Venturing through the Tall Grass: Experiencing the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve

Authors

Christie L. Borkowsky, Critical Wildlife Habitat ProgramFollow
Erin Zahradka, Critical Wildlife Habitat Program

Date of this Version

8-2014

Document Type

Article

Citation

Proceedings of the 23rd North American Prairie Conference, August 2012, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg

The Prairie Naturalist 46: 123-125. August 2014

Comments

Published by the Great Plains Natural Science Society, 2012. Used by permission.

Abstract

The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve (hereafter the Preserve) was established in 1989 with a goal of protecting a vanishing habitat and to educate the general public of the importance of native grasslands (M. Latta, Nature Manitoba, personal communication). Starting in the early 1990s, an annual Prairie Day event was organized in early August to provide a means of interaction between prairie enthusiasts, the general public and local residents. Self-guiding interpretive trails with rustic amenities were established in 1996 and 2004. School programs, tours, and a simple two-page newsletter have been used to promote the Preserve and bring out visitors since that time. Guest books located at trail heads and at a welcome table during special events have produced a growing list of communities from which visitors have traveled. In the past 13 years people have visited from many communities across Manitoba, nine Canadian provinces and one territory, as well as 37 American states and 15 other countries.