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Happy Canada Day!
Well, June flew by. I'm sure many of you feel the same way. I hope you all had a great long weekend!
We had a successful Native Prairie Appreciation Week. Thank you to all of our partners who helped spread the word about native prairie this month! We were able to chat with a number of folks who stopped by our displays at Farmers Markets in Regina, Swift Current and Moose Jaw. We were able to share the beauty of native prairie, with over 60 photos submitted to our Native Prairie Photo Contest and over 350 entries to our Youth Poster Contest. The winners of both contests are listed below! Prizes, donated by a number of organizations, were sent out to the winners last week.
To celebrate SK PCAP's Framework Renewal for 2019-2023, our partners met in Regina on June 20th. They formally renewed their commitment to prairie conservation and PCAP. The renewal process has allowed PCAP and its partners to reflect on the good work that has been completed and continue working towards our goals.
PCAP is what it is today because of the dedication of its partners, past and current, whose time and effort have made PCAP a model of an effective grassland conservation partnership. On behalf of the PCAP Partnership, I would like to thank everyone for their attendance at the Renewal Ceremony and their on-going support of PCAP.
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SK PCAP Partners at the Framework Renewal Signing Ceremony.
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Finally, we would like to thank the generous support from our sponsors: Crescent Point Energy, SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, SaskWater, Mosaic, Enbridge, EcoFriendly Sask, Wildlife Habitat Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as the continuous support of all the PCAP's
Partners
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Please feel free to contact us at any time!
Have a great month of July!
Carolyn Gaudet, SK PCAP Manager
Ph. 306 352 0472
pcap@sasktel.net
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Winners of the Native Prairie Appreciation Week Photo Contest
Over 60 photos were submitted to the Native Prairie Appreciation Photo Contest this year, here are the winners! Thank you to everyone who submitted native prairie photos and helped us celebrate the beauty of native prairie!
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| Winner of Best Prairie Landscape: Tammy Thomas. |
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| Winner of Best Wildlife in Action: Tammy Thomas |
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| Winner of Best People on the Prairie: Celia Hammerton. |
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| Winner of Best Wildflower: Tammy Thomas. |
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Winners of the Native Prairie Appreciation Week Youth Poster contest!
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| Winner of 11 & up category: Keeley Roy, age 12, of Harris Tessier Central School |
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| Winner of 7-10 category: Kage Roy, age 10, of Harris Tessier Central School |
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Winner of 6 & under category: Anselm Myers, age 6, of Saskatoon
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Thank you to the generous donors who donated prizes to our Native Prairie Appreciation Week contests :
Friends of Wascana Marsh, Grasslands National Park, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Prairie Winds & Silver Sage, Saskatchewan Science Centre, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Saskatoon Nature Society, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre
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D
iscovering Native Prairie: A Pasture Tour
On June 22nd, 30 participants travelled to Wellington Community Pasture for a chance to visit native prairie. Due to the much needed rain in the days before, the tour had to be moved from the Caledonia-Elmsthorpe pasture to the Wellington pasture near Francis, SK. Participants heard from the Wellington Community Pasture Cooperative co-chair, Ken Piwarski and the pasture manager, Jack Francis discussed the pasture cooperative and how they manage the pasture. SK Ministry of Agriculture Range Management Specialist, Lorne Klein discussed native grassland plants, its diversity and the soil. Birding enthusiast/naturalist, Gabriel Foley, talked about grassland specialist bird species and what makes them unique and their need for different habitat types. Unfortunately there was too much wind to hear many birds. A western meadowlark greeted us as we came off the bus and there was a savannah sparrow singing in the distance. There were also sightings of a willet and clay-coloured sparrows.
The storm that loomed in the distance, never reached us but made for a dramatic sky and windy conditions.
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Top photo by Gabriel Foley, bottom three photos by PCAP.
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Survey: Assessing attitudes towards Fish and Wildlife Development Fund lands and land management practices in Saskatchewan
Submitted by Jory Cadman, University of Saskatchewan,
School of Environment and Sustainability - MSEM Candidate
I am undertaking a research project to assess public attitudes towards Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF) Lands and land management practices in Saskatchewan.
