Important bird habitat now being protected near Cranbrook

While it may seem like a losing battle when it comes to the preservation of nature, a rare B.C. grassland that is home to at-risk and endangered animals will now be under protection.

In a release, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) says, it has recently secured rare grasslands in Skookumchuk Prairie, north of Cranbrook that otherwise may have been sold.

Richard Klafki, BC Rocky Mountains Program Director with the Nature Conservancy says the now-protected land helps ensure the survival of some at-risk and endangered animals.

“This new conservation area has nesting long-billed curlews which is kind of like a large Sandpiper on steroids. I say it’s like a knee-high shorebird that from the West Coast,” he said. “Another species at risk that’s really interesting at the lewis’s woodpecker, so that combined with also what is in range of the endangered American Badger.”

He says the critical grassland and forest habitat near Wasa, was at threat of being lost to conversion and development.

“Often the areas in the valley bottoms are not really thought about for conservation, but that’s often where the highest species at risk are,” he said. “It’s really important for wetlands and so being able to conserve some of these key areas.”

He says this preservation comes at a time when B.C. and other parts of Canada see increasing development pressure and people moving to the countryside.

“What’s interesting though, I think since post COVID, is that people recognize that being out in nature is really important for them,” he said.

“So being able to sort of tackle the twin crisis of biodiversity loss with climate change and be able to conserve some of these large intact conservation areas is really important for the benefit of the community as well as nature itself.”

This project was funded in part by the Government of Canada through the Natural Heritage Conservation Program, part of Canada’s Nature Fund. The Conservancy says the funds went into buying the 667 acres of land in Skookumchuk Prairie.