Tuesday 13 November 2012

EcoSask News, November 13, 2013


NE Swale Management Plan, Nov. 14
The North East Swale is wild and wonderful - and part of it is within City boundaries. Meewasin is holding an Open House on Wednesday, November 14, from 6-8 pm to present the proposed resource management plan - a great opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback.

Permaculture Potluck, Nov. 15
The Permaculture Research Institute of Saskatchewan is holding its monthly potluck at 6pm on Thursday, November 15, at the Unitarian Congregation of Saskatoon (213 – 2nd Street East). Alana Krug-MacLeod will show a video about her recent trip to the Arctic with Students on Ice.

Astronomers without Borders, Nov. 19
Mike Simmons, founder and president of Astronomers without Borders, will be talking live via Skype at the Saskatoon Royal Astronomical Society’s meeting on November 19 from 7:30-9:30 pm in Room 175 of the Physics Building, University of Saskatchewan.

Energy Efficiency, Nov. 1-30
SaskPower is offering instant rebates on a variety of energy-efficient light bulbs at all Saskatchewan Home Depot stores during November.

You can pick up a free block heater timer from SaskPower at Peavey Mart, Saskatoon Co-op Home Centres, and Sears on November 24 and 25.

Public Pastures, Public Interests, Nov. 22 & 23
The Regina Public Interest Group is hosting two events to highlight the importance of the PFRA Community Pastures. On November 22 at 7 pm, Candace Savage, author of Prairie: A Natural History, will speak on Grasslands in Peril, emphasizing their importance to Saskatchewan.

There will be a public forum on the Privatization of Community Pasture Lands from 8:30-4:30 on November 23. An information session in the morning will be followed by a noon panel discussion featuring key stakeholders. The afternoon session will outline the First Nations Joint Venture Proposal, followed by a discussion of public policy and development of resolutions.

Winter Camping, Dec. 15
Contact the SK Outdoor and Environmental Education Association if you are interesting in winter camping at Craik on December 15.

Volunteer Opportunities
The Saskatchewan Eco Network is looking for volunteers. Email them at info@econet.sk.ca or call 306.652.1275 for more information.

A Geography of Blood
Congratulations to Candace Savage for winning the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction for A Geography of Blood: Unearthing Memory from a Prairie Landscape.

Restoring Prairie Ecosystems
Chris Helzer, ecologist and program director for The Nature Conservancy’s land in central and eastern Nebraska, recently posted an article on prairie restoration that may be relevant for Saskatchewan:

…prairie restoration projects should not be aimed at recreating something exactly as it existed long ago. Instead, effective prairie restoration should be like rebuilding a city after large portions of it are destroyed in a major disaster. When reconstructing a metropolitan area, replicating individual structures is much less important than restoring the processes the inhabitants of the city rely on. The people living and working in a city depend upon the restoration of power, transportation, communication, and other similar functions. Those people don’t care whether roads, power lines, or communication towers are put back exactly as they were before – they just want to be able to get the supplies and information they need, and to travel around so they can to do their jobs and survive. Restoration success is not measured by how much the rebuilt areas resemble the preexisting areas, but by whether or not the city and its citizens can survive and thrive again.

Solar Power at the U of S
The University of Saskatchewan has undertaken a solar energy pilot project at their horticultural facility on 14th Street. They hope that the 96 solar panels will produce up to 70% of the building’s energy needs.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. Additional upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.

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