The Nebo conservation site. Photo by Matthew Braun
There’s a unique opportunity in the Prince Albert area this weekend for anyone looking to get out into nature.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada is hosting a bio-blitz where volunteers can help them keep track of plant life and wildlife.
The 439-acre Nebo site is about 70 kilometres west of Prince Albert, and was chosen for the conservation project because it’s a high-quality habitat for wildlife. The mix of forest, wetlands, and prairie grasslands makes it a prime location to scout out at-risk species like the little brown bat, northern long-haired bat, songbirds and whooping crane.
“Our goal is basically to record what’s there” so if the volunteers discover at-risk species the conservancy will have a baseline to track and target their monitoring, explained the conservancy’s scientist, Sarah Ludlow.
The long-term goal is to promote bio-diversity and keep natural habitat intact, Ludlow said.
“If you have a diverse wildlife community that usually means you have a healthy system. If you take out a little piece, then the rest of it doesn’t quite work right so more diversity usually means that you have a healthy system and that everything is working the way it should,” she said.
“Once you lose a lot of these species or different habitats in general it’s really hard to get them back. So it’s easier to preserve what you have than try to restore something late.”
People of all ages are invited to help out during the Saturday Bio-Blitz, where people with experience cataloging wildlife can help out.
To learn more about the event, follow this link to natureconservancy.ca