After a summer campaign, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has announced that the not-for-profit land conservation organization has finalized the purchase of 2,140 acres of grasslands at Buffalo Pound, including 7km of shoreline along the north shore.

Over the past 25 years, Saskatchewan has lost more than two million acres of native grassland, with less than 20 per cent of it now remaining

Director of Conservation for the NCC in Saskatchewan, Cameron Wood, said "NCC’s Buffalo Pound property is a beautiful area that contains native grasslands along a premium shoreline. Conserving these grasslands is one of the most important things we can do to help the plants and animals that live there, as well as filter the air we breathe and provide quality drinking water in southern Saskatchewan."

The grasslands that the NCC purchased helps protect drinking water that goes to approximately one-quarter of the province's population, including Moose Jaw and Regina. The area also houses wildlife that is listed under Canada's Species at risk act.

Now that the property has been acquired, NCC’s science staff will conduct a thorough inventory of all plant and animal species in the coming weeks. This information will be used to develop a management plan to help protect the species and conserve their habitat.

The acquisition of NCC’s Buffalo Pound property was made possible thanks to the generous financial support of several partners. The Government of Canada is a major contributor through the Canada Nature Fund, including the Natural Heritage Conservation Program and the Canada Nature Fund components of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. The Government of Saskatchewan contributed through the Fish and Wildlife Development Fund. Other substantial contributors that have provided funds to the project include MapleCross Fund, K+S Potash Canada, Joyce Gemmell Jessen Habitat Conservation Fund, Sharon Downs, Leslie Ann Chandler, Susan and Brad Hertz, Wendy Woodland and Chris Selness. Many other individual donors also supported this conservation project.