6/8/2018 2018 JUNE Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter Having trouble viewing this email? Click here

June 2018 Volume 10 Issue 6

PCAP Speaker Series Webinar

Comparing The Population Benefits of Habitat Restoration Options: Greater Sage-grouse in Alberta

Julie Heinrichs, Colorado State University June 12, 2018 -12 pm MST

Saskatchewan is the only place in North America with a dedicated week for native prairie appreciation, and it is coming up June 17-23! The Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW) is an important time to recognize and appreciate this valuable resource, and also the producers and land managers who carefully steward the native prairie. Sustainable prairie management takes years of hard work and compromise, and the positive role of these stewards should be appreciated as well.

NPAW has been jointly proclaimed by the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment for the 20th year in a row! Also acknowledging the importance of our native prairie ecosystems are the Cities of Regina, Saskatoon, Weyburn, Moose Jaw, and Swift Current.

We have a number of activities to celebrate the NPAW, including the Click to Register for this FREE! annual SRM tour, field trips, farmer's market booths across the province, photo and poster contests and much more! Plan to attend the Society You can watch our previous Speaker Series for Range Management tour, to be held in Beechy in June 21-22 with the Webinar presentations on our YouTube theme "The Missouri Coteau: 10,000 Years in the Making". Registration channel by clicking here! deadline is June 14. Also share your passion for native prairie grasslands by participating in the Annual Photo Contest. Please upload Visit our Prairie Speaker Series your photo on Facebook, Twitter or email us it by June 15. I would also website for more details ! like to remark that during the NPAW, Nature Saskatchewan in cooperation with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) and Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan (NPSS) are leading a series of field trips to NCC properties. Find more information below.

As for our Native Prairie Speaker Series webinars, we are proud to announce Julie Heinrichs, from Colorado State University, presenting on habitat restoration options for Greater Sagegrouse. The webinar will be on June 12, and you can register for free now! Our Native Prairie Speaker Series is been very successful thanks to the fantastic work of Caitlin Mroz in the coordination, and the generous support of our sponsors, cheers! If you missed our last month webinar, with Paulson https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130562189470&format=html&print=true 1/6 6/8/2018 2018 JUNE Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter Des Brisay presenting on the effects of industrial noise on grassland songbirds, you can view it on our YouTube channel!

SK PCAP is successfully running its two education programs: Taking Action For Prairie (TAFP) and Adopt a Rancher (AAR). Under the effective coordination of Kerry Gaillard and the valuable support of our sponsors, these programs reflect main goals and priority areas of SK PCAP. More than 100 students of Grade 6 and 8 from Regina and Wilcox schools have participated in the TAFP program during this spring 2018. Likewise, 160 Grade-10 students from Prince Albert, Regina, Eastend and Asquith are participating at this moment in the AAR program. Three ranch's visits have just occurred during the last few weeks and two more are happening in early June. We thank very much teachers and host ranchers involved in these programs for their wonderful predisposition and commitment.

We are also proud to announce that SK PCAP, along with other friend Upcoming Events! organizations, contributed this year to the elaboration of two new Guides to managing for optimal habitat attributes for two Species At Risk: the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Loggerhead Shrike and the Northern Leopard Frog. Please take a look 105th AGM & Convention at the guides here! Swift Current, SK - June 10-12,

2018 Finally, SK PCAP would like to congratulate very much Carolyn Gaudet on the birth of her baby girl, and wish the best on her maternity leave! Grouse, Grasslands & Grazing -

Workshop Have a great June! June 5-7, 2018 Diego Steinaker June 26-28, 2018 SK PCAP Manag er 306 352 0472 Nature Saskatchewan Spring pcap@sasktel. net Meet Coronach, SK - June 8-10, 2018

Native Prairie Appreciation Week: 17-23 June, 2018 Native Prairie Appreciation Week June 17-23, 2018

