Grasslands 101
First the facts about Grasslands:
- Grasslands comprise less than 1% of BC's land base, and are home to more than 1/3 of BC's endangered and at-risk species, according to BC Grasslands.
- Over 60% of species that breed in the province can be found here. EK's Rocky Mountain Trench has the largest population of elk, mule deer and white-tailed deer in BC. In addition, over 70% of the birds found in BC habitate in the East Kootenay grasslands (where Clear Sky is located). Source: BC Grasslands.
- Of all of BC's grasslands, those in the East Kootenays are under the most serious pressure, due to issues like human settlement and development, disruption of the natural fire cycle/forest ingrowth, invasive species, and unsustainable management practices.
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And now the facts about Clear Sky:
- Clear Sky is located right in the heart of a grasslands ecosystem.
- Clear Sky is located in key winter ungulate habitat, with Crown Land on two sides and large ranches on the other two.
- It is home to a resident population of badgers (red-listed in BC, with an estimated >200 in the province).
- Bald eagles, grizzlies, black bears, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, coyote, elk and deer and many species of other birds are regularly sighted on or near the Clear Sky property. Bring your binocs!
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The Endangered Native Grasslands project began in earnest at Clear Sky in 2010 with our 'Hands-on Grasslands Restoration & Reclamation' workshops. Click here to read about what we achieved and plans for 2011 and beyond.
You might be wondering about the difference between ‘restoration' and ‘reclamation.' This simple explanation might help:
"Restoration is often defined as the return of an ecosystem to its condition prior to human disturbance, recreating a landscape so that its structure and function closely resemble a natural community. Reclamation, on the other hand, is often defined as the reestablishment of some attributes of an ecosystem, ameliorating damage when a landscape is too degraded to return it to a pre-disturbance state."
(Jillian Lay, University of Minnesota)
After you've checked out our projects and upcoming courses page, please take a look at the following links to gain more information on this vital endeavour:
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