Land near Brandon homesteaded by a man who came to Manitoba in 1870 with the province’s first police force is being permanently conserved by long-time owners and Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC).

“These 318 acres are a real glimpse into the plants and wildlife that thrived in southwest Manitoba before agriculture changed the landscape,” says Mark Francis, DUC’s manager of provincial operations in Manitoba.

“We are thrilled to work with the Hamel family to protect this piece of prairie history.”

Owned by the Hamel family for nearly 75 years, the farm contains dozens of natural marshes and native grasslands which remain intact after 150 years of agribusiness.

On August 20 the family took part in a dedication event.

“I think he’d be happy,” says Barb Saylor, who worked with her sister and two brothers to fulfil their late father’s desire to preserve and protect the rolling fields south of Alexander. “He wasn’t a real emotional man but I believe he’d be quietly pleased.”

Originally from Saskatchewan, Roland Hamel came to southwest Manitoba in the 1930s as a harvest worker and stayed after securing a full-time job as a farm hand. Hamel ran a mixed farming operation with chickens, pigs, dairy and beef cows, and some crops. The property still contains over 100 acres (40 hectares) of unbroken native grassland and 72 acres (29 hectares) of intact wetlands within a significant ecological area that offers habitat for pintail and canvasback ducks, pied-billed grebe, American coot, common snipe, sharp-tailed grouse, mourning dove.

Before passing in 2003, Hamel researched options to preserve his land. “Dad saw the farming practices around him, with neighbours bulldozing sloughs to put more ground into production, and he didn’t like it,” says Saylor.

“He wanted the farm to become natural habitat with whomever it was we decided could do that for us. We decided Ducks Unlimited would be the best.”

“Land donations to DUC are rare,” admits Francis, “although we do hold a number of donated properties and are seeing increasing interest around donations or bequests, as landowners look for opportunities to preserve something important to them.” DUC issues a charitable tax receipt for every contribution to its conservation mission and each solution is tailored to the needs and wishes of the landowner.

“It was a real pleasure to work with Sandra and the family on this amazing tract of habitat,” says Francis. “The land’s history and its value to waterfowl, wildlife and the local community cannot be overstated.”

After donating the land in 2019, the family gathered with DUC representatives for a dedication ceremony on August 20, 2022. Among the Hamel family attending were Saylor, Sandra Kirkup from Edmonton and brothers Donald Hamel from Port Moody, BC, and Robert Hamel from Calgary, Alta. “We are so looking forward to this,” says Saylor. “This may be the last time we ever see the place.”