Towards a New Game Management Plan for Saskatchewan A White Paper Presented to the Government of Saskatchewan by the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation August 2015 Photo by: Jim Kroshus Photo by: Jim Kroshus Table of Contents Literature Cited Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. 2013a. University of Saskatchewan News. 2013. On the trail September Estimate of 2013 Crop Production. of prairie mammals. Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................ 3 http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Default. http://words.usask.ca/news/2013/03/01/on-the-trail- aspx?DN=18885f12-03d4-4a1e-8985-2da545f75e97 of-prairie-mammals/ Vision and Scope .............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture. 2013b. Crop Wikipedia. 2013a. Population of Canada; Overarching Principles .................................................................................................................................................... 5 Yields by Rural Municipality. Demographics of the United States. http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/rmyields http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_population_ The Importance of Habitat .............................................................................................................................................. 6 of_Canada_by_years Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_ Saskatchewan’s 2011 State of the Environment Report. the_United_States Principles Specific to Saskatchewan ............................................................................................................................... 7 Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. 2013. Wikipedia. 2013b. Natural Resources Acts. First Nations, Metis and Aboriginal Rights .................................................................................................................. 7 Saskatchewan Wildlife Management Report 2006- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Resources_ 2011. Fish and Wildlife Branch, Regina. Transfer_Acts Socioeconomic Importance of Hunting in Saskatchewan .......................................................................................... 8 Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. 2014a. Wikipedia. 2014. Introduced species. http:// Ten Challenges Facing Future Wildlife Management ................................................................................................. 9 Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). http://www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Introduced_species environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=0e02165a- 9ef2-440f-81f7-d6a0fd1e1ee7 Wikipedia. 2015. White Paper. http://en.wikipedia. 1. Loss of natural habitat to sustain populations ................................................................................................ 9 org/wiki/White_paper Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. 2014b. 2. Habitat changes and environmental conditions ............................................................................................. 9 Guiding and Outfitting in Saskatchewan. http://www. Wild Boars in Canada. 2014. environment.gov.sk.ca/Default.aspx?DN=42ead2be- http://wildboarcanada.ca/index.php#sthash. 3. Allocation of resources and managing harvest ............................................................................................... 11 af0a-4cdd-b458-ecff0c9c96ae rNZkNTs5.dpbs 4. Wildlife diseases ................................................................................................................................................. 12 Saskatchewan Ministry of Health. 2013. Protect Wilkins, W. and S. Dobbs. 2013. Have you seen Yourself, West Nile Virus. http://www.health.gov. feral wild boar? http://www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/ 5. Invasive non-native species ............................................................................................................................... 14 sk.ca/west-nile-brochure agv1212-pg11 The Wildlife Society. 2007. Final Position Statement: Wobeser, G. 2009. Bovine tuberculosis in Canadian 6. Pesticides.............................................................................................................................................................. 15 The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. wildlife: An updated history. Can. Vet. Journal 50: 1169-1176. 7. Conflicts between humans and wildlife .......................................................................................................... 15 8. Public participation and perception ................................................................................................................ 18 9. Privatization and commercialization of wildlife ............................................................................................ 19 10. Cumulative impacts on habitat and wildlife ................................................................................................... 21 Long Term Objectives ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................................................. 23 Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................................................. 25 -2- -27- Literature Cited Preface Johnson, C. 2013. Uptake of prions into Primack, R. B. 2006. Essentials of Conservation Saskatchewan boasts a vast and prodigious diversity report or guide issued either by a government or an plants. http://www.abstractsonline.com/Plan/ Biology. 4th Ed. Habitat Destruction, pages 177-188. of wildlife and wildlife habitat. Species such as organization, informing in a concise manner about ViewAbstract.aspx?sKey=cf0f185d-6f87-40f8-af8c- Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA. pronghorn antelope, moose, deer and upland game a complex issue and presenting the issuing body’s 19d631e62561&cKey=219cd4d8-9980-4835-82cb- birds as well as species at risk inhabit this diverse philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers 7649156010fa&mKey={40C89FC9-A586-491D- Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC). prairie-scape. The province, its people and its policy understand the issue, solve a problem, or make A3C7-B0F26504839B} 2013. Wildlife Damage. http://www.saskcropinsurance.com/wildlife makers, however, stand at the cusp of a dramatically a decision. In essence, it is a tool for persuading Leighton, P. A. et al. 2012. Predicting the speed of tick changing paradigm as it pertains to both the customers and partners and for promoting a invasion: An empirical model of range expansion for Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC). environment and its economy. viewpoint or product (Wikipedia 2015). The intent the Lyme disease vector Ixodes scapularis in Canada. 2014. Annual Report 2013-14. of this White Paper is to do just that with respect Journal of Applied Ecology 49: 457–64. The compelling question is: How do we balance a to the new game management plan currently under Rural Development Institute. 2010. Economic impact growing economy with its demands for space and development by the Ministry of Environment. Manitoba Public Insurance. 2012. Wildlife hot zone assessment of leafy spurge in southern Manitoba. resources with the need to conserve wildlife and maps on MPI website. Brandon University, Brandon, MB. wildlife habitat? Provincially, human population * A Public Trust Doctrine provides that public http://www.mpi.mb.ca/en/Newsroom/Manitoba- growth is dynamic and increasing, the demands trust lands, waters and living resources are held by Driver/Pages/MBDec2012.aspx Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation for resources including land continue to escalate, government in trust for the benefit of all people and (SCIC). 2014. Wildlife damage. http://www. Mauser, G. 2013. http://www.sfu.ca/~mauser/ saskcropinsurance.com/wildlife economies of scale in the agricultural and resource establishes the right of the public to fully enjoy public sectors are amplified, and potential climate change trust lands, waters and living resources for a wide Mineau, P. and C. Palmer. 2013. The impact of the Saskatchewan Environment. 2006a. Economic effects from flooding to drought all converge to variety of recognized public uses. nation’s most widely used insecticides on birds. Evaluation of Hunting in Saskatchewan. D. Murray challenge policy makers, who have to make decisions American Bird Conservancy. Consulting Associates, Regina. that will have far reaching effects on our environment, The SWF would especially like to acknowledge the the human ecology and landscape, and on our valued support of the Minister of Environment for this Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks (MFWP). 2011. Saskatchewan Environment. 2006b. Economic way of life. project. In a recent speech given at the 2015 SWF Hunting Access Enhancement Program Report. Evaluation of Saskatchewan’s Outfitted Hunting and Convention, the Minister stated: http://fwp.mt.gov/hunting/hunterAccess/blockman/ Fishing Industry. D. Murray Consulting Associates, Our resource, its fish, upland game birds, waterfowl reports.html Regina. and big game species and the habitat they occupy “There has been significant work undertaken to