July 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 7 | |
Photo by Laura Hoimyr of Gladmar, SK | |
Happy July! I hope everyone had a great long weekend!
There are tons of events coming up as well as several news articles related to native prairie. Make sure to check them out below!
The Native Prairie Speaker Series is taking the month of July off, make sure to save the date and register for the August webinar about Migratory birds with Jordan Rustad from the Last Mountain Bird Observatory. You can register here.
We had one Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar in June, Karin Steuber from the SK Archaeological Society discussed archaeology in SK and Andrew Miller from First Nations University of Canada discussed land use by the Touchwood Agency Tribal Council First Nations. You can find the recorded webinar here.
And finally, we would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support: Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, K+S Youth+Us, North American Helium, Nutrien, 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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PCAP Recap: Native Prairie Appreciation Week, June 18-24, 2023!
SK PCAP would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all partners, followers and native prairie enthusiasts for spreading the word about native prairie and the importance of its conservation.
Here are the highlights:
- In addition to an official proclamation from the SK Ministry of Agriculture and the SK Ministry of Environment, the urban municipalities of Moose Jaw, Regina, Saskatoon and Swift Current all proclaimed Native Prairie Appreciation Week.
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Our Native Prairie Photo contest received over 80 entries in three categories: Native Prairie Landscape, Native Prairie Wildflower, and Wildlife in Action. Thank you to everyone who submitted photos and voted for their favourites! It's a great way to share the beauty and diversity of native prairie landscapes. You can see all entries on our Facebook page HERE.
- Almost 210 posters were submitted to the Native Prairie Youth Poster Contest this year! The winners are below!
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We had one webinar during Native Prairie Appreciation Week: "More Than Stones and Bones: Archaeology in Saskatchewan" by Dr. Karin Steuber, Saskatchewan Archaeological Society and “Post-Treaty Four Land Use by Touchwood Agency Tribal Council First Nations, 1874-1980” by Andrew Miller, First Nations University of Canada. You can find the recording here.
- We were handing out packets of native wildflower seeds at various farmers' markets during NPAW. We had lots of great conversations about native prairie and the importance of grasslands, wildflowers and pollinators.
We would like to thank our Presenting Sponsor for Native Prairie Appreciation Week:
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EcoStress Sask
EcoStress Sask offers free 8-week groups to discuss distress caused by environmental threats and losses. Groups will meet for 2 hours weekly by Zoom. Group meetings will be facilitated and include conversation and sharing of our experiences, as well as instruction and practice of coping and self-care knowledge and skills. Groups will also discuss moving forward, meaningful ways to take action, and building community. If you are interested in further information and/or to be put on the list for the next group, please contact ecostresssask@gmail.com.
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Partner Spotlight:
Nature Conservancy of Canada
Submitted by Daphne May, Director of Communications and Engagement
Prairie Grasslands – The Unsung Hero
Canada’s Prairie grasslands are our unsung hero. Grasslands absorb and store billions of tonnes of carbon, provide protection from flooding and drought, and help purify our water.
Prairie grasslands are essential for humans, but also for the numerous species that rely on the ecosystem to survive – like swift fox, ferruginous hawk and burrowing owl.
Spanning across Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, they’re one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. Over 80 per cent of Canada’s Prairie grasslands have been lost already, and what remains is at risk of disappearing forever. In the time it takes to watch your favourite television show, the equivalent of 12 CFL-sized football fields will be lost to grassland conversion and human activity. By the end of the day, another 260 football fields will be gone. Every year, 60,000 hectares, or 100,000 football fields, disappear.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Prairie Grasslands Action Plan
We’re rallying people and communities to conserve and care for this vital, endangered ecosystem. Our Prairie Grasslands Action Plan will conserve more than 500,000 hectares by 2030 — an area six times the size of Calgary, equivalent to what we will lose if we don’t act now to protect the grasslands that remain. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Partnership is at the heart of this plan. NCC is working with local communities, livestock producers and grazing groups, and in collaboration with Indigenous Nations, industry and government, to deliver solutions that ensure the grasslands remain a foundation for thriving communities.
The Prairie Grasslands Action Plan will provide effective solutions to counter rapid biodiversity loss and climate change. Your support will secure and restore rare habitats, protect species at risk, and improve the quality of our air and water.
In Saskatchewan, NCC is currently fundraising to conserve Prairie grasslands in the Cypress Uplands Natural Area. These uplands rise more than 600 metres above the surrounding plains, and are the highest elevation east of the Rockies in Canada, which make the area unique. The natural area is known for its beautiful valleys and coulees and is a popular vacation destination. Wildlife commonly found here include pronghorn, mule and white-tailed deer, elk and cougar. The Cypress Uplands boasts the highest diversity of birds in Saskatchewan. At-risk species found here include burrowing owl, chestnut-collared longspur, common nighthawk and ferruginous hawk. NCC is working to expand on our most recent land acquisition project in the remarkable Cypress Uplands: the Parker conservation project. Your support will help extend this project and conserve over 1,100 hectares of endangered Prairie grasslands, creeks, wetlands and aspen bluffs and the wildlife that they sustain. For more information, visit prairiegrasslands.ca.
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Stay tuned for news about our upcoming Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars! | |
Save the date for the August webinar!
Migratory Birds
Speaker: Jordan Rustad
Thursday August 31st, 2023 at 12:00pm
Speaker: Jordan Rustad, Last Mountain Lake Bird Observatory
Register here
Please visit our Native Prairie Speaker Series webpage regularly for upcoming topics, dates, and registration details.
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Leafy Spurge Beetle Collection Days
July 3-6, 2023
Besant Campground
Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan tour: Rose Creek Ranch
July 8, 2023
Eastend, SK
Living Lab-Central Prairies Presents Polycropping's Role in Climate Mitigation
July 13, 2023
Leafy Spurge Beetle Collection at Willner-Elbow Community Pasture
July 15, 2023
Watershed Stewardship for a Changing Climate
Regenerative Ag Workshop & Field Day
July 19, 2023
Langenburg, SK
Living Lab-Central Prairies Presents Polycropping's Role in Climate Mitigation
July 25, 2023
McCord, SK
America's Grassland Conference
August 8-10, 2023
Cheyenne, WY
Saskatchewan Pasture Tour
August 9, 2023
Glaslyn, SK
Canadian Beef Industry Conference
Aug 14-17, 2023
Calgary, AB
Transboundary Grassland Partnership Workshop
December 6-7, 2023
Swift Current, SK
Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop
February 7-8, 2024
Saskatoon, SK
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We would like to thank the following organizations for generously donating prizes for the Youth Poster Contest and the Social Media Photo Contest :
Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum,
Friends of Wascana Marsh,
Meewasin Valley Authority,
Nature Conservancy of Canada,
Nature Saskatchewan,
Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, and
Saskatchewan Science Centre
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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 2023-2024 from:
Canadian Forage and Grassland Association, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, North American Helium, Nutrien, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, K+S youth+us, 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 2023-24 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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