Tundra Oil & Gas through the Richardson Foundation recently donated funds to help several important projects in southwest Manitoba.
With school funding cuts in recent years, school music programs have needed all the help they could get for supplies. The recent donation of $3,800 to Oak Lake Community School will supply new band room chairs and carts.
Gainsborough swimming pool has also received a $2,000 donation toward electrical upgrades. Gainsborough is located in the southeast corner of Saskatchewan, just 13 kilometres west of Pierson, Manitoba. Gainsborough swimming pool serves nearby farming communities in both provinces.
Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program has received a donation of $15,000 from TOG. The burrowing owl is an endangered species in Canada. These small owls nest in abandoned burrows and eat small rodents and insects such as grasshoppers. The wild population of burrowing owls declined steeply in Manitoba, from 76 pairs in 1982 to zero reports and observations of pairs or individuals between 2000 – 2005.
Program director Alexandra Froese reports progress to restore these unique raptors. In cooperation with local farmers, the Assiniboine Park Zoo and conservation districtst, the recovery program has released 81 adults and these adults have hatched 125 young burrowing owls since 2010.
