April 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 4 | |
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It's a new fiscal year for us here at SK PCAP. I was hoping I could share a photo with less snow in it for this time of year but we all know what it looks like out there. We were in Frontier, SK for a Species at Risk/landowner workshop on March 23rd and the pastures still looked like this photo above, fingers-crossed the moisture sticks around for a while.
Spring is often thought of as a time for renewal, the PCAP Partnership will be meeting later this month to start discussions for the development of the new 5-year Framework. Wish us luck!
You can register for the April Native Prairie Speaker Series that is today, April 4th at noon, and will be about Chronic Wasting Disease in Saskatchewan, by Dr. Iga Stasiak with the SK Ministry of Environment. Register for free here. If you missed it, it will be on our YouTube Channel within a few days!
Prairie's Got the Goods Week, was March 6th-10th! I hope you enjoyed the webinars that Caitlin organized. If you missed any of the webinars, you can find them on our YouTube Channel!
And finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support: Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskTel, SaskWater, Wildlife Habitat Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as the continuous support of all the PCAP Partners.
Carolyn Gaudet, SK PCAP Manager
pcap@sasktel.net
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Employment Opportunities
The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is hiring summer staff.
Deadline is April 14, 2023
The Canadian Wildlife Federation is hiring Grassland Insect Field Technicians. Job posting will remain open until it is filled so apply early!
Meewasin, as the managing partner for the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange, is hiring a Prescribed Fire Outreach Coordinator.
Deadline is April 11, 2023
South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc are hiring Summer Field Technicians.
Deadline to apply was extended to April 15, 2023.
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Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds
Learn about the wet, wild, and wonderful world of watersheds with the Watershed Wonders kits. The Watershed Wonders kits are a series of three loanable kits available for free to educators and parents. Kits are available in Gravelbourg, Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina, and Swift Current. Contact Stephanie at education@saskwatersheds.ca to learn more and to borrow your kit today!
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The Public and Stakeholder Engagement team, a national Check-Off funded program, is thrilled to announce the launch of the Guardians of the Grasslands Game !
This online, educational grazing simulation aims to teach students about the ecosystem services that are provided by raising cattle on grasslands including wildlife habitat, biodiversity and carbon sequestration, increasing their understanding of the benefits of beef production. Total play time is estimated between 15 – 20 minutes.
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Partner Spotlight:
Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan
Submitted by Chet Neufeld, Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, Executive Director
It seems we’ve made it through the worst of winter and if you’re any kind of plant person at all, you’ve got your sights set on spring. Contrary to what others might think, an organization that deals with plants can be extremely busy throughout the winter, as is the case with us. Data entry and analysis, funding applications, mapping, liaising with stakeholders, reporting, and financial reviews are just a few of the things that have kept us busy recently, not to mention planning and hosting our recent annual general meeting and conference coupled with the Aquatic Ecosystems module of the Saskatchewan Master Naturalist program, which is detailed in this issue.
Another recent activity that we’ve been involved with is a governance workshop involving the NPSS board. It’s recommended that all organizations periodically go through a governance review to ensure that the board is working efficiently and effectively toward our mandate and our members. We contracted Praxis Consulting to spend the day with us, reviewing our organization and its operation. I’m happy to report that all went well and, judging from the comments of our consultant, we’re in better shape than many other organizations, some much larger than ours. We received some recommendations, such as having a legal review of our bylaws and policies, and plan to follow up with these in the coming months.
Following the governance workshop, we also began strategic planning to chart the course for the society over the next 10 years. With long-term projects secure, a strong budget, and good governance in place, we thought it was a great time to pursue this. Additionally, we have grown and evolved over the years and have accomplished many of our objectives, so it was time to move the goal posts and create a plan that reflects who the society is today and what it wants to be in the future. We contracted Erin Campbell Howell Consulting to facilitate our planning and over the course of four sessions, our board and contractors created a framework that will take us through the next decade and beyond. Watch for more information on the results of our strategic planning in the next NPSS newsletter. You can receive the quarterly NPSS newsletter by becoming a Native Plant Society of SK member, here.
Of course, none of this would be possible without the generous support of our funders and members, so I want to personally thank everyone for their support.
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Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars! | |
Chronic Wasting Disease in Saskatchewan: A Wildlife Management Challenge
Tuesday April 4th, 2023 at 12pm CT
Speaker: Dr. Iga Stasiak, Provincial Wildlife Health Specialist, Ministry of Environment
Register here!
More information
Save the date!
May 2023 Native Prairie Speaker Series
Are Golden Eagles in Saskatchewan's Mixed-Grass Prairie faring better than ever?
Speaker: Dr. Joe Schmutz
Wednesday May 3rd, 2023 at 12:00pm
Register here
More information
Please visit our Native Prairie Speaker Series webpage regularly for upcoming topics, dates, and registration details.
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Restoring Prairie Habitat: An Introductory Course on Planting Native Species for the Canadian Prairies
Starts April 3rd, 2023
Nature Conservancy of Canada Webinar: Wings and Blooms
April 5, 2023 @ 3:30 MDT
PHJV Policy Webinar: CIER’s Role in Supporting Env'tal-Based Projects with Indigenous Communities and Organizations in the Prairie Region
April 12 @ 10 AM MDT
Ramped up for Restoration at Meeting Lake
May 13, 2023
Meeting Lake, SK
Joint Annual Meeting:
Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution AND Canadian Botanical Association
June 11-14, 2023
Winnipeg, MB
Nature Saskatchewan Spring Meet
June 16-18, 2023
Kindersley, SK
Society for Ecological Restoration: RE3 Conference
June 11-15, 2023
Quebec City, QC
America's Grassland Conference
August 8-10, 2023
Cheyenne, WY
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2023/24 Education Programs:
Presenting Sponsors:
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Carolyn Gaudet, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter | |
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SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2022-2023 from:
Agriculture Awareness Initiative Program, Camp Wolf Willow, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 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 Regina, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Water Security Agency and Wildlife Habitat Canada.
SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2022-23 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.
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