January 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 1

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season! If you're thinking "new year, new job", there are quite a few job postings for term and summer jobs below. Many deadlines to apply are this week, so make sure to check them out!

The 2023 Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference is in Calgary, February 21-23, 2023. The early-bird deadline is on January 15th, you can register here! There is a deadline for PCESC award nominations this week, so check out the PCESC post below!

The January Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar will be Dr Xulin Guo, from the U of Saskatchewan, who will be discussing woody encroachment in Saskatchewan. You can register here.

The December webinar was Carla Church from the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation, discussing Tiger Salamanders! You can find Carla's presentation on PCAP's YouTube Channel.

And just a reminder, as I've been asked a few times recently, the Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop will resume in February 2024 in Saskatoon. If anyone is interested in joining the planning committee for the 10th NPRRW, please let me know at pcap@sasktel.net.

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

After a short hiatus due to COVID, Alberta PCF is excited to announce the conference's return to Alberta. The conference will be located in Calgary at the Calgary Zoo! 

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

Registration is open, you can register here.

Early-bird registration is available until January 15th, but spots are limited, so register soon!

Awards

There two types of awards presented at the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference: the Prairie Conservation Awards and the Young Professional Stewardship Grant. You can find more information here. The deadline for nominations or submissions is tomorrow, January 11th!

The 2nd Edition of the Rare Vascular Plants of Alberta book are available for purchase. You can read an update on the Alberta Native Plant Council website and purchase a copy from the publisher.

Partner Spotlight:

SaskOutdoors

Submitted by Leanne Tremblay, SaskOutdoors Communication



SaskOutdoors, also known as the Saskatchewan Outdoor and Environmental Education Association, imagines a province where all people can experience a connection with nature and regularly live in harmony within their natural surroundings. To achieve this, we aim to inspire a sense of curiosity about nature and its many benefits by passionately motivating participation in outdoor opportunities, including recreation and professional development.  

SaskOutdoors’ areas of focus include: providing and facilitating a variety of outdoor experiences; increasing public awareness of the importance of the outdoors; building a viable and sustainable network of like-minded individuals and organizations; and influencing outdoor education policies and curriculum. 

We are starting the 2023 year off strong by offering various professional development and networking opportunities. 

1. Wilderness First Aid: SaskOutdoors is coordinating a wilderness first aid course in Lumsden the weekend of March 31 to April 2. It will be facilitated by Colin Frey of Renewed by Nature. 

2. Educator Workshops & Resources: We continue to offer Project WILD, Project WET, Growing Up WILD, Getting Little Feet WET, and Project Below ZERO workshops. These target classroom teachers and other educators such as nature interpreters, naturalists, conservation officers, camp counsellors, and youth group leaders. These workshops introduce educators to the chosen program and prepare them to utilise its resources and lesson plans in or out of the classroom. At the end of the workshop, educators will be able to efficiently and confidently communicate about the environment and foster a sense of environmental stewardship. All curriculum materials were developed by professionals in education and natural resource management from across Canada.

3. Community of Practice: This brand-new initiative strives to unite educators from all over Saskatchewan. We will meet virtually for the first time on January 18. SaskOutdoors’ Outdoor Play Coordinator will present “Teach the Teacher”, a talk focussed on sharing tips and tricks for taking classrooms outside including making curricular connections and planning for outdoor activities with purpose. This is a free opportunity to engage with others who have similar goals in mind for their students and youth. 

4. Book Club: In partnership with the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation (SCIC), SaskOutdoors will be facilitating a book club this March. Members will receive a free resource package alongside the chosen books. Yes, books! Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science by Dr. Jessica Hernandez and Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer. Discussion will encompass a variety of topics including how to utilise these resources in the classroom.

If you are interested in learning more about SaskOutdoors and our work or joining us for some professional development, visit our newly revamped website or contact us. We are open to partnering with others to provide outdoor and professional development opportunities. We love bringing people together to benefit from the outdoors! 

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

Woody Encroachment in SK

Speaker: Xulin Guo, University of SK

Tuesday January 31st at 12:00pm CT. 

Register here!

More information

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

Integrated Weed Management: Biological Control Options

Jan 12, 2023 @ 7PM

Mankota, SK

SK Beef Industry Conference

Jan 24-26, 2023

Saskatoon, SK

Annual SAW Conference

Jan 31-Feb 1, 2023

Saskatoon, SK

Celebrating Rural Ranching Women

Feb 2-3, 2023

Maple Creek, SK

Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference

February 21-23, 2023

Calgary, AB

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

March 15-17, 2023

Fargo, ND

Employment Opportunities

The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation is seeking A Part-Time General Manager

Deadline: Jan 12th, 2023

Meewasin Valley Authority and the Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange are seeking a  Prescribed Fire Science Coordinator & Grassland Ecologist (Term)

Deadline: Jan 12th, 2023 

The Nature Conservancy of Canada (SK) is seeking a Stewardship Coordinator.

Deadline: Jan 16th, 2023

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

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute is looking to hire summer staff.

Deadline Feb 27, 2023

Natural Resource Solutions Inc. is seeking a Wildlife Biologist.

Deadline: Jan 31, 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.