Community Highlight: Saskatchewan Alliance for Water Sustainability

1. How and when did you form your group? 

The Saskatchewan Alliance for Water Sustainability (SAWS) is a grassroots, not-for-profit, volunteer organization made up of members from Last Mountain Lake Stewardship Group (LMLSG), the Calling Lakes Ecomuseum (CLEM), and other concerned citizens. 

The LMLSG was formed in 2002 to steward and monitor the health of Last Mountain Lake water while sustaining the resources for the communities that depend on them. 

CLEM is a grassroots arm of the United Nations and works very closely with the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable Development - Saskatchewan. CLEM believes in protecting the Qu’Appelle Valley’s Calling Lakes using the UN’s 17 goals for sustainable development. 

SAWS was formed on Oct 20, 2017, in response to the Saskatchewan Government giving the green light for the Quill Lakes Watershed Association #14 to drain highly saline water from the Kutawagan-Pel lakes area in the Quill Lakes basin into Last Mountain Lake without an environmental impact assessment. This project, called the Common Ground Drainage Channel Diversion Project (CGDCDP), was the first step in a much larger drainage project that would drain water from the Quill Lakes watershed, 200 kilometres north of Regina, into the Qu’Appelle lakes and river system and eventually into Manitoba, courtesy of the Assiniboine River. 

We have learned from the Universities of Regina and Saskatchewan that the transfer of salt-rich water from the Quill Lakes into Last Mountain Lake could have serious consequences for water quality in the Qu’Appelle River system. The additional salt and nutrients entering Last Mountain Lake would have a negative effect on fish and wildlife habitat, especially in the Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, a federally protected Ramsar site. The proposed volume of water flowing downstream would cause erosion and high-water levels in the smaller lakes in the Lower Qu’Appelle watershed. Further, the chemical composition of salt in the Quill Lakes is far different from that in Last Mountain Lake and would present a contaminant to game fish in the Qu’Appelle lakes and a human health hazard. Without an environmental impact assessment, we will not know the damage until it is too late. 

2. What are your principal activities and why do you believe they’re important? 

We focus on creating awareness about wetlands and the negative impacts that drainage has without a wetland conservation policy. According to the Water Security Agency’s own reports, high water levels in the Quill Lakes are the result of high rain events and agricultural drainage. Despite committing to do so in 2017, the Agency has not closed any of the illegal drainage. 

Our goal is to work with others to implement long-term solutions for the Quill Lakes high water levels that will benefit all stakeholders and protect the environment. We focus on educating the public and stakeholders, creating a conversation, and advocating for sustainable water management and conservation. 

Our activities are important because people do not understand the importance of wetlands. Wetlands provide all kinds of benefits from flood and drought protection, to filtering contaminants and nutrients from our water, to providing habitat for fish and wildlife including pollinators, to fighting climate change. 

Our education and communication activities include: 

• Hosting public meetings within our communities to inform residents of how wetland drainage contributes to the pollution of our lakes and rivers. 
• Producing monthly newsletters that keeps residents up to date on our progress and current news. 
• Promoting the development of a round table made up of all stakeholders, including scientists, to develop solutions for the Quill Lakes flooding. The Water Security Agency declined to establish one. 
• Organizing meetings with the Water Security Agency and its Minister to present solutions and discuss WSA’s proposed plans on regulating agricultural drainage. 
• Contacting provincial government officials and stakeholders requesting they develop a wetland policy for this province. 
• Producing media releases and responding to interviews. 
• Creating a SAWS website that provides a history of our communication documents and events. 
• Maintaining a Facebook page to increase awareness that allows for public discussion. Posts include valuable facts and initiatives on how we can improve water quality, conserve wetlands and our natural environment, show the benefits of wetland protection, and provide news and invitations to webinars and other current events. 
• Connecting with universities, scientists, and other non-profit groups. 
• Attending and helping the Citizens Environmental Alliance organize its annual farmland drainage conferences and workshops. 

3. What have been your success to date? 

Our efforts supported the halting of the Quill Lakes Drainage Project without an environmental impact assessment. We gave our support to the judicial review application filed by the Pasqua First Nation (PFN) against the Minister of Environment and Quill Lakes Watershed Association. On January 22, 2018, the drainage plan was withdrawn and any future project cannot proceed without an environmental impact assessment unless PFN, LMLSG, CLEM, Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, and the public are first notified and given the opportunity for a full written hearing. 

