March 2022 | Volume 14 Issue 3
Hello Grassland Enthusiasts!
Spring still seems far away but hopefully the deep freeze is over! I'm hoping we can enjoy the last bit of winter. We've already started planning some summer activities, stay tuned!

SK PCAP and the NPRRW planning committee are happy with the success of the 9th Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop. It is our favourite event to organize and we're looking forward to planning an in-person NPRRW in 2024!

Caitlin has been busy planning Prairie's Got the Goods Week, which is March 7th-11th this year! All the details and links are below!

We had one Speaker Series presentation in February, Kevin Steinley and Stephanie Huel discussed their approach to invasive species education and management. The recording is available on PCAP's YouTube Channel!

For our March Native Prairie Speaker Series, we have Paige Kuczmarski with the Alberta Invasive Species Council to discuss their biocontrol release program. You can register here! We also have the registration links for the two April webinars available, you can register today!

I have been working with Nature Saskatchewan to plan a few evening presentations. On March 10th at 7 PM, there's Wild About Wetlands and on March 15th at 7 PM, there's Saskatchewan Conservation. You can find the links to register on the Nature Saskatchewan webpage.

And finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support: Camp Wolf Willow, EcoFriendly Sask, Enbridge, Information Services Corporation, 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. 

Have a great month!

Carolyn Gaudet, SK PCAP Manager 
Prairie's Got the Goods Week: Mar 7-11, 2022!
Join us for a week-long series of webinars about the ecological goods and services provided by the native prairie ecosystem!

March 7 @ 12 PM - Maximizing your on-farm assets: Saskatchewan’s grasslands and other natural areas are key to mitigating and adapting to climate change by Michael Champion, DUC More info Register

March 8 @ 12 PM - Disentangling the Role of Prairie Wetlands in Flood Prevention by Dr. Chris Spence, ECCC More info Register

March 9 @ 12 PM - Science-based Trials of Row crops Integrated with Prairie Strips – an overview of research and implementation by Omar de Kok-Mercado and Timothy Youngquist, Iowa State University

March 9 @ 3 PM - Ecological Goods and Services from an Indigenous Perspective by Gloria Lee, Leading Mountain Consulting Company Register

March 10 @ 12 PM - Diversity, Ecology, and Conservation Status with Focus on Bees of the Prairies by Cory Sheffield, Royal Saskatchewan Museum Register

March 11 @ 12 PM - How does reconstructed prairie and wetland affect carbon sequestration and weedy invasion in agricultural landscapes? by Destiny Magee, Bur Oak Land Trust
Master of Science opportunity: Impact of Fire and Grazing on Grassland Plants and Birds
The objective of this project is to examine the long-term impacts of prescribed fire and grazing (bison and cattle) on species-at-risk songbird abundance in southwestern Saskatchewan. For fieldwork, the student will conduct songbird surveys and vegetation sampling from May to July each year. The student will be working with Dr. Eric Lamb at the University of Saskatchewan, Dr. Steven Davis at ECCC, and NCC staff. More information can be found on the NCC recruitment site.
Agriculture and Agri-food Canada are looking to hire a Student Research Assistant- Wetland Biology - Research Affiliate Program. You can find the details here.
Alberta Wilderness Association is hiring a new Executive Director. You can find the position description here.
The 9th Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop occurred virtually February 8-10, 2022.
The theme was "Restoration, Reclamation, Resilience - Improving Soil, Water and Habitat"
Over 200 individuals participated in the 9th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop! We had 9 presentations, 6 case studies, 2 discussion groups, 11 posters, and 8 tradeshow booths. The positive feedback from our attendees has been overwhelming! We work hard to put on NPRRW and it's rewarding to know that participants are learning and enjoying the event.

 A big thank you to our sponsors, trade show participants, speakers and everyone who participated in the workshop. We appreciate your support and contributions!
Thank you to our NPRRW Sponsors!

