Programs

Guided Tours

Available by request throughout the summer. Contact the Preserve Headquarters for more information.

School Programs

Grade 4: Tall Grass Prairie Adventure - Explore the upland, wetland and river communities that make up the tall grass prairie ecosystem. Find out how various plants, insects, mammals and birds have adapted to this habitat and how they react to both natural and man-made disturbances.

Students have fun with the Habitat Lap Sit, which illustrates how all parts of a community are dependent on all others. They will discover the impact of both small and large disturbances on the balance within an ecosystem.

Both students and teachers agree that there is no substitue for real-life exploration of upland, wetland and river communities. Check out various adaptation techniques and see, first-hand, the effects of weather, fire and other disturbances on this endangered ecosystem.

Grade 5: Life on the Tall Grass Prairie - Why was the tall grass prairie the most sought after ecosystem in North America by European settlers? A tour through the Canadian prairies will compare Canada's short grass, mixed grass and tall grass prairie regions from both geographical and agricultural perspectives. Students will learn how land forms, water systems, climate and vegetation work together to form the different soiul types and how these soil types define the way of life in these regions. In turn, the impact of agriculture on the tall grass prairie will be explored.

Soil samples taken from short, mixed and tall grass prairie regions allow students to visualize the difference in soil fertility as they move across the prairie provinces.

The field trip will demonstrate why early settlers flocked to the area which is now the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, what life was like for them, and why the area was abandoned and left virtually unscathed. A soil pit will demonstrate the type of soil found in this area.

Grade 6: Back to the Tall Grass Prairie - The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is home to over 350 plant species, 170 birds, 165 butterflies, 14 reptiles and amphibians and 50 mammals. Find out the unique ways that organisms have adapted to their prairie environment. We will show how European settlement has affected the diversity of prairie life. You may be surprised.

Have you ever wondered how Native people survived on the tall grass prairie without modern conveniences? Discover how to tan animal hides the natural way, start a fire without matches and make food, shelter, medicines, tools and more! The "Medicine Bag" demonstration is constantly being revised to include more of the wonderful gifts of the prairie.

See for yourself the diversity that exists on the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve. We will visit upland and wetland areas and use plant sampling to compare the diversity of living things that are found in each area.