| Fast Facts |
location
48 miles west of Regina, Saskatchewan
ecoregion
Mixed Grassland
project size
36,000 square miles
preserves
John E. Williams and Davis Ranch, in North Dakota; Ordway Prairie, in South Dakota; Thunder Creek, in Saskatchewan (owned by Nature Conservancy of Canada)
public lands
Lostwood, Florence Lake, Long Lake, Chase Lake and Lake George national wildlife refuges, in North Dakota
partners
Nature Conservancy of Canada, Environment Canada, Saskatchewan Government, Ducks Unlimited Canada, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Nature Saskatchewan
natural events
shorebird migration, late May; migration of the burrowing owl, piping plover, Sprague’s pipit and loggerhead shrike, spring and fall | |
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Conservationists work across an international boundary to protect a unique landscape critical to both agriculture and some of the world’s largest concentrations of waterfowl and grassland birds. |
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Prairie sunflowers.
© Jim Brandenburg/Minden Pictures |
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The 36,000-square-mile Missouri Coteau snakes south from Saskatchewan, across the U.S.-Canada border into the Dakotas. Once nomadic tribes followed herds of migrating bison across the landscape’s extensive glacial moraine to stay close to their source of food, clothing and tools. Awash with rolling hills and grasslands, saline lakes and wetlands called prairie potholes, the Missouri Coteau is still host to bountiful wildlife.
Usually less than one acre in size, prairie potholes are shallow, freshwater wetlands that were created by retreating glaciers. About 100 potholes can dot a square mile of the Missouri Coteau. Catching snow and rain from surrounding hills, potholes provide perfect habitat for a variety of birds. Nearby forests host ruffed grouse, while grassland birds like Sprague’s pipit, long-billed curlew and the burrowing owl roam stands of native shortgrass prairie. The abundance of mallards, gadwalls, northern shovelers and blue winged teal make this one of the most important areas for waterfowl reproduction in North America. |
Burrowing owlets.
© Art Wolfe |
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Since early settlement, this terrain has yielded coal, oil and enough potash—a plant nutrient used in fertilizers and ceramics—to supply the world for a thousand years. The rich tapestry of soils woven from several ice ages drew people who would farm the land. | |
Today much of the native prairie has given way to cultivated grasses of spring wheat, barley and oats. Often prairie potholes have been drained and converted into farmland, or contaminated by nutrients and pesticides applied to crops. These intensive changes are leading to a rapid decline in the diverse birds and prairies that characterize the region.
Founded by The Nature Conservancy and our independent partner Nature Conservancy of Canada, the Canada/U.S. Conservation Partnership is uniting conservationists from both nations to protect threatened natural landscapes that span the international boundary. In the Missouri Coteau, the partnership is working to protect at least 10,000 acres over three years through acquisition, easements and innovative partnerships with local government and private landowners.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Canada. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
wheatgrass, June grass, wolf willow, snowberry, aspen, Saskatoon, hairy prairie clover, prairie crocus, yellow-bellied racer, burrowing owl, Sprague’s pipit, whooping crane, swift fox
stresses
unsustainable agriculture, habitat fragmentation, natural resource extraction, invasive non-native weeds
strategies
promote ecologically compatible land-use practices, build conservation alliances, undertake scientific research, acquire land, secure conservation easements, protect water quality, combat invasive species
results
protected more than 4,000 acres in less than two years through the North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant program | | | | |