Platinum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:
Tannas Conservation Services
Truax Company

Participant Sponsors:
I Whitson Innovations Inc
Society for Range Management – Prairie Parkland Chapter

Thank you to all of our speakers, case study and discussion group leaders who have contributed their time and knowledge to this workshop!
Melissa Arcand (University of Saskatchewan), Steven Siciliano (Environmental Material Science), Mandy Slate (University of Colorado Boulder), Rob Gardner, Steven Tannas (Tannas Conservation Services), Kerri Finlay (University of Regina), Roy Vera-Velez (University of Saskatchewan), Karen Thompson (Trent University), Kyle Bobiwash (University of Manitoba), Julie MacKenzie (M-over-C Land & Cattle Co. Ltd.), Kathryn Hull (Cows and Fish), Melanie Toppi ( SODCAP Inc. & FWRWMA), Becky Magnus (Nature Saskatchewan), Renny Grilz (Meewasin Valley Authority), Chris Tenszen (Trace Associates), Leanne Carlson and Heather Facette (Parks Canada Agency), Bryana Nicolas (Native Plant Solutions), Scott Beaton (Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation) and Shirley Bartz (Balanced Environmental Consulting)
Partner Spotlight
Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities
Submitted by SARM

Economy & Infrastructure
 
There is a direct link between the economy and the infrastructure that serves it.
 
Of such importance is Saskatchewan’s rural infrastructure, with nearly 1400 bridges and more than 170,000 kilometers of gravel roads, making up 92% of our provincial road network. The bridges are infrastructure that have been largely inherited from the province̶̶̶̶̶ with much of it aged. Past studies have shown an immediate increase in replacement and repair work is necessary. Funding for this must come from sources beyond rural taxation.
 
We must remember that these are the same bridges and roads that carry the raw products that are destined for export markets. Agricultural products, lumber, resource products, and manufactured goods are all common exports.
 
Also evident is that more raw products need to be processed within our provincial boundaries, and certainly within our country’s borders. This was recently illustrated by the supply chain issues as a result of the latest flooding on British Columbia’s mainland. Canada is known as an exporting nation for raw products, but one that depends on far too many other countries for processed and manufactured goods.
 
That begs the question, why is this happening and what changes can be made, especially in the livestock industry? With an abundance of grain, forages, straw, and other raw products (in normal production years), Saskatchewan has the resources to house more hogs and cattle in hog barns and feedlots. Yet in our province the expansion in these sectors has been historically slow and we need to look at the reasons why.
 
The climate in this province is certainly conducive to livestock production, and we have the agricultural land to support it, however, we don’t have any large meat packing plants, and not enough feedlots to effectively add value to our own home-grown livestock herds. Saskatchewan is home to about 40% of the national beef cow herd yet we export too many calves and feeders out of our province to be fed and processed.
Plan to attend our upcoming Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars!
An overview of the Alberta Invasive Species Council and their biocontrol release program
Speaker: Paige Kuczmarski, Alberta Invasive Species Council
Wed, Mar 2, 2022 12 PM
SAVE THE DATE
for the April webinars:
Using new technologies to track terns in the prairies and beyond 
Speaker: Ann McKellar, ECCC
Thurs April 17, 2022 12PM

City Nature Challenge
Speaker: Julia Adamson, Friends Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc 
Please visit our Native Prairie Speaker Series webpage  regularly for upcoming topics, dates, and registration details.
Upcoming Events
The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan is having a charity auction to
fund its conservation and education programs, so please bid generously.
Nearly $1,000 of items are up for bid, some of which are one-of-a-kind.
Bidders must register (free) and bidders in Saskatoon and Regina will
have free delivery.
For bidders outside
these areas, we will try to arrange free delivery, but will otherwise strive to ship any items won in the most economical way (ie. Canada Post if we can't personally deliver).
The auction can be found at:
2021/22 Speaker Series Supporting Sponsors 

Camp Wolf Willow
2021/22 Education Programs:
Presenting Sponsors:
Carolyn Gaudet, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2021-2022 from:
Camp Wolf Willow, Ducks Unlimited Canada, EcoFriendlySask.ca, 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, 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 2021-22 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, 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 Region, 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 Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Saskatchewan Ministry of Energy and Resources, Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, 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.