The best way to appreciate the tall-grass prairie is to visit some of Nature Conservancy of Canada’s spectacular properties in Sunrise Corner in southeast Manitoba. We encourage you to invite along a friend to experience our unique ecosystem.
Guidelines for visiting NCC properties
When visiting NCC properties, please:
- respect wildlife and other visitors
- remove your garbage
- travel on designated paths
- ensure dogs are accompanied by their owner and on a leash
- refrain from lighting fires or smoking
- do not remove plants or wildlife
Disclaimer: all visitors to NCC properties do so at their own risk.
The Weston Family Tallgrass Prairie Interpretive Centre
Located in the heart of the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve, NCC’s The Weston Family Tallgrass Interpretive Centre (a redesigned 3,000-square-foot home) is located on a 65-hectare site showcasing the beauty and diversity of the rare ecosystem around it.
This is where visitors can enjoy presentations and tour one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America: the tall grass prairie. The centre includes interactive displays and exhibits, a 37-square-metre prairie mural, a meeting space and an observation deck on the second floor. The surrounding grounds feature a prairie garden, picnic shelter and the Prairie Orchid hiking trail.
Located 100 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg, near the community of Stuartburn, the centre is open year-round for school, youth and community group programming and is also available for rental for private events and meetings.
The Agassiz Interpretive Trail
Located next to The Weston Tallgrass Prairie Interpretive Centre, the Agassiz Interpretive Trail is an incredible example of the tall grass prairie ecosystem. It is the meeting place for many diverse communities of wildlife and plants. Visitors to this endangered habitat will leave with a true sense of why this ecosystem is worth protecting and how Nature Conservancy of Canada is working hard to secure these precious lands for our children and grandchildren.
The Agassiz Interpretive Trail features two hiking options:
- the longer, 3.2-kilometre trail takes you around the 130-hectare site.
- the shorter loop, almost two kilometres, weaves through 54 hectares.
The trail features several rest stops, two picnic areas (one at the trailhead and one at the halfway point) and washrooms at the trailhead. The trailhead and parking area are situated on the east side of the property.
The trail has been groomed to enable people of all ages, including researchers and school-age children whose studies include Manitoba’s natural history, to walk among 500 species of plants and animals, including rare and endangered species that are found within their natural habitat.
To reach the Agassiz Interpretive Trail from Highway 59, travel 11.5 kilometres east on Highway 201 and watch for the trail signs.