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Greetings! June is over and we celebrated the 20th
Native Prairie Appreciation Week by receiving numerous visitors in our Farmers' Markets booths in Swift Current, Regina and Weyburn. We also had a tremendous response to our Poster and Photo Contests with hundreds of entries from all across the province! We would like to thank all the participants and congratulate the winners.
Native Prairie Appreciation Week was rounded out with the Annual Society for Range Management - Prairie Parkland Chapter's Tour, perfectly coordinated by Nadia Mori,
Rachel Turnquist and Sarah Sommerfeld. We toured native prairies around Beechy learning about the area physiography, soils, ecotypes, plant identification and range health assessment.
One of the guiding principles of SK PCAP is engaging people in learning about and experiencing the prairie: people who understand prairie learn to value prairie, and people who value prairie will work to conserve it. The Native Prairie Appreciation Week and the SRM Tour have certainly contributed to that purpose.
As for our Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars, we are proud to announce Kimberly Pearson presenting on a Northern Leopard Frog project in Waterton Lakes National Park and Grasslands National Park. The webinar will be on
Tuesday July 31st at 12 pm MST;
you can register for free now! The PCAP Native Prairie Speaker Series is very successful thanks to the coordination of Caitlin Mroz and the generous support of our sponsors, thanks! If you missed our last month webinar with Julie Heinrichs presenting on habitat restoration options for Greater Sage-grouse, you can view it on our YouTube channel!
Please feel free to contact me at any time; I'm pleased to receive your questions, comments or ideas about PCAP. Your input matters!
Diego Steinaker
SK PCAP Manager
306 352 0472
pcap@sasktel.net
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PCAP Booths during the Native Prairie Appreciation Week (17-23 June, 2018)
Thank you to all the folks that visited
our displays at the Farmers' Markets in Swift Current, Regina and Weyburn, and during the National Indigenous People's day celebration.
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Society for Range Management - Prairie Parkland Chapter Annual Tour
21-22 June, 2018 - Beechy, SK
The SRM Annual Tour, held in conjunction with SK Native Prairie Appreciation Week, took place in Beechy area on 21-22 June, 2018.
The tour included an introduction to the area physiography, soils and ecotypes, plant ID exercises, as well as a series of presentations about prescribed burning,
water quality for livestock, and
practical application of range health assessments in grazing management, everything
coordinated by Nadia Mori,
Rachel Turnquist and Sarah Sommerfeld from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture.
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2018 NPAW - Photo Contest
We would like to thank all the participants for sending your best pictures, and everyone for voting on facebook!
The 2018 Photo contest winners are:
Wildlife in Action Category: 1st and 2nd Place Tammy Thomson.
Native Prairie Landscape Category: 1st Place: Magnolita Moments Photography. 2nd Place: R.S. Thompson.
Native Prairie Wildflower Category: 1st Place and 2nd Place Magnolita Moments Photography
People on the Landscape: 1st Place: Magnolita Moments Photography. 2nd Place: Kelsie Meaden.
Judge's Favourite: Sharon Condie.
SK PCAP would like to thank the following organizations for their prize donations: Friends of Wascana Marsh, Grasslands National Park, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Prairie Wind & Silver Sage - Friends of the Grasslands, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, SaskOutdoors, Swift Current Ag & Ex,
Trace Associates and
TREEOSIX
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2018 NPAW Poster Contest
We would like to thank very much all the youth artists who sent their draws and congratulate the winners!
Age 6 & Under Category
:
1st. Clara Selinger, 4 yr, Regina, SK.
2nd.Trey Perrin, 6 yr, Stewart Valley, SK.
Age 7-10 category
:
1st. Tess Hedin, Age 10, Gronlid, SK.
2nd. Paige de Bruyn, 10, Herbert, SK
Age 11 & Up Category
:
1st. Tanisha Gardner, 13, Swift Current, SK.
2nd. Jakob Domres,12, Whitewood, SK
SK PCAP would like to thank the following organizations for their prize donations: Friends of Wascana Marsh, Grasslands National Park, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Prairie Wind & Silver Sage - Friends of the Grasslands, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, SaskOutdoors, Swift Current Ag & Ex,
Trace Associates and
TREEOSIX
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Wetlands and Climate Change
by Charles Deschamps
(Resource Specialist at Ducks Unlimited Canada)
Climate change is part of our new reality.
Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions contribute to more frequent and extreme weather events across our province. These weather events are devastating and result in billions of dollars in property damages, reduced crop yields, and increased nutrient runoff that pollutes our lakes and rivers.
Over the past several months there have been discussions on Saskatchewan Natural Systems, commercial forest and the cattle sector and the amount of carbon they sequester, the increased acreage of pulse crops and the carbon sequestration in agricultural soils through reduced tillage - all good points to discuss. What has been omitted from any discussion is the role that prairie wetlands play in our climate change strategy, the amount of carbon they sequester in Saskatchewan, or that they are a significant source of emissions when they are converted to cropland. Prairie wetlands, or sloughs, should be key player in the climate change discussion.
Wetlands are optimum natural environments for sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere.
Saskatchewan's remaining wetlands store approximately 1.3 million tonnes of carbon, the equivalent of seven times the total carbon emissions of all vehicles in Canada. Draining as little as 15 acres of wetlands can release the same amount of greenhouse gas equivalent as the carbon sequestered in one year from no-till farming almost 5,000 acres. Wetlands also store nitrous oxide, a strong greenhouse gas.
