November 2023 | Volume 15 Issue 11

Happy November!

Registration for the Transboundary Grassland Partnership Workshop in Swift Current is open! Registration and the schedule are available on the SK Stock Growers Foundation website! Make sure to register soon!

Registration is also open for the 10th Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop in February 2024 in Saskatoon! You can register here. The schedule is also online, we have a great line up of presentations!

The Call for Abstracts poster deadline is December 1st, you can find the online form to submit an abstract, here.

The October Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar was about prairie sparrows with Mercy Harris from the University of Saskatchewan. You can find the recording on our YouTube Channel.

Later this month, the Native Prairie Speaker Series will have Jordan Vos from the University of Lethbridge to discuss diet analysis of prairie amphibians! You can register 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

Register for the 2024 Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop!

The 10th Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop is back in person! The workshop will take place February 7-8, 2024 at the Saskatoon Inn and Conference Centre in Saskatoon, SK.

The theme is "Building Bridges to Tomorrow: Restoration and Reclamation For the Future"

You can check out the fantastic lineup of speakers here!

The Call for Poster Abstracts is still open! The deadline for posters is December 1st, 2023.

Call for Poster Abstracts can be found here.

Registration

Registration is open, you can register here!

Early-bird Registration (until January 17th) = $325 + (taxes + fees)

Regular Registration (after January 17th ) = $375 + (taxes + fees)

Students and landholders = $300 + (taxes + fees)

One day (Wednesday or Thursday) = $190 + (taxes + fees)

Pre-workshop Event: Planning a Prairie Prescribed Fire, occurring February 6th, 2024, 1 - 5 PM. $30/person. More information is available on the registration page.

Partner Spotlight:

Red berry Lake Biosphere Region

Submitted by Terry Gagne

The Redberry Lake Biosphere Region (RLBR) is one of 19 biosphere regions across Canada and the only one in Saskatchewan. Our mission is to promote a healthy balance between humans and nature through

research, education, and collaboration, with a focus on conservation and sustainable resource use.

The RLBR’s 'Roots of Renewal' project is dedicated to making a substantial impact on carbon sequestration, habitat restoration, and community well-being within our region. Ian King, the project lead, collects native seeds from local trees, flowers, and grasses for planting in our newly built greenhouse. The seedlings are produced with long-term viability in mind. These plants will be used for various planting projects, such as afforestation and eco-buffer initiatives, contributing to habitat

resilience, and biodiversity within the Biosphere Region.

Promoting sustainable practices and fostering environmental literacy within the region is a core principle at RLBR, with a central focus on environmental education. RLBR’s Redberry Lake Interpretive Centre is

currently under construction to develop an educational landscape with content and programs designed for a wide range of audiences. Maria Mora our education coordinator is working with Elders from both

Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nations to develop a Land-Based Learning curriculum. The plan uses “Two-Eyed Seeing” to bridge indigenous knowledge systems with western scientific approaches, to provide a unique environmental educational experience.

RLBR’s Species at Risk field technician Mike Blom works with several of our core partners to document the diverse animal, bird and amphibian populations that reside within the biosphere region. This work increases our knowledge and understanding ensuring we are working towards our goal, to preserve the habitat for species at risk within the biosphere region.

These projects come together to improve the environmental literacy within our region. To equip individuals with the skills and knowledge needed for sustained engagement to “Living with the Land” rather then “Living off the Land”.

If you'd like to learn more, please visit our website at www.redberrylake.ca or find us on Facebook and Instagram!

Seeds to Sapling class with Ian King and grades 2/3 and 6/7 from Hafford Central School

Image provided by - Caitlin Comeau-Jarvis

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

Investigating and analyzing the diet of prairie amphibians

Speaker: Jordan Vos, University of Lethbridge

Wednesday November 29 at 12 PM MT

Register here

More information

Save the Date!

Monarchs and Native Plants

Emily Putz, Nature Saskatchewan

Tuesday December 12 at 12 PM CT

Register here

More information

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

Annual Manitoba Forage and Grassland Association Conference

Nov 13-15, 2023

Brandon, MB

Grassland Restoration Forum's Fall Information Session: "Seeds"

November 16, 2023

Claresholm, AB

Canadian Western Agribition

November 20-25, 2023

Regina, SK

Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s Annual Conference

November 28 - December 1, 2023

Harrison Hot Springs, B.C. 

Transboundary Grassland Partnership Workshop

December 6-7, 2023

Swift Current, SK

Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop

February 7-8, 2024

Saskatoon, SK

SK PCAP has two free education programs available.

See more information here!

Books to add to your reading list...

Economy of Sparrows

by Trevor Herriot

Trees Against the Wind: The Birth of Prairie Shelterbelts

by William R. Schroeder

Streams of Consequence: Dispatches from the Conservation World by Lorne Fitch

Available Oct 17, 2023

Protecting the Prairie: Lorne Scott and the Politics of Conservation by Andrea Olive

Available Nov 18, 2023

2023/24 Education Programs:

Presenting Sponsors:

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.