Management
Protection alone is not enough to keep a prairie healthy. Idle or poorly managed grasslands are often invaded by native trees and shrubs or exotic weeds. Even some native grasses, when heavily grazed or left idle, can increase to the point where they crowd out desirable species and reduce the diversity of the community. Historically grasslands were shaped by fire, drought and grazing by mammals and insects with seasonal periods of rest. Before settlers cleared the fields and ploughed firebreaks, the red buffalo, as the Plains Indians called wildfires, would rage from horizon to horizon. For tall-grass prairie, these fires were far from a destructive force, but rather an important part of prairie ecology. Fire broke down dead and decaying vegetation, returning nutrients to the soil and giving the sun an opportunity to warm the ground in early spring. The growth of trees and shrubs, which invade the prairie, was slowed by fire. Prairie plants, with much of their energy stored in underground root systems, were better adapted to fire than the shrubby invaders with their energy stored in above-ground parts.
When the prairies were in their prime, rotational grazing occurred naturally without any help from humans. A herd of bison or elk would graze an area clean and then move on to greener pastures. This continual movement provided native grasslands with fertilizer, a method of seed dispersal and seasonal periods of rest to recover and replenish their food supplies.
Because people have altered the prairie ecosystem so dramatically it is impossible to mimic the natural forces exactly. Today, management of tall-grass prairie requires the use of techniques that duplicate wildfires and grazing by wild animals. Prescribed burning, approximately once every three years, is necessary to keep the prairie healthy. To be effective and safe, managed burns need to be carefully planned and conducted under controlled conditions. Rotational grazing by native or domestic grazers can also be vital to the health of native prairies. A planned, properly managed grazing system with periods of rest can help increase the numbers of native grass species in a tall-grass prairie. Grazing can be imitated by mowing and haying, which if properly timed can encourage or discourage particular plant species. Exotic or woody species must often be hand-cleared or removed by other techniques, such as bio-control (the use of natural enemies to control non-native plants) or girdling (the removal of a layer of bark on a tree to kill the tree and prevent suckering). A combination of these activities will be used in managing Manitoba's Tall-grass Prairie Preserve.
Most lands acquired for the preserve are accessible year round for hiking and walking. Vehicle access and some other activities may be limited. On-site signage will provide further detail. Additional tall-grass prairie in the area has been conserved by the Critical Wildlife Habitat Program through lease arrangements with private landowners. Visitors must have permission from the landowner before entering private lands. Please contact the Critical Wildlife Habitat Program for more information.
Plant and animal (including butterflies) lists are available on request from the Critical Wildlife Habitat Program.
Much of the land in the Tall-grass Prairie Preserve was originally settled by pioneers from Bukovinia in the western Ukraine. The first Bukovinians arrived in Canada in 1896 and soon after settled in the Stuartburn-Gardenton area. Although the soil in this area of Manitoba was not as fertile as sites farther west in the Red River Valley, each section contained many wooded acres, a source of fuel and lumber. In many cases, stones and wetlands made cultivation of the land impossible.
Although life for these early settlers was demanding, a strong social and religious life developed. By 1900 several churches had been constructed in the area. The most notable was St. Michael's, the first permanent Ukrainian Greek Orthodox church built in Canada. This structure, in continual use since its consecration, stands as a symbol of the Ukrainian immigrants' faith and determination to preserve their religion in a new land. Original homesteads, typifying the materials and construction used by the early settlers, are found throughout the area. Artifacts from this settlement can be seen in the Gardenton Ukrainian Museum.