We have created a positive presence in our communities and have gained their interest and support in efforts to protect water and the environment. Our success is due to our grassroots approach of meeting with the communities, providing science from Saskatchewan universities, and being open and transparent about the process. 

4. What would you like to achieve in future? 

Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada that does not have a wetland conservation policy. This lack of regulation is negatively impacting our economy, our communities, and the environment. We would like to see a wetland conservation policy similar to Alberta or Manitoba’s adopted by summer 2022 that provides adequate mitigation when drainage occurs with negative impacts such as downstream flooding, nutrient loading that leads to algae blooms in our lakes, loss of habitat, and the loss of climate change resiliency. 

We would also like to see the Water Security Agency become much more transparent, notifying the public when and where they are licensing drainage projects and providing quality information and alerts for our lakes in an easy-to-use online format. 

5. If you could have 3 wishes for improving your community, what would they be? 

#1 Working together is our only hope for a sustainable future. Partnership is #17 of the United Nations’ goals of sustainable development. 

#2 A Saskatchewan Wetland Conservation Policy building the protection of wetlands into all developments including agriculture, municipalities, recreation, and industry will benefit all Saskatchewan residents. We need natural infrastructure like wetlands to build adaptation and resiliency and to ensure business and environmental success for this province (UN goal #13). 

#3 We need leadership from the Federal and Provincial governments on water management that is based on science and climate change data rather than politics. 

6. Are there volunteer opportunities with your organization? If so, please describe them and indicate how people can contact you. 

We welcome volunteers and ensure volunteer success by working to their strengths. We encourage those with the following skills to reach out to us - writers, artists, scientists, IT experts, and industry expertise (agriculture, potash, fishing etc.). We can be contacted at saskaws@gmail.com

Photo credits: LMLSG (water sampling on Last Mountain Lake), SAWS (boy playing), CLEM (PowWow Parade)

Edited to correct full title of SAWS and a few other details - late afternoon, November 18, 2021

See Also

We're Losing Our Wetlands - And That's a Big Problem

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Community Highlight: Public Pastures – Public Interest

1. How and when did you form your group? 

Public Pastures – Public Interest (PPPI) was formed in late 2012 in response to the federal government’s announcement that the PFRA program was being dissolved. This meant that the native prairie pastures scattered across Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba were to be returned to provincial jurisdiction and potentially developed and sold. PPPI was born at a meeting of pasture stakeholders, people who made regular use of these publicly owned pastures – managers, patrons who grazed cattle on the pastures, hunters, birdwatchers, artists, First Nations, and other citizens for whom these community pastures are a central part of their homeland. We were united in our commitment to preserving these grasslands, both their biodiverse health and their public ownership. Although the PFRA has been dissolved and the lands returned to provincial jurisdiction, they are still publicly owned and PPPI has evolved to advocate for native prairie grasslands and ecosystems more widely. Our mission is now to “Retain and conserve publicly-owned grasslands and advocate for the conservation and protection of all Saskatchewan’s prairie ecosystems.” 

2. What are your principal activities and why do you believe they’re important? 

Our activities in the service of these old-growth grasslands are varied but serve four main goals: to retain public ownership, to manage the lands to protect ecosystem health and respect the needs of all people who use and care about them, to enhance community appreciation for and knowledge of these natural treasures, and to engage in research to document the past, present, and possible futures of the grasslands. 

Grasslands are one of the most endangered and least protected biomes on earth, and in Saskatchewan more than 90% of our original grasslands have been lost to development. Sadly, we continue to lose native grasslands as well as wetlands and bush throughout the province, leading to the rapid decline of several species at risk, severely hampering our ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and damaging our treaty obligations to Indigenous people. 

To influence policies and decisions relevant to the grasslands, we spearhead letter-writing campaigns to all levels of governments, meet with government officials, hold news conferences, and sponsor educational grassland tours and film events. We also circulate lists of suggested issues and questions to discuss with candidates during municipal, provincial, and federal election campaigns to bring grassland preservation issues to the attention of voters and politicians. 

