Feb. 8, 2018, Saskatoon, Sask. – The Nature Conservancy of Canada has purchased 65 hectares of ecologically significant wetland habitat two kilometres north of Good Spirit Provincial Park in Saskatchewan.
This land is a priority conservation site because of its proximity to the provincial park and because of the threat of increasing habitat loss in the area, the NCC said in a news release.
The property, known as Spirit Creek, is located in a North American Waterfowl Management Priority Area. It supports a number of species of waterfowl during breeding and migration, including northern shoveler and blue-winged teal, as well as a diversity of other birds and wildlife.
The forest and shoreline habitat provide important shelter and foraging for moose, with the wetlands also providing additional valuable benefits, such as flood control, improving air quality and restoring ground water.
The conservation of the Spirit Creek property not only protects wetlands but also increases the connectivity of important habitat for species identified in the area, including black bear, deer, elk and moose.
NCC biologists will complete a thorough inventory of the property this spring, the release said. The inventory will include identification and confirmation of the animals and plants located on the land. This information will be used to develop a property management plan to ensure this land is managed responsibly into the future.
The Spirit Creek conservation project was funded by the federal government through the Natural Areas Conservation Program, the Saskatchewan government through the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, along with many individual donors and supporters.
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