000 hectares.
Once completed, this will represent the largest private land conservation project across the Prairies and the largest in Canadian history.
“Prairie grasslands feed us, filter our water, clean our air — and are rapidly vanishing. But conservation projects like the McIntyre Ranch give me hope,” says Catherine Grenier, President & CEO, Nature Conservancy of Canada.
“Each swaying blade of grass and drop of water, every at-risk animal nurtured by this vast landscape, is now protected. That’s testament to the strength of the partnerships that make it possible. Drawing together the commitments of governments, individuals, companies, NGOs and of course, the Thrall family, we are taking a massive and critical leap towards slowing grasslands loss. By conserving the McIntyre’s cultural and natural history today we are securing a nature-positive future for us all.”
The NCC recently launched a campaign to raise the remaining $3 million that’s needed to help complete the project.
Grasslands are one of the most threatened and least protected ecosystems in the world, with over 80 per cent of them lost in Canada and worldwide.
The McIntyre Ranch has 3,600 wetland basins, ranging from small seasonal wetlands to larger lakes.
“Since 1894, the stewardship of McIntyre Ranch has been on the shoulders of two generations of McIntyres and three generations of the Thrall family (on the cusp of a fourth). We are grateful to be partnering with NCC and DUC as we work together and share the responsibility to conserve prairie grasslands,” says Ralph A, Thrall III, President & CEO, McIntyre Ranching Co. Ltd.
“This relationship will help us achieve our sustainable ranching practices in conjunction with our “balance with nature” philosophy. We are proud to play a role in conserving something that is the way that it used to be.”
Anyone looking for more information on this conservation or wants to donate to the campaign can do so here.
