Originally spanning two provinces and five states, and covering more than 160 million acres (65 million hectares), the semi-arid mixed grass prairie was one of North America’s major ecosystems. Most of the mixed grass prairie disappeared rapidly with settlement and the conversion of grassland to cropland, and today, only about 30 percent remains in Canada near the Cypress Hills and along the Frenchman River Valley. Thanks to the previous owners, Peter and Sharon Butala, the 13,100-acre (5,300-hectare) Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area, also known as OMB, is one of the best remaining examples of this precious habitat.
Sweeping vistas of the open prairie, incredible sunrises and sunsets and an abundance of wildflowers and grassland birds are just some of the many natural attractions of this remarkable place. The ranch is a haven for wildlife rarely seen by most Canadians. Small herds of Pronghorn Antelope frequent the property, and habitat exists here for imperiled species such as the Burrowing Owl, Long-billed Curlew, Swift Fox and Ferruginous Hawk.
The dry prairie landscape is under great threat of cultivation in southwestern Saskatchewan. Fortunately, this property is surrounded on three sides by federally and provincially owned community pasture, forming a large block of intact native prairie.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has conserved the Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area in perpetuity in partnership with Peter and Sharon Butala, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management and Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food. In addition, a number of partnerships with other conservation organizations and corporations have since developed through restoring the property's cultivated lands back to native grass as well as through the development of an education and research component to the project. The new visitor centre located on the property provides NCC with a unique opportunity to share the natural and cultural heritage of the prairie with people from around the world. The visitor centre showcases the beauty of the prairie, outlines its incredible history, and demonstrates the positive relationship between ranching and the environment.
The OMB legacy was made possible in 1996 through the generosity of numerous corporate and conservation partners, foundations and individuals. The partners in the project determined that it was necessary to document the existing ecological and cultural resources of the property and develop a management plan to ensure maintenance of the integrity of these resources. The management planning process began in 1997 and to date, several assessments and reports have been completed.
In December of 2003, 50 Plains Bison were transported to the 13,000-acre mixed grass prairie at OMB. This fulfilled NCC’s vision of reintroducing the native grazer to the site with the goal of maintaining and enhancing biodiversity.
The visitors centre is open weekends from May to September. Visitors should contact the T.rex Discovery Centre in Eastend for current travel information at 306-295-4009.
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