Nature Norm connecting nature and neighbours

There’s no place Norm Gregoire would rather be on an early September Saturday morning as the Tall Grass Prairie, and it shows.

Participants in the September chapter of “Adventures with Nature Norm” were already making small talk as Gregoire laced up his hiking boots, sorted out binoculars and walking sticks for those who wanted them and strapped on his backpack, complete with a handy hydration pack.

It was a sunny morning on Sept. 7 as a group of about 20 people gathered at the Agassiz Interpretive Trail west of Vita in the heart of the Tall Grass Prairie.

Gregoire works for the Shared Legacy Partnership, a cooperative working group led by the RM of Stuartburn and the Nature Conservancy of Canada along with partners Sunrise Corner Economic Development and the Province of Manitoba.

Their focus is simple, to alleviate threats to species at risk and improve their habitat while conserving the Tall Grass Prairie.

Adventures with Nature Norm helps accomplish that goal, but Gregoire admits he tried to hold as many free walks as he could even before this was formalized and supported by Southern Health with their Healthy Living and Healthy Together Now funding.

That funding made the walks official and are held monthly, and while Gregoire walks the trails, his goals are simple.

He’ll get down on his stomach to examine a Great Plains Ladies’ tress, will share his knowledge of leopard frogs, point to a grouse exploding out the brush near the trail and even share his excitement of at least a dozen other varieties of flowers and grasses.

“I think the main goal for sure is knowledge sharing,” he said. “Sharing as much information as we can about the Tall Grass Prairie area.”

The Tall Grass Prairie is Manitoba’s most endangered ecosystem with less than half of one percent remaining.

Tall Grass Prairie used to extend from the Interlake down to the southern United States.

Today it’s only found on a handful of protected and managed preserves.

“Even on a global scale the prairies are the most endangered ecosystem in the world,” Gregoire said.

The RM of Stuartburn and surrounding area has one of the best blocks of Tall Grass Prairie left, and Gregoire said he loves to share his pride in that.

“It’s just a matter of taking pride in the area, showing it off a little bit, learning about it because knowledge is key,” he said. “I do focus on the prairie as a whole but also the endangered species that are on the prairie.”

Gregoire said there are 28 species at risk that can be found there, and some of them are found nowhere else in Canada.

“We have a really unique area here,” he said.

While Gregoire appreciates the significance of the Tall Grass Prairie, he admits it wasn’t always that way.

He grew up in the area on an organic farm and always appreciated his surroundings.

“For me being outdoors and being in tune with nature was always really important, “he said.

But it wasn’t until he completed his studies in outdoor education and worked in ecotourism that he became more aware of the incredible jewel that existed in his own backyard.

Gregoire is now working in his dream job.

“It’s a little bit cliché when someone says they love their job and feels like they’re making a difference,” he said. “But I really think we are making a difference through the Shared Legacy partnership and through my role in the community.”

While imparting knowledge is one of Gregoire’s goals, it his infectious enthusiasm that also makes an impact on participants. As the group makes their way through the two-hour experience, conversations begin, and strangers become at the very least casual acquaintances.

“When I go out there and I’m taking folks out I’m really proud of the area and I’m hoping that people leave with pride,” he said. “It’s such a unique area.”

Gregoire is optimistic about the future of the area, pointing to the foresight shown by others who made it a preserve in the first place.

“That’s going to be managed throughout the decades to come,” he said, adding he’s not expecting the Tall Grass Prairie to expand. “But at least we’re protecting these key areas.”

He credited the Nature Conservancy of Canada and the RM of Stuartburn for ensuring the area remains protected.

While summer is ending, Gregoire said he’ll continue leading hikes through the winter months.

“The prairie is maybe at its most beautiful in the summertime, July, August into September but come the wintertime there’s a lot of interesting aspects of the prairie, the solitude, the quietness,” he said.

The next hike takes place at Prairie Shore Trail on Highway 209 between Gardenton and Tolstoi on Oct. 12.

For Gregoire, it’s a treat every time he gets to show off this remarkable landscape.

“It’s an amazing place and the more people that know about it, the better long term,” he said.

Participants on Saturday’s walk also appreciated the effort.

Sheldon Emberly is a member of the Native Orchid Conservation Group and travelled out from Portage to take part. He said their goal is to ensure those rare orchids are protected.

“I think he did a fabulous job of exploring different aspects of (the prairie),” he said.

Winnipeg Grade 3-4 teacher Meghan Waters is a new landowner in the RM of Stuartburn and said she met Norm after he came to her property to help her and her husband identify species at risk.

“My first unit for science that I’m teaching this year is on plants so I’m definitely going to be able to apply some of the things I’ve learned and bring it back to my classroom,” she said.

Sandra Drewniak of Stuartburn was one of the locals who took part. The creator of a Stuartburn neighbourhood Facebook page featuring pictures of flowers she sees on her walks, she said she was curious. “I really wanted to see what is here,” she said.

More information can be found at sharedlegacymb.ca, at 204-408-6166 or by email at info@sharedlegacymb.ca.