This is the 20th Anniversary that SK PCAP has been spearheading Saskatchewan's annual Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW) NPAW Tour celebration! We are proud to present many activities and we have a full Beechy, SK - June 21-22, 2018 week of events planned. Nature Saskatchewan - NCC - Join us to learn more about native prairie and how YOU can conserve NPSS - Field trips this resource at the following locations: June 16, 23, 24; 2018

Saskatoon - Farmers Market: Sunday, June 17 (10am-3pm)

Regina - Farmer's Market: Wednesday, June 20 (9am-1pm)

Regina - National Aboriginal Day: Thursday, June 21 (9 am-3 pm) at the City Square Plaza

Swift Current - Market Square: Saturday, June 23 (9:30am- 2:30pm)

Explore a local prairie during the Native Prairie Appreciation Week! Join the Society for Range Management's Tour - https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130562189470&format=html&print=true 2/6 6/8/2018 2018 JUNE Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter Nature Saskatchewan, in cooperation The Missouri Coteau - 10,000 Years in the with the Nature Conservancy of Canada Making - 21-22 June. (NCC) and Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan (NPSS) are leading a Plan to attend the SRM Tour in Beechy, SK, held in conjunction with series of field trips to a prairie patch Saskatchewan Native Prairie Appreciation Week! near you!

Click for more information including an agenda! Saturday, June 16, 2018 - Reed Lake NCC property

Saturday, June 23, 2018 - Dundurn NCC property

Sunday, June 24, 2018 - Fairy Hill NCC property

Plant and wildlife experts will be present to help you spot and recognize elusive critters hidden among the grass. Trips are family friendly and casual in nature.

Click here for details on each field trip!

Guides to Managing for Optimal Habitat Attributes for Species At Risk:

Loggerhead Shrike

2018 NPAW - Photo Contest Send us your best shot! And you can win a prize! One winner will be chosen in each category:

Best Native Prairie Wildflower Northern Leopard Frog Best Prairie People on the Landscape Best Wildlife in Action Best Native Prairie Landscape

Upload your photo on Facebook, Twitter or email us it by June 15, 2018.

Click here to learn more about the Photo Contest Rules

The intent of these guides is to determine local and landscape-scale habitat features that are optimal for species at risk at https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130562189470&format=html&print=true 3/6 6/8/2018 2018 JUNE Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter different life stages, as well as important non-habitat related beneficial management practices.

These guides were developed by Sue Michalsky and Heather Peat Hamm, with technical and editorial input from Andrew Didiuk, Dave Prescott, Julie Mackenzie, Kris Kendall, Lea Randall and Ashley Vass.

Conservation Volunteer Opportunities!

The Nature Conservancy of Canada has some great volunteer and citizen science opportunities all summer long! Check their site for more details...

Winners will be announced publicly in a media release after Native The Saskatchewan Ministry of Prairie Appreciation Week. Winning pictures will be displayed on the SK Environment is looking for volunteers to PCAP's Website, as well as in various social media outlets. locate Ferruginous Hawks! Read the details...

SK PCAP Education Programs Parks Canada has many volunteer opportunities at the Grasslands National

Park - check them out! SK PCAP is successfully running two education programs: Taking

Action For Prairie (TAFP) and Adopt a Rancher (AAR). Under the

direction of our Education Coordinator Kerry Gaillard, and with the generous support of sponsors, these programs reflect main goals and priority areas of SK PCAP. Wildlife Volunteer Opportunity

Taking Action For Prairie (TAFP) Do you enjoy spending time on native prairie in the spring? Have you noticed any TAFP is a curriculum-supported, action-orientated education program for sharp-tailed grouse in your travels? The Grades 6, 7 and 8 in Saskatchewan. The objective of the TAFP program Saskatchewan Co-operative Wildlife is to increase awareness and appreciation of the native prairie Management Survey (CWMS) is a ecosystem and its conservation through the development and volunteer-based survey that asks implementation of an Action Project by each grade after program participants to provide wildlife observations delivery. across Saskatchewan. Formerly the Co- operative Deer Management Survey, this survey has expanded beyond deer to include observations of moose, elk, sharp- tailed grouse and wild turkey. Observations can be collected throughout the year, but for sharp-tailed grouse, one of the key periods is in the spring, when active lek locations can be documented.

