Protecting Grassland Preserves The Fabric Of Rural Communities

Part of the cultural identity of rural communities stems from the ecosystem which they are situated in; for the Pembina Valley, it's grasslands.

As the most prominent biome in our region and concern for the future of it, A Rocha held their nature talk on the topic of grasslands.

Inviting Leanna Wiebe to talk on the subject, Wiebe currently lives in Morden and was a student at the University of Manitoba. She worked on her undergraduate's research project in the RM of Stanley on the socioeconomic value of grasslands on the Manitoba escarpment.  

Jamie Fox Director of A Rocha Pembina Valley Interpretive Centre says Wiebe had encouraged those in attendance to share what their experiences of grasslands were.

"Grasslands are used in a lot of different ways, from raising beef, photography, walking your dog, looking at flowers, doing birding. There are so many things and the group that was there expressed that."

When it comes to the current state of grasslands it’s a complicated question explains Fox. When it comes to prairies we are down to approximately one percent of original long-grass prairies, with a slightly higher number of mixed-grass.

However, there are a number of grasslands in our local area says Fox, used for hay or cattle. He shares that some people do have concerns about the continued trend of the development of these grasslands.

During her research, Wiebe interviewed 15 people involved in maintaining grasslands in someway, asking them how they maintain grasslands and the value of grasslands in the future. These questions were to show the role grasslands play in the fabric of a rural community.

Beyond its role ecologically as the habitat for local wildlife, reducing erosion, and preventing minerals from seeping into water sources, grassland preservation serves an economic advantage.

"Supporting the cattle industry, specifically people that are raising grass-fed beef, these are the people maintaining grasslands on the landscape. Without people doing that or making an economic living off the grasslands then that removes the intensive to keep grasslands around."

Pastures are some of the last remaining grasslands says Wiebe and it's those who maintain those grasslands and rely on them for business.

Wiebe says for anyone who is interested in visiting a grassland site there is a mixed grassland are outside the Pembina Valley Interpretive Centre near the Pembina Valley Provincial Park, and grasslands open to the public along the Trans Canada Trail, as well as small grasslands at the Discovery Nature Sanctuary in Winkler.