PRAIRIE CONSERVATION ACTION PLAN VOLUME 2, ISSUE 8 PCA P NE W S LE TT E R AUGUST 2010 GREETINGS FROM PCAP MANAGER, MICHELLE YASKOWICH INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MORE RANCHING FROM THE GROUND UP PICTURES 2 AAFC-BRC BEEF & PASTURE TOUR 3 It is hard to believe that August is already here...where did the summer go? Many of you will be finishing up your field season, getting in those last few landowner visits or taking advantage of what little nice weather we have left and using up some of your well deserved holiday time. REGINA NA TIV E PLANT NURSERY VOLUNTEERS NEEEDED 4 It has been slow but steady in the PCAP Office over the summer as most of our activities will begin in the Fall but here are a few things to let you know about for the end of August and September: UPCOMING EVENTS & WORKSHOPS 4 taking the plunge and getting married. SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST: SAVE THE DATE! PCAP Steering Committee Meeting in Moose Jaw, SK from Tuesday, October 26 to Wednesday, October 27, 2010. The Native Prairie Speaker Series will kick off it s second season on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Auditorium from 12:10-12:50pm. We are planning to have two series a month from September 2010 to March 2011 including a lunch presentation focused towards technical delivery staff and an evening presentation focused towards urban residents. The presentations will once again be broadcast live over the web and will be available on the PCAP website for viewing. Watch for the 2010-2011 schedule in the September newsletter! Prairie Crocuses are found in the Regina Native Plant Nursery. (D. Fontaine, SMA) The PCAP Office will be closed from August 23, 2010 September, 6, 2010 as I will be View more pictures from the Society For Range Management Prairie Parkland Chapter's Ranching From The Ground Up Workshop & Tour held in conjunction with Native Prairie Appreciation Week (NPAW) 2010 on page 2. Beginning in September, you can visit the NPAW page on the PCAP website at www.pcap-sk.org to see pictures from the tour. If you attended the workshop & tour and have pictures you would like to share for the PCAP website, please send them to me at pcap@sasktel.net. Any pictures are greatly appreciated! First 2010-2011 PCAP Native Prairie Speaker Series will be on Wednesday, September 22 in Regina, SK at the RSM Auditorium. Examples of native plants/grasses found in Regina s Native Plant Nursery (L-R): Western Red Lily (D. Fontaine, SMA), Needle & Thread Grass (D. Fontaine, SMA) and Scarlet Mallow (D. Fontaine, SMA). Learn how you can help the nursery on Page 4. Compiled by: Michelle Yaskowich
PCAP NEWSLETTER Page 2 MORE RANCHING FROM THE GROUND UP PICTURES Plant ID at the AuvergneAuvergne-Wise Creek AESB Pasture Learning about soil structure at the Balas Ranch A view of Duncairn Damn A scenic view at the Balas Ranch 2010 Plant ID Challenge Winners The Frogs
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P C A P N E W S L E T T E R Page 4 U P C O M I N G E V E N T S & W O R K S H O P S Volunteer at Regina's Native Plant Nursery Until August 31, 2010 The Regina Plain Native Prairie Seed Nursery is located in the back of the Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery off Assiniboine Avenue in Regina. It is a joint project between the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan Inc. and the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority. The nursery has approximately 70 species of prairie plants, all grown from seed collected from the Regina Plain Landscape Area, with the goal of preserving the genetic diversity of the area and also to serve as a seed source for future restoration projects. You are encouraged to bring work gloves, sturdy footwear, mosquito repellent, appropriate clothing, sun block, and a rake if possible. You can also bring friends and family to help out (many hands make light work). We'll have some refreshments on hand. The dates for the much needed weeding at the native plant nursery (9:00am to noon; weather dependent) in August are: Tuesday, Aug. 3, 3 Saturday, Aug.7, Tuesday Aug. 10, Tuesday, Aug. 17, Tuesday Aug. 24, and Tuesday Aug. 31. If you are interested in any of these work bees listed at http://www.npss.sk.ca/?s=5.events,195, please contact Chet Neufeld at (306) 668-3940 or info@npss.sk.ca so that we know how many people will be attending these events. Beef & Pasture Tour: Grazing Solutions for Range and Pasture Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada Brandon Research Centre September 8-9, 2010 Brandon, Manitoba Brandon Research Centre See Page 3 for details! Native Prairie Speaker Series SK PCAP First presentation on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 in Regina, SK at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum Auditorium 12:10-12:50 pm Free parking and bring your lunch! Speaker TBA Watch in the September newsletter and on the PCAP website for the 2010-2011 Schedule! Fall Meet - Nature Saskatchewan September 24-25, 2010 - Indian Head, SK (please note date change) Keynote Speaker: Trevor Herriot Indian Head, 1890-2010: A Microcosm of Prairie Bird Trends For more details, visit the Nature Saskatchewan website at http://www.naturesask.ca. Native Prairie Restoration and Reclamation Workshop SK PCAP Wednesday, February 16 & Thursday, February 17, 2011 - Regina, SK Watch the PCAP newsletter and website for more information coming in the Fall! Examples of native plants found in Regina s Native Plant nursery (L-R): Canada Anemone (D. Fontaine, SMA), Blue-eyed Grass (S. Vinge, NS), Indian Bread Root (D. Fontaine, SMA).
P R A I R I E C O N S E R V A T I O N A C T I O N P L A N PO Box 4752 Regina, SK S4P 3Y4 Phone: (306) 352-0472 Fax: (306) 569-8799 E-mail: pcap@sasktel.net OUR VISION: www.pcap-sk.org Focus Groups: At Home on the Prairie Prospering with Prairie Caring for Prairie Accounting for Prairie A Working Prairie HEALTHY NATIVE PRAIRIE ECOSYSTEMS AS VITAL PARTS OF OUR VIBRANT AND STRONG COMMUNITIES. T h e S a s k a t c h e w a n P r a i r i e Conservation Action Plan (SK PCAP) Partnership brings together agencies and organizations representing producers, industry, provincial & f e d e r a l g o v e r n m e n t s, non-government organizations and research & educational institutions working towards a common vision of prairie and species at risk conservation in Saskatchewan. Our Mission: The PCAP partnership represents the collaborative efforts of multiple interests toward promoting and conserving Saskatchewan's native prairie. The PCAP Partners work together to deliver innovative and critical prairie conservation activities that represent the shared objectives of a diverse mix of stakeholders and that benefit the social, cultural, economic and ecological fabric of Saskatchewan. Our Ecosystem Goal: Native prairie ecosystem health and biodiversity are conserved and restored as part of a functioning landscape. Our Economic Goal: Sustainable uses of native prairie improve the livelihoods of Saskatchewan people. Our Cultural Goal: Native prairie is a valued part of our culture and identity as Saskatchewan people. The PCAP gratefully acknowledges funding and in-kind support from: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) through Agri-Environment Services Branch (AESB) and Semiarid Prairie Agricultural Research Centre (SPARC), the Carl Block Memorial Stewardship Education Fund (CBMSEF), Cattle Marketing Deductions Fund (CMDF), Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), EnCana Corporation, Environment Canada (EC) through the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), Government of Canada Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk (HSP), Horned Cattle Purchases Fund (HCPF), Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), Nature Saskatchewan (NS), Parks Canada - Grasslands National Park of Canada (PC-GNP), Penn West Energy Trust, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM), Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre (SBOIC), Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture (SMA), Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment (SME), Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF), Saskatchewan Ministry of Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM), Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA), Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA), SaskEnergy, SaskPower, TransCanada Corporation, the University of Regina (UofR), the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture and Bioresources (UofS) and the Western Development Museum (WDM).