March 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 3

It's Prairie's Got the Goods Week! We have 7 free webinars available this week about Ecological Goods and Services provided by native prairie. PCAP recently contracted a market research firm to do a survey of the general public, it appears the understanding of the importance of native prairie and its role in providing ecological goods and services has decreased since a similar survey was completed in 2013. Caitlin is working on a social media campaign about Ecological Goods and Services this week. Make sure to share the information with your networks, especially those who don't know much about native prairie and its many benefits!

The February webinar was Scott Weidensaul, from Project SNOWStorm, which you can find on PCAP's YouTube Channel. This webinar has had a great response to date so make sure to check it out if you are interested in Snowy Owls!

The March Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar was last week, where Drs. Jolene Giacinti and Catherine Soos discussed Avian Influenza in wild birds! Presenters are currently seeking approval to share the recording and we hope to have it available publicly on YouTube in the near future.

You can register for the April Native Prairie Speaker Series that will be about Chronic Wasting Disease in Saskatchewan on April 4th at noon, by Dr. Iga Stasiak with the SK Ministry of Environment. Register for free here.



Our friends over at Skinner Native Seeds in Manitoba are offering a virtual introductory native prairie planting course. You can find more information here.

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, 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

Prairie's Got the Goods Week: Mar 6-10, 2023!

Join us for a week-long series of webinars about the ecological goods and services provided by the native prairie ecosystem!

March 6 @ 12 pm CT: Cooling Effects of Wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region of North America by Zhe Zhang, School of Environment and Sustainability

Register here; More information

March 7 @ 12 pm CT: The Beef Cattle Research Council: cattle, plant, and environment research on the prairies by Stacey Domolewski, Beef Cattle Research Council 

Register here; More information

March 8 @ 12 pm CT: Remembering the Prairies and a Path to Wild Food by Ian Hnatowich Wanuskewin Heritage Park and

Sandra Walker, Ethnobotanist, Educator, and Author

Register here More information

March 8 @ 3 PM CT : A Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Tool for Saskatchewan - HBAT+ by Heather Peat Hamm and Francois Blouin, Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association

Register here; More information

March 9 @ 12 PM CT: The Importance of Prairie Pollination by Marika Olynyk, Nature Conservancy of Canada

Register here; More information

March 9 @ 3 PM CT: Does drainage pay? Quantifying agricultural profitability associated with wetland drainage practices by Dr. Shari Clare, Fiera Biological Consulting

Register here; More information

March 10 @ 12 PM CT: Generating Financial Incentives for Conserving Grasslands through Carbon Credits by Brian McConkey, Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association

Register here; More information

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!

Assiniboine ALUS Program Now Offering Regen Ag Funding

The Assiniboine Watershed Stewardship Association has been offering the ALUS program to farmers and ranchers in the watershed since 2015. To date the team at AWSA has enrolled a total of over 3800 acres into ALUS conservation agreements with 57 different landowners! Projects involve converting marginal cropland into perennial forage cover, fencing and alternative watering solutions to minimize livestock impacts on riparian areas, and since 2022, regenerative agriculture projects such as cover cropping or intercropping. Participants receive up to 5 years of annual payments for their projects in addition to establishment cost reimbursement. To learn more, click on the table below.

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.

Partner Spotlight:

Saskatchewan Forage Council

Submitted by Shannon McArton, Sask Forage Council, Executive Director



The Saskatchewan Forage Council (SFC) was formed as a co-operative in 1988 to develop and enhance sectors of the province’s forage industry, including production, harvesting, utilization and marketing. The Council distributes current information on forage-related topics and encourages the use of forages in production systems. Through its Board of Directors, industry partners and stakeholders, SFC assists in the prioritization of research in the forage sector. Our research committee identifies research gaps and in partnership with research, government and industry partners, SFC facilitates or co-operates with applied research projects and demonstrations to fill those gaps. We help to disseminate project findings to producers and interested industry partners.  

It’s been another busy year as SFC, as we took advantage of the opportunity to return to face-to-face meetings and events. Our support of projects like the Prairie Watershed Climate Action Plan (PWCP), Living Lab Central Prairies and our ongoing participation in ADOPT and ADF projects have been interesting and rewarding. We continue to look for opportunities to collaborate with like-minded forage industry groups on initiatives to strengthen the network across the Prairies, and have been working closely with our neighbours in Alberta and Manitoba.

SFC publishes Forage and Livestock eNews, once a month. This electronic newsletter includes news and updates pertinent to livestock and forage research and production and helps to promote meetings and events in support of forage and grasslands issues across Saskatchewan and beyond our borders. During the growing season, we publish four editions of the popular Hay and Pasture Report, keeping you up-to-date on forage price trends, growing conditions and timely forage production information. You can sign up for a free subscription to these two publications, or view past editions of these and other informative publications on our website in the Resources section.

We welcome new members, for a one-time fee of $25.00. For more information about the Saskatchewan Forage Council and its library of resource materials, or to become a member, visit www.saskforage.ca or contact us directly by phone or text at 306-731-7610, or email office@saskforage.ca.

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 to come

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

Swift Current Creek Watershed Stewards Annual General Meeting

March 6, 2023 @ 1:30 PM

Swift Current, SK

Prairie's Got the Goods Week

March 6-10, 2023

Alberta Chapter of the Wildlife Society Conference

March 10-12, 2023

Calgary, AB

Native Prairie Speaker Series: Greater Sage-Grouse and habitat for other Species at Risk in Saskatchewan 

March 13, 2023 @ 7 PM

McCord, SK

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

March 15-17, 2023

Fargo, ND

Native Prairie Speaker Series: Land Management for SAR Habitat, from a Landowner’s Perspective

March 16, 2023 @ 7 PM

Val Marie, SK

SEIMA SustainTECH

March 22-23, 2023

Saskatoon, SK

Weeds and Wildlife: A Landowner Workshop

March 23, 2023

Frontier, SK

Remote First Aid

March 31- April 2, 2023

Lumsden, SK

Restoring Prairie Habitat: An Introductory Course on Planting Native Species for the Canadian Prairies

Starts April 3rd, 2023

Society for Ecological Restoration: RE3 Conference

June 11-15, 2023

Quebec City, QC

Employment Opportunities

Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan is looking for a Project Assistant

Deadline is March 15, 2023

Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is looking for a Senior Manager, Conservation Operations.

Deadline is March 15, 2023

Milk River Watershed Council Canada is looking for an Outreach Assistant

Deadline is March 31, 2023

The Royal Saskatchewan Museum is hiring summer staff.

Deadline is April 14, 2023

Click on the America's Grassland Conference poster above for more information!

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.