Nature conservancy acquires Buffalo Pound conservation site

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is the new owner of a conservation site along Buffalo Pound Lake.

On Monday, the NCC announced the purchase of 866 hectares (2,140 acres) of native grassland and seven kilometres of shoreline along the north shore of Buffalo Pound Lake.

The governments of Canada and Saskatchewan helped fund the acquisition, along with K+S Potash Canada, the Joyce Gemmell Jessen Habitat Conservation Fund and individual donors.

“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,” Cameron Wood, the director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Saskatchewan, said in a release.

The grasslands at Buffalo Pound help filter the drinking water for about one-quarter of the province’s population, including people who live in Regina and Moose Jaw and surrounding areas.

The site is home to many plants and animals, some of which are listed in Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

“Conserving this important natural area can sustain a healthy ecosystem, including supporting recreation and economic needs,” the release added. “Keeping the province’s grasslands and lakes healthy benefits the people and wildlife who depend on them.”

The NCC noted Saskatchewan has lost more than 809,000 hectares of native grassland over the past 25 years. Only 20 per cent of the province’s original native grassland remains.