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Saskatchewan is the only place in North America with a dedicated week for native prairie appreciation, and it is coming up June 17-23! The Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW) is an important time to recognize and appreciate this valuable resource, and also the producers and land managers who carefully steward the native prairie. Sustainable prairie management takes years of hard work and compromise, and the positive role of these stewards should be appreciated as well.
NPAW has been jointly proclaimed by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment for the 20th year in a row!
Also acknowledging the importance of our native prairie ecosystems are the Cities of Regina, Saskatoon, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, and Swift Current.
We have a number of activities to celebrate the NPAW, including
the annual SRM tour, field trips, farmer's market booths across the province, photo and poster contests and much more!
Plan to attend the Society for Range Management tour, to be held in Beechy in June 21-22 with the theme "The Missouri Coteau: 10,000 Years in the Making". Registration deadline is June 14.
Also share your passion for native prairie grasslands by participating in the Annual Photo Contest. Please u
pload your photo on Facebook, Twitter or email us it by June 15.
I would also like to remark that during the NPAW, Nature Saskatchewan in cooperation with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan (NPSS) are leading a series of field trips to NCC properties. Find more information below.
As for our Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars, we are proud to announce Julie Heinrichs, from Colorado State University, presenting on habitat restoration options for Greater Sagegrouse. The webinar will be on June 12, and you can register for free now! Our Native Prairie Speaker Series is been very successful thanks to the fantastic work of Caitlin Mroz in the coordination, and the generous support of our sponsors, cheers! I
f you missed our last month webinar, with
Paulson Des Brisay presenting on the effects of industrial noise on grassland songbirds, you can view it on our YouTube channel!
SK PCAP is successfully running its two education programs:
Taking Action For Prairie (TAFP) and
Adopt a Rancher (AAR). Under the effective coordination of Kerry Gaillard and the valuable support of our
sponsors, these programs
reflect main goals and priority areas of SK PCAP. More than 100 students of Grade 6 and 8 from Regina and Wilcox schools have participated in the TAFP program during this spring 2018. Likewise, 160 Grade-10 students from Prince Albert, Regina, Eastend and Asquith are participating at this moment in the AAR program. Three ranch's visits have just occurred during the last few weeks and two more are happening in early June. We thank very much teachers and host ranchers involved in these programs for their wonderful predisposition and commitment.
We are also proud to announce that SK PCAP, along with other friend organizations, contributed this year to the elaboration of two new Guides to managing for optimal habitat attributes for two Species At Risk: the Loggerhead Shrike and the Northern Leopard Frog. Please take a look at the guides here!
Finally, SK PCAP would like to congratulate very much Carolyn Gaudet on the birth of her baby girl, and wish the best on her maternity leave!
Have a great June!
Diego Steinaker
SK PCAP Manager
306 352 0472
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Native Prairie Appreciation Week: 17-23 June, 2018
This is the 20th Anniversary that SK PCAP has been spearheading Saskatchewan's annual Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW) celebration! We are proud to present many activities and we have a full week of events planned.
Join us to learn more about native prairie and how YOU can conserve this resource at the following locations:
Saskatoon - Farmers Market: Sunday, June 17 (10am-3pm)
Regina - Farmer's Market: Wednesday, June 20 (9am-1pm)
Regina - National Aboriginal Day: Thursday, June 21 (9 am-3 pm) at the City Square Plaza
Swift Current - Market Square: Saturday, June 23 (9:30am-2:30pm)
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Join the Society for Range Management's Tour - The Missouri Coteau - 10,000 Years in the Making - 21-22 June.
Plan to attend the SRM Tour in Beechy, SK, held in conjunction with Saskatchewan Native Prairie Appreciation Week!
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2018 NPAW -
Photo Contest
Send us your best shot! And you can win a prize!
One winner will be chosen in each category:
- Best Native Prairie Wildflower
- Best Prairie People on the Landscape
- Best Wildlife in Action
- Best Native Prairie Landscape
Upload your photo on Facebook, Twitter or email us it by June 15, 2018.
Winners will be announced publicly in a media release after Native Prairie Appreciation Week.
Winning pictures will be displayed on the SK PCAP's Website, as well as in various social media outlets.
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SK PCAP Education Programs
SK PCAP is successfully running two education programs:
Taking Action For Prairie
(TAFP) and
Adopt a Rancher
(AAR).
Under the direction of our Education Coordinator Kerry Gaillard, and with the generous support of
sponsors
, these programs
reflect main goals and priority areas of SK PCAP
.
TAFP is a curriculum-supported,
action-orientated education program for Grades 6, 7 and 8 in Saskatchewan. The objective of the TAFP program is to increase awareness and appreciation of the native prairie ecosystem and its conservation through the development and implementation of an Action Project by each grade after program delivery.
AAR is an Interactive, hands-on learning program
for Grade 10 classes in Saskatchewan. Students in the AAR program analyze a ranch ecosystem in a case study that they develop themselves. By using a student guide and online resources and communicating with the adopted rancher, students will answer this question:
How can ranching protect Saskatchewan's native grasslands while providing economic benefits for Saskatchewan people?
We thank very much teachers and host ranchers involved in these programs for their wonderful predisposition and commitment.
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PCAP Speake
r Series
Webinar
Julie Heinrichs, Colorado State University
June 12, 2018 -12 pm MST
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Upcoming Events!
Swift Current, SK - June 10-12, 2018
June 5-7, 2018
June 26-28, 2018
Coronach, SK - June 8-10, 2018
June 17-23, 2018
Beechy, SK - June 21-22, 2018
June 16, 23, 24; 2018
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Explore a local prairie during the Native Prairie Appreciation Week!
Plant and wildlife experts will be present to help you spot and recognize elusive critters hidden among the grass. Trips are family friendly and casual in nature.
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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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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 [email protected] for your
participant number and activation code.
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History of Native Prairie Appreciation Week
Jointly declared as the third week in June by the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment since 1999, NPAW is a week of opportunity for Saskatchewan residents, especially ranchers, naturalists, hunters, educators and resource agency specialists, to recognize and celebrate the diverse value of native prairie.
Previous SRM / SK PCAP Workshop & Field Tours include:
- 1999 - Romancing the Prairies - CYPRESS HILLS
- 2000 - PCAP (1998-2003) Signing Ceremony - REGINA
- 2001 - Discovering the Frenchman - GRASSLANDS NATIONAL PARK
- 2002 - Discovering the Manitou Sand Hills - LLOYDMINSTER
- 2003 - Discovering the Big Muddy Badlands - ROCKGLEN
- 2004 - Discovering the Moose Mountains - ARCOLA
- 2005 - Discovering the Great Sand Hills - LEADER
- 2006 - Discovering the Matador Grasslands - BEECHY
- 2007 - Discovering the Cypress Hills - CYPRESS HILLS
- 2008 - Discovering the Eastern Qu' Appelle - ESTERHAZY
- 2009 - Discovering the Missouri Coteau - MOOSE JAW
- 2010 - Ranching From the Ground Up - SWIFT CURRENT
- 2011 - Both Sides Now - MARYFIELD
- 2012 - Where Range and City Meet - SASKATOON
- 2013 - Discovering the Big Muddy Badlands - WEYBURN
- 2014 - From Roots to Shoots - VAL MARIE
- 2015 - Grasslands of the Forest - PRINCE ALBERT NATIONAL PARK
- 2016 - Blues, Bats and Blue Grama - MAPLE CREEK
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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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