April 2021 | Volume 13 Issue 4
Happy Spring!
I hope everyone has had a chance to take advantage of the beautiful spring weather we've been having. Some of you have found crocuses already, how exciting! I know many of you are in the same place we were at this time last year, trying to work with children at home, and I hope you are finding opportunities to take care of yourselves. I'm going to make more of an effort this spring to get the kids out of the city, hopefully while the crocuses are still blooming!

Our April Native Prairie Speaker Series presentation will be Sarah Semmler, Curator of the Living Prairie Museum in Winnipeg talking about native pollinators. You can register here! You can also register for the May and June webinars as well.

If you missed the March webinar, Taylor Kell from Moose Jaw River Watershed Stewards, who discussed applying Biosecurity Measures for Invasive Weeds, the webinar recording can be found on our YouTube Channel!

Caitlin put together a fantastic week for Prairie's Got the Goods Week last month. There were 1060 individuals who tuned in to the live webinars and over 540 people have watched the recordings on YouTube so far. Caitlin provided a recap below.

And finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support : Camp Wolf Willow, EcoFriendly Sask, K+S Potash, Pembina Pipelines, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, SaskPower, SaskTel, Wildlife Habitat Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as the continuous support of all the PCAP Partners. 

Stay safe and take care!

Carolyn Gaudet, SK PCAP Manager 
Ph. 306 352 0472 
Prairie's Got the Goods Week Recap!
Submitted by Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, SK PCAP Stewardship Coordinator
This past March, SK PCAP celebrated its 5th Prairie’s Got the Goods Week. The purpose of this week is to showcase all of the ecological goods and services provided for us by the native prairie ecosystem and prairie wetlands. The week included 6 webinars, which are now all available on PCAP’s YouTube Channel, on the 2021 Prairie’s Got the Goods Week Playlist.
Dave Mushet from the U.S. Geological Survey talked about the value of wetlands across the prairies, focusing on wildlife habitat and carbon storage. Vice Chief Heather Bear, Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations discussed the value of native prairie and wetlands to indigenous people and covered topics such as food, culture and medicinal plants. Dr. Edward Bork and Dr. Shrestha Bahrat from the University of Alberta discussed grazing and greenhouse gases. Dr. Timm Döbert, also from the University of Alberta discussed water infiltration in grassland soils and grazing. Dr. Samuel Robinson from the University of Calgary discussed insects and pollination services in prairie grasslands. A highlight of the week was a presentation by Viresco Solutions and Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association about grasslands, soil carbon and carbon offsets. This presentation included a special announcement by the Honourable Warren Kaeding about the Carbon Pilot Launch.
 
The 5th PGTGW had the highest attendance ever, with over 1000 people catching a live webinar. This event would not have been possible without the support from our Presenting Sponsors: SaskEnergy and Wildlife Habitat Canada, as well as our Supporting Sponsors: EcoFriendly Sask and Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. 
PCAP Partner Spotlight...
Meewasin Valley Authority
Submitted by Michelle Day, Marketing Coordinator

Meewasin Valley Authority (Meewasin) is a non-profit organization that exists to ensure a healthy and vibrant South Saskatchewan River valley in Saskatoon and area, with a balance between human use and conservation. This is accomplished by providing leadership in the management of its resources, promoting understanding of conservation and beneficial use of the Valley, and undertaking programs and projects in river valley development and conservation - all for the benefit of present and future generations. 

Meewasin’s significance as an important amenity to both mental and physical health for our community has been demonstrated during the pandemic, with the Meewasin Trail recording more than double the number of trail visits in popular sections of the trail compared to last year. Meewasin provides year-round opportunities for the Saskatoon and area community to connect with nature and engage in community initiatives related to conservation, education, and development - including volunteer opportunities and events, like Meewasin Trail Day coming up on June 5, 2021! 

Eighty-nine percent of Saskatoon and area residents agree that the river valley is Saskatoon’s most important attribute. In the Meewasin Valley, there are 67 square kilometers of land and over 90km of established trail, which has seen up to 1.87 million trail visits per year. The area also features sites managed by Meewasin that help people connect to nature such as Beaver Creek Conservation Area, the Northeast Swale, Saskatoon Natural Grasslands, the River Landing Spray Area, and the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink @Nutrien Plaza. 

Meewasin actively stewards the 6,700 hectares of the Meewasin Valley through an integrated resource management program to improve the health of these ecosystems. Various tools including invasive species management, natural process restoration (targeted conservation grazing and prescribed fire), ecological restoration and ecological monitoring are implemented throughout the Meewasin valley including the native prairies founding in the Saskatoon area.

As a non-profit organization, Meewasin relies on donations and volunteers for sustainability. To get involved in volunteer activities, learn more, or monetarily contribute to support the dedicated stewards of the river valley, please visit www.meewasin.com. 
Native Prairie in the News...


Sask. residents pooling SGI rebates together to protect “Field of Dreams” You can learn more about the Field of Dreams initiative and how you can donate on their Facebook page or website. It's a great grassroots initiative that anyone can contribute to helping conserve a parcel of native prairie.

Prairie biodiversity considered under threat, this article includes a link to the Nature Conservancy of Canada's interactive website called Conservation Close to Home.

There's also been plenty of coverage on the substantial influx of funds for the conservation and management of grasslands. Here are a few articles:
SK PCAP Native Prairie Speaker Series

Plan to attend our April Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar! 
Save the date!
Topic: Greater Sage-grouse and Grassland Songbirds
Speaker: Phil Rose, Alberta Conservation Association
May 11th @ 12 PM MT 


Topic: Bats
Speaker: Cory Olson, Alberta Community Bat Association
June 8th @ 12 PM MT

Please visit our Native Prairie Speaker Series webpage  for more topics, dates, and registration details.
Upcoming Events
April 8, 2021 @ 11:30 CST

April 16-18, 2021
White Butte, SK

Wild Pollinators in the Prairies
April 20, 2021 @ 12 PM MT

April 20, 2021 @ 7 PM

April 22-June 14, 2021

April 23, 2021 @ 2 PM

June 5-6, 2021
Eagle Creek Regional Park, SK

Native Prairie Appreciation Week
June
2021/22 Speaker Series Supporting Sponsors 

Camp Wolf Willow
2021/22 Education Programs:
Presenting Sponsors:
2021/22 Education Programs 
Supporting Sponsors:
Carolyn Gaudet, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2020-2021 from:
Camp Wolf Willow, Ducks Unlimited Canada, EcoFriendlySask.ca, K+S Potash, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, Pembina Pipelines, Ranchers 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 Regina, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Water Security Agency and Wildlife Habitat Canada.

SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2020-21 from: 
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Science and Technology Branch, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association, Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, 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 Bison Association, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, 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 Energy and Resources, Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, Saskatchewan Science Centre, 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, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources.