50 years of rare tall grass prairie celebrated

Kristin Bestvater is always glad when she heads to Winnipeg’s St. James neighbourhood and visits the Living Prairie Museum.

“It’s beautiful,” Bestvater said of the 13-hectare site, which is one of the last remaining tall grass prairies in North America. “I don’t know how many other cities would have something like this.”

The Island Lakes resident and her nine-year-old son were among the hundreds of people who gathered at the museum on Saturday to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Designated a park in 1974, it officially became the Living Prairie Museum in 1976 with the opening of an interpretive centre which houses a gallery of exhibits, a gift shop and an observation deck.

The preserve is located at 2795 Ness Ave. and is home to more than 150 different grass and wildflower species. Staff offer guided hikes and environmental education programs for all ages, and visitors can walk the museum’s self-guided trail year-round.

As part of Saturday’s celebration, city officials and funding partners announced a revitalization project that aims to honour the site’s history while also preserving it for future generations.

Upgrades will include new multilingual interpretive signage, an expansion to the medicine garden, new seating around the interpretive centre and a new path accessible to visitors with wheelchairs, walkers and strollers.

“We often will hear something that I’ve even heard today, which is (that) a lot of people didn’t even know we were here,” said Marika Olynyk, curator at the museum. “This gives us a chance to reach out to new communities to offer a space for more diverse people to come and visit the prairie.”

The City of Winnipeg is contributing almost $60,000 to the project through the Land Dedication Reserve Fund. Meanwhile, the province contributed a $56,000 grant through the Manitoba Habitat Conservancy’s Conservation Trust.

The museum is also receiving $15,000 from Trails Manitoba and $13,000 from Friends of the Living Prairie Museum, a non-profit that supports the preserve.

Mike Moyes, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and MLA for Riel, described it as “a momentous day.”

“(The prairie) doesn’t come first to mind when we think about the environment,” he said. “Oftentimes people think of trees or we think of our lakes and our rivers, and those are all important — don’t get me wrong. But just as important are our prairies, and this museum plays such an important role in telling that story.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham noted the museum’s longevity.

“Fifty years is quite the milestone,” he said. “Not everybody or every organization or entity makes it to 50 years. But the fact that we’re into five decades here is really indicative of the love and care that people have for the Living Prairie Museum.”

Gillingham praised the Friends of the Living Prairie Museum, describing them as unsung heroes whose steady behind-the-scenes work keeps the preserve going. He also expressed his enthusiasm for the revitalization project.

“The investment into the Living Prairie Museum means that it will be more accessible for more people for years and years to come,” Gillingham said.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors participate in the museum’s programs each year, Olynyk said. She estimates that “at least twice that many” people visit the preserve to walk the self-guided trail.

The museum employs three full-time staff members year-round, plus additional seasonal staff in the summertime, Olynyk said.

The museum held its 50th anniversary celebration in conjunction with its annual Monarch Butterfly Festival. The family-friendly event included a display of live butterflies, a milkweed plant giveaway, art activities and a plant sale.

The festival continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca