Some bad news: Manitoba alone has lost more than 99 per cent of the tall-grass prairie it once had, and the prairies that remain are generally highly degraded. Some good news: When scientists and conservations try to conserve an area of tall-grass prairie, they succeed.

Even better news: From August 6-10, the University of Manitoba will host the 23rd North American Prairie Conference, which is being held in Western Canada for the first time. Over 400 prairie experts will gather to develop a way to save even more prairie ecosystems from extinction.

This bi-annual event has been held in Canada only once before.

This year’s conference theme is “Celebrating Our Prairie Heritage” and it will feature state-of-the-art research on the magnificent yet endangered prairie ecosystem that supports us all.  The conference will also feature lectures and displays on prairie wildlife, conservation, restoration, history, culture and art.

For more information: http://www.napc2012.org/

What: North American Prairie Conference
When: August 6-10, 2012
Where: Multi-purpose rooms, University Centre, Fort Garry Campus

For more information contact Sean Moore, Marketing Communications Office, University of Manitoba, 204-474-7963 (sean_moore@umanitoba.ca).