February 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 2

Happy February everyone!

The 2023 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference is in Calgary, February 21-23, 2023. Venue capacity has been reached so registration is closed. The agenda looks great. The pre-conference activities have just been listed. Pre-conference activity spots are limited, so individuals who have already registered for the conference should pre-register for the activities while you can! Caitlin and I have been helping the planning committees and we're excited to see you there!

The January Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar was Dr Xulin Guo, from the U of Saskatchewan, who discussed woody encroachment in Saskatchewan. This webinar had the best attendance since pandemic lockdowns ended. You can find the presentation on PCAP's YouTube Channel.

The February webinar will be Scott Weidensaul, from Project SNOWStorm, discussing Snowy Owls! You can register here!

Caitlin has also started working on the webinar line-up for the Prairie's Got the Goods Week, March 6-10, 2023. It's looking good and you can start registering today! More information can be found here. Stay tuned for more presentation as Caitlin posts them!

And finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support: Agriculture Awareness Initiative Program, Camp Wolf Willow, Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, EcoFriendly West, Enbridge, Information Services Corporation, Mosaic Company, 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

Theme: Prairie Collaboration, Connection, and Conservation

Registration is closed as venue capacity has been reached, but for those that did register, there are pre-conference activities available for February 21st, check them out!

You can find more information on the website: pcesc.ca the PheedLoop site and their social media channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds

Caring For Our Watershed is an education program that engages students in preserving and improving their local watersheds through student-led solutions. Essentially, students from grades 7-12 are asked to submit a 1000-word proposal answering the question, "What can you do to improve your watershed?" Entries need to be submitted online by March 10th, 2023. The top 10 entries will move on to the final competition which will take place in person on May 6th, 2023, in Saskatoon. The top entry will win $1000 for themselves and their school. Contact Stephanie at education@saskwatersheds.ca to learn more and to schedule your free classroom presentation!

Partner Spotlight:

South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc.

Submitted by Krista Connick Todd, SODCAP Inc Co-Executive Director



Native Prairie as the Gold Standard

SODCAP Inc is pleased to be leading the new Living Lab - Central Prairies project, with support from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. The Living Lab investigates the carbon and biodiversity implications of different grassland management systems throughout Saskatchewan and southeast Alberta, using Native Prairie as the "gold standard" for a healthy functioning ecosystem. The on-the-ground research project will look at the impacts of avoided prairie conversion, grazing management, restoration and rejuvenation of perennial pastures and polycropping.

SODCAP Inc also piloted a new project this year based on PCAPs "Guide to Habitat Attributes for Multiple Species at Risk". We partnered with Mankota Pasture in the South of the Divide area to describe a management plan that would create habitat for a variety of species at risk. The project focuses on the vital importance of active on-the-ground management. In the summer of 2022 we monitored the pasture for a variety of habitat attributes identified in the Guide.

SODCAP Inc continues to build partnerships with individual local landowners and land managers to protect and maintain habitat for a variety of species including pronghorn, mountain sucker, and grassland birds. The projects are designed based on the specific habitat needs of the target species and the land managers traditional knowledge of the ranch and management goals. Restoration of cropland back to native grasses has been a major focus.

One project involves working with the Nekaneet First Nation to create a habitat plan for their lands and share knowledge and ideas.  

We are pleased to partner with other agencies working in the SOD area, including ALUS Canada, Birds Canada, and the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation, to maximize habitat benefits on the landscape. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming workshops and events!

SODCAP staff deploying bird recording units to monitor grassland bird populations. 

Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars!

Caught in the SNOWStorm

Wednesday Feb 15th, 2023 at 12pm CT

Speaker: Scott Weidensaul, Project SNOWStorm

Register here!

More information

March Native Prairie Speaker Series

Topic: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

Speaker: Dr. Jolene Giacinti, Wildlife Health Specialist, ECCC

Thursday March 2nd, 2023 at 12PM CT

Register here!

Please visit our Native Prairie Speaker Series webpage  regularly for upcoming topics, dates, and registration details.

HBAT Winter Webinars - Supporting BMP Adoption on the Landscape: ALUS

February 9 @ 1 PM EST

Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan AGM and Conference

February 11 and 12, 2023

Saskatoon, SK

Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference

February 21-23, 2023

Calgary, AB

HBAT - Winter Webinars - Problem Solving Past Objections

February 23 @ 1 PM EST

Alberta Chapter of the Canadian Land Reclamation Association AGM and Conference

February 22-24, 2023

Edmonton, AB

Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Annual Convention

February 23-25, 2023

Estevan, SK

Prairie's Got the Goods Week

March 6-10, 2023

The Second Perennial Cool-Season Invasive Grasses of the Northern Great Plains Workshop

March 15-17, 2023

Fargo, ND

Employment Opportunities

The University of Regina is looking for a Lead Field Tech for a Great Horned Owl research project.

Nature Saskatchewan is hiring summer staff.

Deadline is Feb 12, 2023

South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc is hiring a Range Technician

Deadline is Feb 15, 2023

Meewasin Valley Authority are hiring summer staff.

Deadline is Feb 24, 2023

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute is looking to hire summer staff.

Deadline is Feb 27, 2023

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is hiring summer staff.

Deadline is April 14, 2023

SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2022-2023 from:

Agriculture Awareness Initiative Program, Camp Wolf Willow, Ducks Unlimited Canada, EcoFriendlySask.ca, 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.