All observations can be recorded by downloading the SK CWMS mobile application to your Apple or Android Smartphone. Once you have downloaded the SK CWMS App, please call 1-800-567- 4224 toll-free or email Adopt A Rancher (AAR) [email protected] for your participant number and activation code. AAR is an Interactive, hands-on learning program for Grade 10 classes in Saskatchewan. Students in the AAR program analyze a ranch For more information, please visit ecosystem in a case study that they develop themselves. By using a saskatchewan.ca/residents/parks- student guide and online resources and communicating with the adopted recreation-heritage-and-arts/hunting- https://ui.constantcontact.com/visualeditor/visual_editor_preview.jsp?agent.uid=1130562189470&format=html&print=true 4/6 6/8/2018 2018 JUNE Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter rancher, students will answer this question: How can ranching protect trapping-and-angling/wildlife-population- Saskatchewan's native grasslands while providing economic benefits for surveys. Saskatchewan people? History of Native Prairie Appreciation Week

Jointly declared as the third week in June by the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment since 1999, NPAW is a week of opportunity for Saskatchewan residents, especially ranchers, naturalists, hunters, educators and resource agency specialists, to recognize and celebrate the diverse value of native prairie.

We thank very much teachers and host ranchers involved in these Previous SRM / SK PCAP Workshop & programs for their wonderful predisposition and commitment. Field Tours include:

1999 - Romancing the Prairies - CYPRESS HILLS 2000 - PCAP (1998-2003) Signing Ceremony - REGINA 2001 - Discovering the Frenchman - GRASSLANDS NATIONAL PARK 2002 - Discovering the Manitou Sand Hills - LLOYDMINSTER 2003 - Discovering the Big Muddy Badlands - ROCKGLEN 2004 - Discovering the Moose Mountains - ARCOLA 2005 - Discovering the Great Sand Hills - LEADER 2006 - Discovering the Matador Grasslands - BEECHY 2007 - Discovering the Cypress Hills - CYPRESS HILLS 2008 - Discovering the Eastern Qu' Appelle - ESTERHAZY 2009 - Discovering the Missouri Coteau - MOOSE JAW 2010 - Ranching From the Ground Up - SWIFT CURRENT 2011 - Both Sides Now - MARYFIELD 2012 - Where Range and City Meet - SASKATOON 2013 - Discovering the Big Muddy Badlands - WEYBURN 2014 - From Roots to Shoots - VAL MARIE 2015 - Grasslands of the Forest - PRINCE ALBERT NATIONAL PARK 2016 - Blues, Bats and Blue Grama - MAPLE CREEK

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Diego Steinaker, Editor, Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan Newsletter 306-352-0472

SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges financial support in 2018-2019 from: Ducks Unlimited Canada, Canada North Environmental Services, EcoFriendl ySask.ca, Information Services Canada, Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada, Rancher's Stewardship Alliance Inc., Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment - Fish and Wildlife Development Fund, SaskEnergy, SaskPower, SaskTel, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Water Security Agency.

SK PCAP gratefully acknowledges in-kind support for 2018-19 from: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada - Science and Technology Branch, Can adian Parks and Wilderness Association, Canadian Western Agribition, Environment Canada - Canadian Wildlife Service, Friends of Wascana Marsh, 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 Reserve, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, Saskatchewan Association of Watersheds, Saskatchewan Cattlemen's Association, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, Saskatchewan Forage Council, Saskatchewan Forage Industry Network, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, Saskatchewan Ministry of Economy, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education, Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport - Royal Saskatchewan Museum and Friends of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Saskatoon Nature Society, SaskEnergy, SaskOutdoors, SaskPower, Society for Range Management - Prairie Parkland Chapter, South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc., University of Regina - Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative, University of Saskatchewan - College of Agriculture and Bioresources, Wild About Saskatoon-Nature City Festival.

Prairie Conservation Action Plan, PO Box 4752, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 3Y4 Canada

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