Grassland conservation area announced in Milk River Basin

A wide swath of rolling hills and native grasslands in southwest Saskatchewan is a major new conservation area.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has announced a 1,222 hectares conservation area, known as the Wideview Complex, next to Grasslands National Park.

The group says grasslands are considered the world's most endangered ecosystem and in Saskatchewan, 80 per cent of the original grasslands have been lost to development.

The new conservation area is in the Milk River Basin, which is the habitat for species at risk including the endangered burrowing owl, the endangered greater sage grouse and the threatened swift fox.

Jennifer McKillop, director of conservation for the Nature Conservancy of Canada in Saskatchewan, says the Milk River Basin is an area where ranchers have maintained a productive habitat for several species at risk for generations.

She says the securement of the Wideview Complex means future generations will be able to continue to enjoy the area.