January 2019
Greetings! The Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan is looking forward to working with you in prairie and species at risk conservation this New Year!

We envision a busy and exciting 2019 for SK PCAP, with new groups of students, teachers and farmers participating in our Education Programs "Taking Action for Prairie" and "Adopt a Rancher", as well as many interesting webinars and in person presentations about habitat management and conservation for species at risk, as part of our Native Prairie Speaker Series. We take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge all of the generous support from our sponsors!

We are pleased to announce Amy Chabot, from Shrike Watch Canada, presenting the first webinar of the year on January 28th. You can register for free by clicking here. In addition, please "save the date" for two upcoming presentations next month: "Owls on Tour" by Lori Johnson in Cabela's Regina, on Feb 9th, and "Avian Ecology and Conservation" by Dr. Lisha Berzins, a webinar presentation on Feb 28th. If you missed our last month webinar, with Alexandra Froese presenting the Manitoba Burrowing Owl Recovery Program, you can watch it now in our PCAP YouTube channel !
 
There are a number of interesting events early this year that you can find in this newsletter. I also included here a section with recent conferences' presentation and webinar presentations posted online. If you have interesting information to share, please let me know, we would be happy to post it in PCAP social media (Twitter, 1,282 followers, Facebook, 2,265 followers), website (7,100 users) and e-Newsletter (1,387 subscribers). 

Sincerely,
 
Diego Steinaker
SK PCAP Manager
pcap@sasktel.net
SAVE THE DATE! 
SK PCAP Native Prairie Speaker Series

In person
p
resentation: 
"Owls on Tour", 
by Lori Johnson  
(Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre)

Location: Cabela's Regina (4901 Gordon Rd, Regina, SK)
Date: Saturday February 9 at 
2 pm.

--------------

Webinar Presentation: 
"Avian Ecology and Conservation" 
by 
Dr. Lisha Berzins 
( Postdoc Fellow, University of Saskatchewan)

Date: Thursday
 February 28 at 12 pm. 
Free registration here !
SAVE THE DATE ! 
"Prairie's Got the Goods Week" 
March 17-23, 2019
P rairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference - PCESC 2019

February 19-21, 2019. Winnipeg, MB

Early bird, until January 15, 2019

For details on the Conference Program please click here


Amendments to Schedule 1 of Species at Risk Act for Saskatchewan Migratory Birds

On  Saturday, December 29, 2018 , a proposal to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) for nine migratory bird species, including Lark Bunting ( Calamospiza melanocorys ) and McCown's Longspur (
Rhynchophanes mccownii) distributed in the Prairie Region of Saskatchewan. This
 was published in part I of the Canada Gazette (see page 28 of 73).
The proposal is attached and can also be found  
.

December 29, 2018 marks the beginning of the final 45-day public comment period during which you can share your additional comments on the proposal.  The public comment period will end on  Wednesday, February 12, 2019 .More information here.

   

Does your organization have a research or business challenge that requires outside expertise? Are you seeking ways to leverage your R&D budget?  Work together with other organizations to pool resources for research?
 
You can get matching funding from Mitacs (not-competitive) to work with a university graduate student or postdoc, or a SaskPoly or college undergrad in any discipline, such as biology, engineering, computer science, marketing, policy, etc. You can also work with students from outside of SK.
 
Through  Mitacs Accelerate,companies and eligible NFP organization engage top graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to address a research challenge, benefiting from their skills and insight and the expertise of their faculty supervisor. Matching funds from Mitacs ensure that Accelerate collaborations are cost-effective and low-risk for companies and NFPs of all sizes. The Mitacs team provides personalized support throughout the application process. This support can range from identifying suitable academic collaborators to helping design a customized research plan for your organization's needs. 

Please visit our  website or contact Mitacs Director Zsuzsa Papp ( zpapp@mitacs.ca)  tel: 306-491-2769 for further information.
Volume 11 Issue 1
Join Our Mailing List
SK-PCAP WEBINAR 
Native Prairie Speaker Series

"Loggerhead Shrikes"
by Amy Chabot 
(ShrikeWatch Canada)

Monday January 28, 2019 at 12:00pm CST. 
Free registration  here!
Upcoming Events!

January 16-18, Regina, SK

January 17, Melfort, SK

January 18, Regina, SK

January 28, via Webinar

February 1-3, Prince Albert, SK

February 1-3, Russell, MB

February 2-3, Saskatoon, SK

February 5, Regina, SK

February 5-7, Swift Current, SK

Sat February 9,  2 pm, Regina

February 19-21, 2019
Winnipeg, MB

PCAP Webinar presentation 
 February 28 at 12 pm

PCAP Webinar presentations
March 17-23, 2019

Back to the Field Workshop
SRM - Prairie Parkland Chapter 
May 28-29 -  Val Marie, Sk

---------------------------
Targeted Grazing Academy 
February 5-7, 2019
Swift Current, Sk
For more information click 

Birds of Saskatchewan
by Nature Saskatchewan 

"Birds of Saskatchewan "  is a full-colour, comprehensive look at all of the birds that call Saskatchewan home. 437 species of birds are documented in this 800 page compendium, a result of over ten years of work and several lifetimes of observation, research, and writing.

This book is now available. The purchase price is $79.95 + shipping.  Orders will be accepted via online,  or via telephone at 306-780-9273 or 1-800-667-4668.
 
  Nature Conservancy of Canada

Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) 
recently announced the 
 the largest private conservation fundraiser in Canada's history.  
The NCC is calling on Canadians to come together and help ensure our country's irreplaceable forests, waters, mountains and grasslands are protected for the long ter
rm. More information
here!

Ps. Please listen the NCC podcast:  The World's Most Endangered Ecosystem


The Saskatchewan Co-operative Wildlife Management Survey

The Saskatchewan Co-operative Wildlife Management Survey, formerly the Co-operative Deer Management Survey, is a long-standing, volunteer-based survey that provides the ministry with valuable productivity and herd structure information.  Participants have the opportunity to conveniently record observations using the new mobile SK CWMS application, that is compatible with both Apple and Android smart phones.

Although the SK CWMS application will allow participants to record observations at any time of year, there are key periods where it is particularly important to record your observations for each species:
  • White-tailed deer and mule deer: Sept 1 to Nov 30
  • Moose: Sept 1 to Dec31
  • Elk: Sept 1 to Feb 28
  • Sharp-tailed Grouse: March 1-July 15
  • Wild Turkey: Dec 1 to March 1
For more information, please visit the SK Government of SK website  .  

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Diego Steinaker, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
306-352-0472
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.