PPPI monitors government attempts to privatize our public lands, bringing these actions to public attention and working to prevent them. We consult with companies planning developments on native grasslands, such as windfarms, potash mines, and landfills to help them minimize the damage to fragile ecosystems, and we help local communities organize to respond to such proposals. We also combine our efforts with other conservation groups such as Nature Canada, Nature Saskatchewan, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Citizens Environmental Alliance, Saskatchewan Alliance for Water Sustainability, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Saskatchewan Environmental Society, the National Farmers Union, Heritage Saskatchewan, South of the Divide Conservation Action Program, the Prairie Conservation Action Plan, and, of course, EcoFriendly Sask. We are members of consultation groups such as the recently formed National Grasslands Taskforce and the Transboundary Grassland Partnership. 

3. What have been your successes to date? 

With respect to our initial goals to protect the now-former PFRA pastures, the province agreed to three conditions: 1) only patrons could buy the pastures and any sales would include a conservation easement, 2) no breaking, drainage, or clearing would be allowed, and 3) pastures were to be operated as wholes and not subleased to individual patrons. To our knowledge, no former provincial or federal pastures have been sold. In 2019-2020, Environment and Climate Change Canada arranged to operate three former PFRA community pastures in southwestern Saskatchewan (Govenlock, Nashlyn, & Battle Creek), resulting in 80,155 hectares of land becoming the Prairie Pastures Conservation Area, with habitat technicians monitoring species at risk. 

We were key contributors to Saskatchewan’s provincial guidelines on the siting of wind energy projects, and our advocacy made sure that native grassland would be clearly indicated in the avoidance zone requirements. 

Our actions related to specific development projects have prevented the destruction of several areas of native prairie. For instance, a proposed windfarm on native grassland near Chaplin Lake was prevented as was a golf course proposed for grassland within the White Butte Provincial Recreation Area. We facilitated public critique of the siting of a potash mine near Sedley, leading to stricter environmental mitigation requirements. We helped inform the community and company about problems with a planned landfill at Avonlea on a privately owned piece of native prairie next to the Caledonia-Elmsthorpe Community Pasture, and the project was halted. 

PPPI is a supporter of the Treaty Land Sharing Network, which connects Saskatchewan farmers with Indigenous people to support treaty rights by providing safe access to farmlands for activities such as foraging, hunting, and ceremonies. 

In a broader sense, our proudest accomplishment is in knowing that we have helped to get native grassland onto the agendas of national and regional conservation organizations and governments at all levels. Canadians are beginning to understand that native grasslands are rare and precious places worthy of protection and good stewardship. 

4. What would you like to achieve in future? 

Saskatchewan needs a complete inventory of its remaining grasslands in order to most effectively direct conservation efforts to keep public control of these natural resources and to include these areas in nature-based climate solutions which are becoming increasingly central to international plans to mitigate and adapt to climate change. 

Grazers, such as bison or cattle, are essential for healthy grassland ecosystems. Thus, efforts to support a sustainable livestock grazing industry, operating with best rangeland management practices, are increasingly important as farmers and ranchers struggle to cope with the challenges of climate change. 

We hope to increase public appreciation for, and thus motivation to protect, the multiple wonders and value of our native grasslands. Native landscapes, which means grasslands in the prairies, provide solutions to so many problems, including carbon sequestration, air and water filtration, flood and drought protection, and human health issues and disparities. 

5. If you could have 3 wishes for improving your community, what would they be? 

Stronger relationships with Indigenous conservation groups and projects, 

More public appreciation of the value of grasslands for carbon sequestration and biodiversity, and 

Better policies to support grassland preservation. 

6. Are there volunteer opportunities with your organization? 

If so, please describe them and indicate how people can contact you. We welcome volunteers from across the province to contribute to these prairie conservation efforts. Volunteers can take part in actions of their own communities, as in the consultations for specific windfarm, mining, and landfill projects. Volunteers can also introduce people to the beauties of their local landscape by organizing tours and events sponsored by PPPI. We need as many “eyes on the land” as possible to help monitor the health and state of public grasslands and parkland and proposed sales and cultivation of these lands. We also need volunteer help to achieve a better social media presence. To contact PPPI, please email public4pastures@gmail.com 

See Also: 

Living Prairie Museum: A Glimpse into our History 

From Ranches to Classrooms: The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan 

It’s Okay to Go Wild! The Restoring 71 Project 

Community Highlight: Nature Saskatchewan 

Photo Credit: Trevor Herriot 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 14, 2021

Upcoming Events 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on amphibians at 7:30 pm, Sept. 16. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from the back door in the alley from 1-4 pm, Sept. 18. 