As part of this research, I am collecting responses from an online survey sent out to those who live in rural Saskatchewan. Information gathered from this survey will be used to identify where improvements can be made in how FWDF lands are used and accessed, as well explore ways in which their conservation lands and management practices could be better aligned with the public's values and perspectives. The results will be presented to the FWDF members, and will assist them in working towards their goal of improving biodiversity conservation in Saskatchewan.
Participation is voluntary and survey responses are kept confidential. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes. Participation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
The survey can be completed
here.
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Range and Pasture Health Assessment Workbook Ready for Action
Manitoba's Range and Pasture Health Assessment method is a science-based procedure, modelled on the original workbook developed by Alberta Environment and Parks, with modifications for Manitoba conditions. An assessment is based on five sets of indicators that produce a health score.
"The health score gives an idea of how much improvement in range and pasture health and function may be possible with modifications to land management practices. It has significant implications for a site's ability to provide ecological services, such as forage production, biodiversity, habitat, nutrient cycling, water holding capacity, and resiliency to climate change."
The MFGA's Range and Pasture Health Assessment Workbook was developed specifically for range and pasture assessment needed for recommending maintenance or change of grazing management practices on grasslands and pastures. The project was lead by Mae Elsinger and Kerry LaForge, from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. Modifications were made in consultation with stakeholders, and documented by Rachel Whidden. Supporting ecoregion, ecosite, and plant community guides were developed by Jeff Thorpe and Lysandra Pyle, also with stakeholder input.
The workbook is posted on the MFGA website or by clicking
here.
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SK PCAP Native Prairie Speaker Series
Plan to attend our July Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars! More information can be found
here.
Save the date!
Wildtrax and Wildlife monitoring in Southern Alberta
by Brett Campbell,
Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (AMBI)
August 20, 2019 at 12 pm MDT
For anyone in the Val Marie area this month:
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Upcoming Events!
Native Plant Society of SK
July 6, 2019 at 9 am
Avonlea, SK
Redbrick Schoolhouse,
Val Marie, SK
July 16 & 17, 2019
Milk River, AB
Nature Conservancy of Canada
July 20, 2019
Asquith, SK
Nature Conservancy of Canada
July 27, 2019
Moose Jaw, SK
Nature Conservancy of Canada
July 29, 2019
Big Muddy, SK
August 8, 2019
Hanley, SK
Nature Conservancy of Canada
August 10, 2019
Robsart, SK
2019 SODCAP Inc AGM
August 14, 2019
Eastend, SK
Wildtrax and Wildlife monitoring in Southern Alberta
by Brett Campbell, Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar
August 20, 2019
Society for Ecological Restoration
September 21, 2019
Saskatoon, SK
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Native Prairie in the News
For SK PCAP, June was a newsworthy month! Several articles and radio interviews took place for key events, including:
- news pieces on the proclamation of Native Prairie Appreciation Week by the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment were printed in Discover Estevan, West Central Online, Swift Current Online and NorthEast Now.
- news pieces featuring the City of Weyburn and the City of Moose Jaw and their municipal declarations of Native Prairie Appreciation Week. Read about the Weyburn proclamation
HERE
and see the proclamation from the City of Moose Jaw
HERE
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| Carolyn Gaudet in Weyburn with Mayor Marcel Roy signing the proclamation. |
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| Carolyn Gaudet in Moose Jaw with Mayor Fraser Tolmie signing the proclamation. |
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If you see SK PCAP in the news, please let us know! SK PCAP tracks the impact that our public awareness campaigns have and it is a useful way to understand how we can communicate in the most meaningful (and cost-effective) way.
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2019 Education Programs:
Presenting Sponsors:
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2019 Education Programs
Supporting Sponsors:
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Carolyn Gaudet, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
306-352-0472 |
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SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2019-2020 from:
Crescent Point Energy, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Canada North Environmental Services, EcoFriendlySask.ca, Enbridge Inc., The Mosaic Company, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association,
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment - Fish and Wildlife Development Fund,
SaskEnergy,
SaskPower, SaskTel, SaskWater, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Water Security Agency and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2019-20 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 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 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 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, Wild About Saskatoon-Nature City Festival.
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