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Allan Downey’s family farm was homesteaded in the 1880s. At the  time, Downey’s great-grandfather fenced mixed-grass prairie that was  grazed by massive bison herds. Now the family runs a cow-calf operation.

"We’ve always had cattle every generation and we enjoy them," Downey said.

Protecting native habitat is essential for his operation, he  explained. Eighty per cent of Manitoba’s mixed-grass prairie has  disappeared, and the grasslands protected at his farm are helping to  save many prairie species, including the endangered Ferruginous Hawk,  Baird’s Sparrow and Sprague’s Pipit.

His partnership with the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation  (MHHC) has allowed Downey to bring several new activities to the farm  including perimeter pasture fencing, cross fencing, dugouts, watering  systems and shrub mowing — all are centred on preserving mixed-grass  prairie.

Downey connected with the MHHC after purchasing land off the Souris River. He soon learned the organization was offering funding to  operators to put a caveat on land to leave it essentially untouched.

"That sat right into what we were wanting and believed in, and  we’ve just continued ever since," Downey said. "It fell in line with  what we wanted the land to stay as."

The MHHC projects proved to be a good fit for the farm because  the organization was making funding available for projects he was  already looking to undertake.

He would encourage other producers interested in partnering  with the MHHC to do so because of the success he has found in their  collaborations, and the aid in helping maintain the land in its historic  natural condition.

"We care a lot for our cows and native prairie grasslands,"  said Allan. "There are fewer cattle producers every year, and 2021 was a  tough year for many. It is encouraging that MHHC understands that beef  producers are protecting their grasslands, raising food and helping  endangered species at the same time. It is nice to feel appreciated."

MHHC conservation specialist Tom Moran said protecting the  about 15 per cent of the remnants of mixed-grass prairie and native  grasslands left in Manitoba and the species living in these ecosystems  remains critical.

"Every time we lose habitat and lose species, that’s a mark  against our ability to manage the landscape and manage the planet,"  Moran said. "These lands evolved under grazing management, and I think  it’s important to keep that in place to have healthy grasslands and  healthy wildlife species that rely on those grasslands."

The idea behind the program and partnership with Manitoba Beef  Producers is that native grasslands are important for wildlife,  especially listed and threatened species, Moran said. The MHHC can  provide funding and support to participating producers through different  programs or easements.

"That’s been the primary long-term protection tool in the  southwest and in areas where there are mixed-grass prairie," Moran said.

The MHHC works with producers to provide funding for  improvements including fencing, water management, water supply, brush  control and other activities. Moran added the MHHC also shares insights  on different grazing systems with those who are interested.

"We’re looking to help them continue to manage those grasslands  in a favourable way and support what they’re doing to raise beef and  support their families," Moran said. "In some cases, we’ll provide some  fencing and water systems that facilitate rotational grazing. It’s up to  the producer at the end of the day in terms of how he manages his  landscape, but we provide some support and advice."

The MHHC is continuing to pursue long-term protection for  native grasslands in Manitoba, and this has been accomplished at times  through conservation easements protecting the lands in perpetuity, like  the project undertaken by the Downeys.

"We have a responsibility to monitor what is happening there so  we do annual inspections and then as programs like this one become  available we will seek out our co-operators and see what kind of  opportunities we can work on," Moran said.

As producers learn about available MHHC programming, Moran  noted they are one of several organizations offering incentives for land  management. They are seeing increased engagement.

"I think folks see what’s happening, and they see the support  they can get, and your phone will ring and someone will be interested in  some programming, or then we’ll get a referral from one farmer to  another to have some conversation about our programs," Moran said.

The partnership with Manitoba Beef Producers began accepting  applications for the project in 2017, hitting the landscape in 2018. The  programming began with a focus area along the southwest part of the  province and along the Souris River.

They are now expanding to a larger target area that encompasses  a broader part of the landscape, Moran said, while keeping a focus on  grasslands and wildlife.

MHHC can now work with producers to deliver programs from the  Saskatchewan border, to south of Riding Mountain National Park to just  west of Winnipeg.

Areas for funding are targeted based on ecology, landscape features and survey information on species.

For producers participating in projects, the MHHC will complete  a range of management evaluations, additional surveys of species and  examines uptakes in programming to measure the success of the program.  This data in turn ties back to the preservations of biodiversity,  habitat, grasslands and species.

"When we see the program growing and expanding, that says  something," Moran said. "The take-home is preserving this natural cover  and supporting the folks that are doing the actual heavy lifting — the  [people] who actually work on the landscape and that’s the landowners —  and they’re trying to make a living and raise families and keep the  rural fabric going here in Manitoba. That’s important stuff."

Protecting ecosystems in the province is for the benefit of all  Manitobans, grasslands and native species conservation, said MHHC  director of conservation Kurt Mazur.

"The grasslands are an at-risk ecosystem — its focus is a lot  more on species conservation and habitat conservation," Mazur said.  "That’s where our focus on the grasslands is really, really, really  geared towards."

The native prairie is one of the most threatened ecosystems in  North America, Mazur said. Mixed-grass prairie is more abundant than  tall-grass prairie, but it remains at risk, affecting the plants, bugs  and animals that rely on it as a habitat.

These ecosystems are at risk due to cultivation. He noted once  an area is cultivated and put into an annual crop rotation restoration  is incredibly difficult.

The goal of MHHC is to ensure it is maintained on the landscape and cattle producers are an essential part of that formula.

Cattle can serve as a surrogate for the bison that once roamed the prairies.

"Just like bison, they clip the plants, they put pressure on  the plants, and their hooves are on the ground working the ground to  expose the ground for seed germination," Mazur. "They’re very good  surrogates for bison on the landscape in that way. They’re a type of  pressure on the landscape."

The MHHC encourages producers to not keep cattle in one area  for an entire summer of grazing, moving the cattle gives the grass a  chance to regrow using a rotational system.

Without support from beef producers and other livestock producers, the value of the land turns to cultivated acres.

"The connection of beef and grasslands is just essential," Mazur said.