Nature Regina is hosting a presentation on the Treaty Land Sharing Network at 7:30 pm, Sept. 20, at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is inviting the public to attend a Sandhill Crane viewing from 6-8 pm, Sept. 20. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library are offering an online presentation on Electricity in Saskatchewan: Current Status, Future Prospects from 7-8:30 pm, Sept. 21. 

The Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is hosting a video conference on nuclear development, communicating risk, and public engagement at noon, Sept. 23. 

There will be a global climate strike at noon, Sept. 24, in Saskatoon. 

 

Full event details can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News 

William Hale has opened a used electric vehicle dealership in Saskatoon. William says he’s driven an electric vehicle (EV), winter and summer, for 3 years and loves it. “The electrification of transportation is one of the principal pathways to a low carbon economy and I want to help with this transition in Saskatchewan,” he explains. The dealership offers a lower-priced entry into the EV market and an opportunity to ask questions and test drive the vehicles. They also sell and install EV chargers for home use. 

Green Shift Automotive in Regina sells a range of electric vehicles from bikes, scooters, and skateboards to hybrid and electric cars. 

Alberta Lake Management Society is offering a fall webinar series with applicability across Canada. 

Transportation 

Exposure to traffic noise is associated with a range of health problems, including dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. [The Guardian] 

The six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero: 1. fuel; 2. non-CO2 impacts, such as nitrogen oxides and contrail clouds; 3. frequent flyers; 4. policy development; 5. the new middle class; and 6. supersonic planes. [The Guardian]

Wildlife 

Wildlife rescuers are the first to provide medical care for injured or sick animals and could provide an early-warning system for illnesses that also affect humans. [The Revelator] 

“Mountain and boreal caribou are on a long-term slide to extinction; not because of what wolves and other predators are doing but because of what humans have already done.” [Raincoast Conservation Foundation] 

“Rebugging is looking at the ways, small and large, to nurture complex communities of these tiny, vital players in almost all the natural and not-so-natural places on earth. It means conserving them where they are managing to hang on, and restoring them where they are needed as part of a rewilding movement. And it means putting bugs back into our everyday lives, our homes and where we play and work.” [The Revelator, an excerpt from Rebugging the Planet: The Remarkable Things that Insects (and Other Invertebrates) Do – And Why We Need to Love Them More by Vicki Hird) 

When they’re not looking for a mate, some female hummingbirds are adopting the same brightly coloured ornamentation as males as it “helps them avoid aggressive male behaviors during feeding, such as pecking and body slamming.” [Science Daily] 

Energy 

“Air conditioning is the most obvious immediate response to the dangerous warming of the planet. It’s also making it worse. … People are going to keep buying air conditioners … so we need to offer them better, safer, cleaner devices … We’re doing a disservice to our citizenry when we let them buy something that is so expensive to operate, and so polluting that cooling is actually adding to the warming of the planet.” [The Guardian] 

Coal-fired plants made up 40% of global energy output in 2010. Here’s a breakdown of consumption on a country- by-country basis as well as a look at steps that could be taken to end coal use. [Climate Solutions] 

Despite what oil and gas companies would have you believe, blue hydrogen isn’t clean or economically viable. [DeSmog] 

Did you know? Wood Frog hibernate under logs or leaf litter and can tolerate below-zero temperatures by increasing the amount of glucose in their blood, which lowers the freezing point and stops ice crystals from forming. [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 7, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting a fall bird count on Sept. 11. Register by Sept. 10 if you’re interested in participating. 

Nature Regina is hosting a native plant sale from 9 am-1 pm, Sept. 11. 

The City of Prince Albert is hosting a household hazardous waste day from 9 am-4 pm, Sept. 11. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Sept. 12. 

There will be an online federal election forum on climate, energy, and environment with Saskatoon candidates at 7 pm, Sept. 13. 

Nature Saskatchewan is hosting an online presentation on the migration and winter habitats of burrowing owls and monarch butterflies at 7 pm, Sept. 14. Register to participate. 

Looking Ahead 

Climate Reality Leadership Corps is offering online training from Oct. 18-24. 

