Tallgrass Prairie Restoration in the Rice Lake Plains

The Rice Lake Plains host a unique blend of oak woodland and prairie habitats and the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) has been involved in conservation and restoration of sites in this area for years. The Van Hove property is located in the NCC’s Salt Creek Nature Reserve, which is part of the Salt Creek Environmentally Significant Area. The Van Hove property was purchased by the NCC in 2006 with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and private donors, including many local supporters, because of the property’s prairie remnants and to function as a buffer for the Red Cloud Cemetery prairie, which the original purchase abuts on two sides. The renowned cemetery prairie has original, untilled tallgrass prairie communities that NCC is buffering and expanding through active and passive restoration techniques on this 4.55 ha site. The site was recently burnt in 2024, following which tallgrass seed was collected with a mechanical harvester to be used across other Rice Lake Plains restoration sties. This tour will explore the involvement of private funders in conservation and restoration as well as explore the restoration efforts of Salt Creek Van Hove Properties and the surrounding ESA.