The project, made possible through the assistance of the Government of Canada, illustrates how the NCC "is accelerating the pace of conservation in Canada." NCC says the region will also serve as core habitat for grizzly bears. Other species observed on or near the property include the golden eagle (sensitive in Alberta), the ferruginous hawk (threatened federally, at-risk in Alberta), the great blue heron (sensitive), eastern kingbird (sensitive) and sharp-tailed grouse (sensitive). "From Trout Creek, which supports several fish species and shorebirds, to its fescue grasslands, which are important for grazing elk and nesting songbirds, and to the ridgetop forests with imperiled limber pine, this place is home to some of Alberta's most important and iconic species." "This area contains such a rich array of habitats," said Lee Moltzahn, NCC's natural area manager, in a release. NCC says the site also includes 96 hectares of riverbank habitat as well as forests at its highest elevations, which is home to limber pine, an endangered species of tree. "Protecting this ecosystem will maintain habitat for grassland wildlife, including Sprague's pipit, a songbird listed as 'threatened' under the federal Species at Risk Act, and nutritious winter forage for deer, elk and cattle." "Over 80 per cent of this project's area features high-quality fescue grasslands," NCC said in a release. The land itself is very important to many species, NCC says, because grasslands "are one of the most at-risk ecosystems on the planet." It will also add to the almost 7,700 hectares of protected land along the eastern edge of the Porcupine Hills. of Willow Creek will create a single protected block of approximately 1,900 hectares. Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) says the 643-hectare property located west of Claresholm in the M.D. A section of land has been added to a protected area along southern Alberta's Porcupine Hills, a region filled with grasslands and forests that are home to at-risk birds and trees.
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