Full event details are available on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

How We Build 

The City of Saskatoon is now offering a home energy loan program (HELP) to help residents make their homes more energy efficient. “HELP loans are repaid through property taxes over five-, 10-, or 20-year terms, and remain attached to the property. If someone moves before the loan is repaid, the new homeowner will take on loan repayment.” [CBC Saskatoon] 

Energy-efficient buildings in combination with improved indoor air quality could prevent 2,900 to 5,100 premature deaths annually. [Anthropocene] 

PFAS are used to make products water-, stain-, or heat-resistant and can be found in thousands of everyday consumer products, such as stain guards, carpeting, floor wax, and non-stick cookware. They are linked to various serious health problems and significantly contaminate indoor air. [The Guardian] 

An ice box demonstration highlights the effectiveness of passive house design for providing more comfortable homes with lower costs. [Inhabitat]

 

Wild Lives 

“So many people think about species in terms of how close to endangerment or extinction they are, but actually, what we want to do is recover species.” The goal should be measuring what we want to achieve as well as what we want to avoid. [Yale Environment 360] 

Wanted – conservation champions for rodents, evolutionary marvels that have adapted to almost every region on earth, serving as food for larger animals while their eating habits disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and recycle soil nutrients. [The Revelator] 

Making a Difference 

Don Kowalski of Griffin, SK, has donated 800 acres to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Trust Program. The land will be managed as a wildlife sanctuary and vehicles aren’t allowed. [Discover Weyburn] 

Climate cafés come in all shapes and sizes, providing an opportunity to support people as they acknowledge climate change exists and manage their feelings about it. [The Guardian] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Community Highlight: For Peat's Sake – Protecting Northern Saskatchewan Muskegs

1. How and when did you form your group? 

For Peat’s Sake - Protecting Northern Saskatchewan Muskegs is a grassroots organization that formed in October 2020 just after Lambert Peat Moss Inc. held an engagement meeting to inform the public of their intention to mine peat in four areas in Northern Saskatchewan. It started with a small group of concerned locals in the La Ronge area and grew very quickly. For Peat’s Sake now includes local people who would be directly impacted by the peat mining (i.e. traditional land users such as trappers, hunters, and gatherers) and people across the province who want to protect the muskegs for their intrinsic values (i.e. as carbon sinks, as water filters, as critical habitat for endangered woodland caribou, and for their unique ecosystem that grew over thousands and thousands of years). 

2. What are your principal activities and why do you believe they're important? 

Education is a very big part of our group’s activities - we learn from each other and with each other. Peatlands – or muskegs as we call them here – are more and more in the discussion as the largest natural terrestrial carbon store and our best ally against climate change, and yet most people know very little about muskegs. So we organize speaker series that look at muskegs from an Indigenous understanding as well as from a western science perspective. We de-bunk myths about peat and the need for peat products and advocate for banning peat mining in Saskatchewan/Canada. It’s important that people know why they shouldn’t use peat and what alternatives there are for use in gardening. The less people buy peat products, the better the chances that peat mining becomes an industry of the past just like in the UK, which announced a ban of peat products by 2024. We also petition against the Lambert Peat proposal and encourage people to write letters to the Ministry of Environment. And then of course we spend time in the muskegs – picking berries and medicines or simply learning about the place. Engaging with the land is one of the most important activities because you will only protect what you love and when you spend time in the muskegs you can’t help falling in love with the land. 

3. What have been your successes to date? 

We’ve done a good job raising awareness, gathering momentum, engaging with provincial and national media, and collecting over 20,000 signatures against the Lambert proposal. The successes that can’t be under-estimated though are the ones that happen informally - a conversation with a neighbour, the manager of a garden centre, a post on a local community social media site. Our local garden centre brought in peat-free soil products (there aren’t many on the market by the way) after learning where peat comes from and what harm peat mining does to the environment. Lots of people thought that, once stripped of the vegetation, mined areas would provide a great wildfire break to the communities close by the mining proposal. After learning that muskegs need to be intact (which also means wet) to function as a fire break while drained and dried muskegs increase the risk of wildfires, a neighbour who was a supporter of the peat mine helped to gather signatures against the mine. After listening to a presentation about community grassroots activism in which For Peat’s Sake was mentioned, a First Nations chief whose community had just established a food garden vowed not to use peat products again and learn about alternatives. These are the successes that make a difference and stand for the changes that are needed on a large scale. 

4. What would you like to achieve in 2021? 

Our short-term goal is to stop the Lambert Peat Mining proposal from becoming reality. Once the company has submitted the environmental impact assessment report, the government will review the report and will post it for a 30-day public review period. In this period, we will be actively seeking support from individuals to send their concerns to the Minister of Environment. Long-term goals include the banning of peat mining in Saskatchewan (and Canada) and working with First Nations to establish Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas that will include muskegs that are critical habitat for human, animal, and plant species. For 2021, we will work towards these long-term goals by continuing our speaker events and forming partnerships with other organizations. 

