Today the wild prairie is a shadow of its former self. Temperate grasslands, as a whole, are now considered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature to be the most endangered - and least protected - habitat type in the world. Prior to European settlement, North America's Great Plains were home to enormous, thundering herds of bison. Wolves and grizzly bears thrived at the top of the diverse food chain in this vast, unobstructed landscape. It truly was, as the region is often called, the Serengeti of North America. Though much has been lost, there is still enough wildness that exists in these flatlands to inspire some optimism. And there are people across the Canadian prairies working to help keep them wild.

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