Each year approximately 10,000 acres of wetlands are converted to cropland, releasing almost the equivalent amount of carbon that is captured by the SaskPower Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage Project.
Solutions to climate change are complex,
but one of the simplest and
most cost-effective actions we can take
is to work
with
nature. Protecting the remaining wetlands and native areas in Saskatchewan provide green infrastructure and need to be a key component of Saskatchewan's Climate Change Strategy.
For more information please contact Charles Deschamps. Email: c_deschamps@ducks.ca
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PCAP Speake
r Series
Webinar
Northern Leopard Frog Project in Waterton Lakes National Park and Grasslands National Park
by
Kimberly Pearson
(Waterton Lakes National Park)
Tuesday 31 July, 2018 at 12pm MST
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Upcoming Events!
Maymont Clean-up Crew!
July 7, 2018, 9 am - 3 pm
Maymont Complex (North Battleford), SK
July 9, 2018, 1 pm- 4 pm
Dundurn, SK
Here Comes the Burdock Brigade!
July 14, 2018, 10 am - 3 pm
Fairy Hill (Regina), SK
July 16, 2018, 1pm - 4pm
Prince Albert, SK
August 8, 2018
Macklin, SK
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Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) and Parks Canada's Grasslands National Park (GNP) are teaming up to collaborate on a unique grass bank pilot project to conserve habitat for species at risk, particularly the Greater Sage-grouse, Sprague's Pipit, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.
The project area covers 40,000 acres of public and private land, much of which is considered critical habitat for Greater Sage-grouse, Sprague's Pipits, and Chestnut-collared Longspurs. Local ranchers will manage grazing on portions of the East Block of GNP and their adjacent private land with a goal of achieving habitat targets for the three species. Habitat targets are set and measured by the South of the Divide Conservation Action Program. Ranchers benefit from the program when they meet the habitat targets through a reduced grazing fee on GNP land, and through a financial incentive from SSGA through the Species at Risk Partnerships on Agriculture Land (SARPAL) program. The project is being undertaken with financial support of Environment and Climate Change Canada through the SARPAL fund.
More
information
on this project
here.
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Amend on Species at Risk Act (SARA)
On June 16th, 2018 a proposal to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) for 31 terrestrial species was published in part I of the Canada Gazette. You can find the proposed listing order and the accompanying Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement here.
The Minister of the Environment will take into consideration comments and any additional information received until July 16, 2018, and make a listing recommendation for each species to the Governor in Council. You can share your comments on the proposal either by: 1.
writing to ec.LEPreglementations-SARAregulations.ec@canada.ca, or 2. calling 1 800 668-6767.
After species are listed, recovery strategies must be published within one year for endangered species and within two years for extirpated and threatened species.
Of the 31 species mentioned in the proposal, there are six species which may occur in one or more of the Prairie Provinces: Prairie Rattlesnake, Vivid Dancer, Fascicled Ironweed, Powershiek Skipperling, Small White Lady's-slipper and Flooded Jellyskin.
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Conservation Volunteer Opportunities!
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment is looking for volunteers to locate Ferruginous Hawks!
Read the details...
Parks Canada has many volunteer opportunities at the Grasslands National Park -
check them out!
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Wildlife Volunteer Opportunity
Do you enjoy spending time on native prairie in the spring? Have you noticed any sharp-tailed grouse in your travels? The Saskatchewan Co-operative Wildlife Management Survey (CWMS) is a volunteer-based survey that asks participants to provide wildlife observations across Saskatchewan. Formerly the Co-operative Deer Management Survey, this survey has expanded beyond deer to include observations of moose, elk, sharp-tailed grouse and wild turkey. Observations can be collected throughout the year, but for sharp-tailed grouse, one of the key periods is in the spring, when active lek locations can be documented.
All observations can be recorded by downloading the SK CWMS mobile application to your Apple or Android Smartphone. Once you have downloaded the SK CWMS App, please call 1-800-567-4224 toll-free or email centre.inquiry@gov.sk.ca for your
participant number and activation code.
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Guides to Managing for Optimal Habitat Attributes for
Species At Risk:
The intent of these guides is to determine local and landscape-scale habitat features that are optimal for species at risk at different life stages, as well as important non-habitat related beneficial management practices.
These guides were developed by Sue Michalsky and Heather Peat Hamm, with technical and editorial input from Andrew Didiuk, Dave Prescott, Julie Mackenzie, Kris Kendall, Lea Randall and Ashley Vass.
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Diego Steinaker, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
306-352-0472 |
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SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2018-2019 from:
Ducks Unlimited Canada, Canada North Environmental Services, EcoFriendlySask.ca, Information Services Canada, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, Rancher's Stewardship Alliance Inc., Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association,
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment - Fish and Wildlife Development Fund,
SaskEnergy,
SaskPower, SaskTel, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Water Security Agency.
SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2018-19 from:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Science and Technology Branch, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association, Canadian Western Agribition, Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, Friends of Wascana Marsh, Meewasin Valley Authority, Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, Nature Conservancy Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park, Prairie Wind & Silver Sage, Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc., Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, Saskatchewan Forage Council, Saskatchewan Forage Industry Network, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Saskatchewan Ministry of Economy, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport - Royal Saskatchewan Museum and Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Saskatoon Nature Society, SaskEnergy, SaskOutdoors, SaskPower, Society for Range Management - Prairie Parkland Chapter, South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc., University of Regina - Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Wild About Saskatoon-Nature City Festival.
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