\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
![\"AARON](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4463395_web1_2026-08-08---Prairie-Museum-05---Photo-by-Aaron-Epp.jpeg\")
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
AARON EPP \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people gathered at the Living Prairie Museum on Saturday for its 50th anniversary celebration and annual Monarch Butterfly Festival. The 13-hectare site is one of the last remaining sections of tall grass prairies in North America. <\/p>\n
Designated a park in 1974, it officially became the Living Prairie Museum in 1976 with the opening of an interpretive centre which houses a gallery of exhibits, a gift shop and an observation deck.<\/p>\n
The preserve is located at 2795 Ness Ave. and is home to more than 150 different grass and wildflower species. Staff offer guided hikes and environmental education programs for all ages, and visitors can walk the museum\u2019s self-guided trail year-round.<\/p>\n
As part of Saturday\u2019s celebration, city officials and funding partners announced a revitalization project that aims to honour the site\u2019s history while also preserving it for future generations.<\/p>\n
Upgrades will include new multilingual interpretive signage, an expansion to the medicine garden, new seating around the interpretive centre and a new path accessible to visitors with wheelchairs, walkers and strollers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe often will hear something that I\u2019ve even heard today, which is (that) a lot of people didn\u2019t even know we were here,\u201d said Marika Olynyk, curator at the museum. \u201cThis gives us a chance to reach out to new communities to offer a space for more diverse people to come and visit the prairie.\u201d<\/p>\n
The City of Winnipeg is contributing almost $60,000 to the project through the Land Dedication Reserve Fund. Meanwhile, the province contributed a $56,000 grant through the Manitoba Habitat Conservancy\u2019s Conservation Trust.<\/p>\n
The museum is also receiving $15,000 from Trails Manitoba and $13,000 from Friends of the Living Prairie Museum, a non-profit that supports the preserve.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t AARON EPP \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n A new revitalization project will allow more people to experience the Living Prairie Museum, said Marika Olynyk, curator. <\/p>\n Mike Moyes, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and MLA for Riel, described it as \u201ca momentous day.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c(The prairie) doesn\u2019t come first to mind when we think about the environment,\u201d he said. \u201cOftentimes people think of trees or we think of our lakes and our rivers, and those are all important \u2014 don\u2019t get me wrong. But just as important are our prairies, and this museum plays such an important role in telling that story.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayor Scott Gillingham noted the museum\u2019s longevity.<\/p>\n \u201cFifty years is quite the milestone,\u201d he said. \u201cNot everybody or every organization or entity makes it to 50 years. But the fact that we\u2019re into five decades here is really indicative of the love and care that people have for the Living Prairie Museum.\u201d<\/p>\n Gillingham praised the Friends of the Living Prairie Museum, describing them as unsung heroes whose steady behind-the-scenes work keeps the preserve going. He also expressed his enthusiasm for the revitalization project.<\/p>\n \u201cThe investment into the Living Prairie Museum means that it will be more accessible for more people for years and years to come,\u201d Gillingham said.<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors participate in the museum\u2019s programs each year, Olynyk said. She estimates that \u201cat least twice that many\u201d people visit the preserve to walk the self-guided trail.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t AARON EPP \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n Emily Quan explores the trail at the Living Prairie Museum with her brother, Ian Quan, and her father, John Quan. <\/p>\n The museum employs three full-time staff members year-round, plus additional seasonal staff in the summertime, Olynyk said.<\/p>\n The museum held its 50th anniversary celebration in conjunction with its annual Monarch Butterfly Festival. The family-friendly event included a display of live butterflies, a milkweed plant giveaway, art activities and a plant sale.<\/p>\n The festival continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Aaron Epp Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Aaron produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Reporter
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n