New grant encourages landowners to grow grassland - Action News
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Ottawa

New grant encourages landowners to grow grassland

A conservation authority in eastern Ontario wants more landowners and farmers to convert land to grassland to increase the endangered ecosystems.

Raisin Region has had success with projects on nearly 300 hectares since 2012

Grassland on a sunny autumn day.
The Raisin Region Conservation Authority is trying to grow and maintain more grasslands like this one. (Nelly Albrola/Radio-Canada )

A conservation authority in eastern Ontario says it is still looking to partner with landowners and farmersto convert land to grasslands, in orderto help protect theendangered ecosystems.

The Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA)launched a new grant this summer to provide up to 100 per cent of project costs to increase grasslands in its area, which includes the City of Cornwall and parts of North and South Stormont and North and South Glengarry.

The deadline for the program passed in September, but the RRCAsays it accepts expressions of interest in grassland projects at any time of the year.

Tall grasslands areOntario's most threatened type of ecosystem.

"It's an important ecosystem that provides habitat for a number of different species," said Brendan Jacobs, the authority's stewardship specialist.

A conservation officer stands in a grassy field.
Brendan Jacobs, stewardship specialist with the RRCA, says grasslands are essential ecosystems that help mitigate climate change. (Nelly Albrola/Radio-Canada )

Jacobs said grasslands help with erosion in areas where trees can't grow, such as along riverbanks, and they help filter water and air.

"They hold the soil together; they draw those nutrients deep in. They're able to bring up other nutrients that other vegetation will need to grow, and they're basically, really good at holding those soils together."

Working to maintain

Landowner Dino Intrevado has worked with the RRCA to convert some of his 65 hectares, originally used to raise horses, into grassland.

A man stands near his farmland.
Landowner Dino Intrevado has converted some of his land to grasslands and says he has seen new birds come to the area. (Nelly Albrola/Radio-Canada )

"We're going to keep the balance here and [we're] hoping that other people will follow because the planet is unbalanced and it's gonna take a long time to put it back together," he said.

In the few years since getting involved he's alreadynoticed a difference.

"There's more species like you see it here; we even see it back at our place with the bird feeders, like there's different birds," Intrevado said.

The conservation authority works with landowners and farmers to enhance or create grassland habitat on their land.

"It doesn't have to be hundreds and hundreds of acres, they can be five acres, it can be 10acres," Jacobs said, adding grassland projects can help farmers in particular by finding new uses for unproductive land, or growing hay for animals or sale.

The authority then assists them in managing theland and conservingthe species living there, using techniques like mowing hay after nesting times.

The conversation authoritysays since 2012 it has increased the amount of grasslands in its area through several programs. It has seen success with 70 land owners, leading to projects on more than 280 hectaresof land.

With files from Radio-Canada's Nelly Albrola