August 2026 | Volume 18 Issue 8

Happy August, everyone!



I hope everyone had a great long weekend! July flew by, I did take some holidays and spent most of my work days packing up and moving out of the PCAP/SSGA office. It's amazing what can be accumulated in over 20 years in a space and it was a good opportunity to sort and purge.


I attended the Grand Opening of the Redberry Lake Biosphere Region Interpretive Center, where I got to visit with PCAP Partners and hear about all the amazing things happening at RLBR.


Make sure to check out some of the many news articles below, native prairie was in the news often in the last two months!



Upcoming Events

The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP) monthly theme for August is 'Indigenous and local knowledge, culture and innovation'. Keep an eye out for events and resources celebrating grasslands on this Trello board.


The IYRP Book Club is meeting in August to discuss Treat Them as Buffalo by Blair Palmer Yoxall. We will be joined by the author for the discussion! The registration link is here.


We're also planning the 2027 Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop which will be February 10-11, 2027 in Saskatoon. Keep an eye open for upcoming announcements about registration this fall.



Webinars

Our July Native Prairie Speaker Series webinar was about the citizen science. You can find the recording on YouTube. The August webinar will be about woody plant encroachment! Register here. You can also register and find more information about other upcoming webinars here.


Thank you Sponsors

We would like to thank our sponsors for their generous support: 

K+S Youth+Us, North American Helium, Pembina, Sasktel, TC Energy, and Wildlife Habitat Canada, as well as the continuous support of all the PCAP Partners!


Carolyn Gaudet, SK PCAP Manager 

pcap@sasktel.net

Survey Opportunity


University of Manitoba Survey on Public Views of Prescribed Fire in Prairie Management


Please complete the online survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2ZCWDRW

Native Prairie in the News


Canada’s Endangered Species Watchdog Is Strapped for Cash


Those working for prairie conservation play the long game


Prairie grassland decline drives push for new native seed bank initiative


What city art students found in Saskatchewan’s native prairie


Native Prairie Appreciation Week to highlight southeast's environment


Weston Family Foundation invests an additional $37 million to safeguard one of Canada’s most ecologically valuable and threatened ecosystems


Nature Saskatchewan urges beachgoers to help protect endangered piping plovers


Living Prairie Museum uses sheep to manage urban prairie grasslands


Alberta’s lost prairie called a broken promise


New Saskatchewan range health assessment helps producers measure pasture performance


U of A research hub helps conserve Canadian grasslands 


USask signs MOU for community, environmental, sustainability research and education


The biggest threat to the rangelands isn’t what you’d guess


New prairie pastures management network takes root in Saskatchewan


Prescribed fires for grasslands including around Saskatoon, get a financial boost


Burrowing owl chicks are beginning to take flight: Nature Sask reminds drivers to watch out


Unregulated wetland drainage exposes gaps in Saskatchewan water oversight

International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists!

Check out the SK Working Group's Trello board for upcoming International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists events and range-related content. You can find the Trello board for Canadian Resources here. There are quite a few field tours in Alberta on the IYRP Trello board. You can find more global information at the official IYRP website: https://iyrp.info/


Canadian Forage and Grassland Association (CFGA) is inviting organizations, networks and leaders from across the country to participate in a biweekly national Zoom call dedicated to collaboration, promotion and shared learning. You can register here.

IYRP Virtual Book Club Registration

A big thank you to Shirley (PCAP Education Coordinator) and Becky (from Nature Sask) for helping with the final move out of the office and to all the PCAP Partners that took boxes of booklets and whatever else I was giving away. PCAP appreciates your support!

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

August Native Prairie Speaker Series

Woody Plant Encroachment and Forages

Speaker: Andrew Williams, Masters Student, University of Saskatchewan

Tuesday August 25th, 2026 at 12:00 pm


Register free!


SAVE THE DATE!


September Native Prairie Speaker Series


Topic: Deep Roots


Speaker: Ellie Annett, Alberta Prairie Conservation Forum


Tuesday September 29th, 2026 at 12:00 pm


Register free!



October Native Prairie Speaker Series


Topic: Plains Bison


Speaker: Mia Nemeth, University of Saskatchewan


Tuesday October 6th, 2026 at 12:00 pm


Register free!

Upcoming Events

Saskatchewan Pasture Tour

August 5, 2026

Canwood, SK


Young Agrarians's Farm Tour at Springer Farm

August 9th, 2026 @ 2-6 PM

Foam Lake, SK


IYRP Virtual Book Club: Treat Them as Buffalo

August 20th, 2026 @ 12 PM CST


Nature Conservancy of Canada's Event: Become a Community Scientist at Asquith

September 12, 2026

@ 10 AM - 3 PM

Asquith, SK


Nature Saskatchewan's Fall Meet

September 18-20, 2026

Meadow Lake, SK


Canadian Prairies Prescribed Fire Exchange's T-REX

October 19-23, 2026

Saskatoon, SK


Transboundary Grasslands Partnership Workshop

October 20-21, 2026

Cypress Hills, SK


SAVE THE DATES - FALL/WINTER


Canadian Forage and Grassland Association’s Annual Conference

November 9-12, 2026

Calgary, AB


Central Grasslands Roadmap

November 10-12, 2026

Chihuahua City, Mexico



Grassland Restoration Forum's Fall Information Session

November 19, 2026

Claresholm, AB


Western Canada Conference on Soil Health & Grazing 2026

December 8-10, 2026

Edmonton, AB


Living Labs - Central Prairies Conference

December 15-16, 2026

Saskatoon, SK


Native Prairie Restoration/ Reclamation Workshop

February 10-11, 2027

Saskatoon, SK

2026/27 Education Programs:

Presenting Sponsors:

 
Carolyn Gaudet, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter
 

SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2026-2027 from:

North American Helium, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, K+S youth+us, Pembina, Saskatchewan Cattle Association, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment - Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, SaskEnergy, University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, the Department of Plant Sciences, and the College of Arts & Science, Water Security Agency and Wildlife Habitat Canada.


SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2026-2027 from: 

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Science and Technology Branch, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association, Environment and Climate Change Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, Meewasin Valley Authority, Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, Nature Conservancy Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park, Ranchers Stewardship Alliance Inc., Redberry Lake Biosphere Region, Salthaven West. Saskatchewan Aboriginal Land Technicians, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds, Saskatchewan Bison Association, Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, Saskatchewan Cattle 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, the Department of Plant Sciences, and the College of Arts & Science and Water Security Agency.