A 2003 survey of the McIntyre Ranch reported more than 150 plant and wildlife species, including 13 species at risk.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) are working together to conserve one of the largest remaining tracts of intact Prairie grasslands and wetlands in Canada.
McIntyre Ranch south of Lethbridge will be conserved through an agreement (conservation easement) between the land owners and the two organizations.
This 130-year-old ranch is one of the largest private landholdings in Canada, and spans over 22,000 hectares — an area more than a quarter the size of Calgary.
“We are grateful to be partnering with NCC and DUC as we work together and share the responsibility to conserve prairie grasslands,” said Ralph A. Thrall III, president and CEO of McIntyre Ranching Co. Ltd.
“This relationship will help us achieve our sustainable ranching practices in conjunction with our ‘balance with nature’ philosophy.”
Since 1894 stewardship of the McIntyre Ranch had fallen to two generations of McIntyres and three generations of the Thrall family.
“We are proud to play a role in conserving something that is the way that it used to be,” Thrall said.
“Prairie grasslands feed us, filter our water, clean our air — and are rapidly vanishing. But conservation projects like the McIntyre Ranch give me hope. Each swaying blade of grass and drop of water, every at-risk animal nurtured by this vast landscape, is now protected.”
When it is completed, the project will represent the largest private land conservation project achieved to date across the Canadian Prairies and the largest conservation agreement in Canadian history.
The Thrall family, owners of the ranch, have worked with NCC and DUC to set in place provisions to protect the natural integrity of McIntyre’s grasslands and wetlands.
This will ensure McIntyre Ranch stays a breathtaking and vital landscape in perpetuity, while remaining a working cattle ranch owned by the Thralls.
Grasslands are one of the most threatened and least protected ecosystems world-wide.
Canada’s grasslands continue to disappear due to land conversion, with nearly 60,000 hectares lost every year, including an estimated 10,000 hectares annually in Alberta.
Today, only about 26 per cent of native prairie grasslands remain in Alberta. As a result of this massive alteration on the land, grassland species are some of the most imperiled in Canada and many are rapidly declining.
“By conserving the McIntyre’s cultural and natural history today we are securing a nature-positive future for us all,” said Catherine Grenier, president and CEO of the Nature Conservancy of Canada.
McIntyre Ranch is a prime, living example of the rich ecosystems that once stretched across the Great Plains. That is why this project, once completed, will be of global significance.
McIntyre Ranch features both fescue and mixed grasslands, providing a vast array of often-overlooked benefits.
Like forests, grasslands absorb large amounts of carbon. But unlike forests, grasslands store most of their carbon underground, in roots and accumulated organic matter. McIntyre’s grasslands are estimated to hold more than 3.8-million tonnes of carbon.
Intact, natural grasslands also play a key role in filtering runoff before it enters ground water and water bodies. Because of this, conserving grasslands helps maintain clean drinking water for communities.
The ranch also features 3,600 wetland basins, spanning more than 1,050 hectares. These range in size from small seasonal wetlands to large lakes.
Along with providing habitat for hundreds of species of wildlife, these ecosystems offer numerous benefits, such as lessening floods and droughts, filtering pollutants from water and storing carbon.
“The long-time stewardship of these ecosystems by the Thrall and McIntyre families is an inspiring example of the powerful role that can be played by land owners in making a difference for nature conservation,” said Michael Nadler, chief executive officer of Ducks Unlimited Canada. “We are grateful to them for their stewardship and to all partners in wetland conservation in the Prairies and across Canada.”
