Welcome to the St. Charles Rifle Range

The St. Charles Rifle Range is managed and owned by the 17 Wing Winnipeg of The RCAF.  It is said that 'All roads of the RCAF lead to 17 Wing Winnipeg' as it is the main training center for many of the RCAF functions.  The facility has been owned and operated by the military since 1908.

This particular installation of 17 Wing Winnipeg has an especially interesting story.  You will notice that as you drive up there is a sign warning that the land is also an Environmentally Protected Area.

Behind the range is a parcel of land that contains a ecosystem called Tall Grass Prarie or TGP.  Further, it contains a very rare form of TGP called Lake Bottom TGP.  It is a lush and floruishing type of TGP that thrives on the enriched soil left over from the ancient glacial Lake Agassiz.

Now the interesting part of the story....

Lake Bottom TGP is extremely rare nowadays because farmers loved the soil as it was so nutrient heavy.  This caused the destruction of this ecosystem at a catastrophic rate.  Lucklily, this parcel of land was never developed as it was down range of the rifle facility!  The DND realized what type of land was present in the early '90s and implemented a plan to protect the rare ecosystem.

In 2002, the DND partnered with experts from the U of W, U of M and the World Wildlife Federation (WWF) to create a management strategy for the land.  This includes annual controlled burns around the area to defend against invasive species.

The Details...

There is no need to entry the property as the cache is on the other side of the road.  You are looking for a larger bison tube.  Bring your own pencil and there is no room for tradeables.  Happy Caching!