Urban Tall Grass Prairie
Parks Creek Sub-Distirct
Project Overview
Tall grass prairies are unique ecosystems native to central North America. They are composed of numerous plants and grasses that vary in height and shape, giving the landscape a dynamic edge.
Native plant species put on a continually changing display of colour and life throughout the summer; when one flower begins to wilt another is beginning to bloom. This cycle begins in early spring with the blooming of the Prairie Crocus and ends with many vibrant grasses in the late fall.
The prairie needs to be burned every few years to promote new growth and fertilize the soils. Insects and animals also aid the prairies’ growth though pollination and fertilization.
There are currently less than one percent of the original tall grass Prairie in our Province. In June 2015, The Manitoba Government designated the tall grass prairie as an endangered ecosystem under the Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. The change will protect at risk species that rely on the habitat found within this ecosystem.
The East Interlake Watershed District began its involvement with the Gaynor Family Regional Library in its early stages of construction. In the southern portion of the Library’s property is a three acre section that has been enhanced to replicate a native tall grass prairie.
This piece of native prairie also includes a holding area for surface runoff from the buildings roof, parking lot and surrounding area. This water is collected in a sedge meadow bioswale; a landscape designed with a gentle slope covered in vegetation, giving it the ability to act as a filter to remove excess nutrients and pollutants from the surface runoff.
There were over fifty native flowers and ten native grasses planted at the site.
Tall grass prairies are unique ecosystems native to central North America. They are composed of numerous plants and grasses that vary in height and shape, giving the landscape a dynamic edge.
Native plant species put on a continually changing display of colour and life throughout the summer; when one flower begins to wilt another is beginning to bloom. This cycle begins in early spring with the blooming of the Prairie Crocus and ends with many vibrant grasses in the late fall.
The prairie needs to be burned every few years to promote new growth and fertilize the soils. Insects and animals also aid the prairies’ growth though pollination and fertilization.
There are currently less than one percent of the original tall grass Prairie in our Province. In June 2015, The Manitoba Government designated the tall grass prairie as an endangered ecosystem under the Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. The change will protect at risk species that rely on the habitat found within this ecosystem.
The East Interlake Watershed District began its involvement with the Gaynor Family Regional Library in its early stages of construction. In the southern portion of the Library’s property is a three acre section that has been enhanced to replicate a native tall grass prairie.
This piece of native prairie also includes a holding area for surface runoff from the buildings roof, parking lot and surrounding area. This water is collected in a sedge meadow bioswale; a landscape designed with a gentle slope covered in vegetation, giving it the ability to act as a filter to remove excess nutrients and pollutants from the surface runoff.
There were over fifty native flowers and ten native grasses planted at the site.
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