5. If you could have 3 wishes for improving your community, what would they be? 

I’m really proud of For Peat’s Sake. We’re all busy and yet we take the time to advocate and speak up for the lands that are dear to us. We’re coming from all sorts of walks of life and have formed a strong community. I wish that we keep supporting each other and holding each other up. I hope that one day we can have a big in-person gathering where we can meet all those that support us from far away. 

6. Are there volunteer opportunities with your organization? If so, please describe them and indicate how people can contact you. 

We’re a grassroots organization, so all activities depend on volunteers and volunteers shape our organization. You can find us on Facebook under For Peat’s Sake - Protecting Northern Saskatchewan Muskegs where we post events or ask for volunteer support (such as organizing speaker events), donations, and fundraising help. If you have an idea for a project or event and are willing to organize it, you’re most welcome to pitch it to us. You can also email us at northernmuskegs@gmail.com. We always welcome people who want to be actively involved.

Photo credits: Miriam Körner 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, June 22, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

Help weed and mulch the 200 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs on the east side of the river between the Circle Drive and train bridges from 1-4 pm, Saturday, June 26. Tools will be provided. Contact Jordan for additional information (306-380-9565, jrs260@usask.ca). 

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Switch from videoconferencing to voice-only online meetings and you’ll reduce your environmental impact by 96%. [Anthropocene] 

Upcoming Events 

Have your say on the City of Saskatoon’s Green Infrastructure Strategy at a virtual workshop from 1-3 pm, June 24, or 7-9:30 pm, June 29. Or you can complete an online survey from now until July 4. 

Nature Conservancy of Canada is hosting a webinar on tackling invasive species from 11:30 am-12:30 pm, June 24. 

City of Regina residents can dispose of hazardous waste from 4-7 pm on Friday, 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, and 9 am-4 pm, Sunday, June 25-27. 

EnviroCollective Regina will be holding an online meeting from 7-9 pm, June 28.

Looking Ahead 

Enjoy art classes in a natural setting at Ness Creek from July 26-29.

 

Local News 

“In a province that’s home to nearly half of Canada’s arable land . . . the impact of farming operations on downstream water bodies is huge. . . . a careful balance has to be struck between the vital economic necessities of farming and protecting the environment for the future” [Saskatoon StarPhoenix] 

Find out more about the prairies with games and activities from the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, including an interactive game, a field guide to the plants and animals living on the prairies, and field activities. 

What a Good Idea! 

E-scooter fees will partially fund a $2 million program to add 3 miles of protected bike lanes in downtown Miami. [Planetizen] 

The online shopping boom calls for new urban freight options to reduce emissions, air pollution, and traffic congestion. Here are 10 proven options as well as 4 new ones. [Pembina Institute] 

Ten Bold Ideas: Accelerating Climate Action in the 2020s offers some intriguing ideas, such as a repair workshop on every main street, menu flipping, and real golf. [Possible] 

Over 100 wildflower meadows, funded by the municipalities, have been planted in Germany’s largest cities over the past 3 years. Their goal is to protect Germany’s wild bees, more than half of which are endangered or on the verge of extinction. [The Guardian] 

A colony of rare orchids, thought to be extinct in the UK, has been discovered in the rooftop garden of a London bank, demonstrating that green infrastructure can protect and maintain biodiversity. [The Guardian] 

We Can Do Better! 

Cascades: Creating a Sustainable Health System in a Climate Crisis wants to engage the health care community in climate action and is hosting a listening tour, starting July 7. [Centre for Sustainable Health Systems] 

A proposed lithium mine in Nevada highlights a dilemma facing green tech: it’s still reliant on extractive industries. Opponents “assert that the mining industry is simply greenwashing old practices and exploiting the political climate that favors green energy, while using the laws that have enabled dispossession and destroyed environments for over a century.” [Earth Island Journal] 

“Peatlands, such as fens, bogs, marshes and swamps, cover just 3% of the Earth’s total land surface, yet store over one-third of the planet’s soil carbon.” They’re drying out or being destroyed, and that’s a problem. [The Conversation] 

If you’re looking for hard economic data to support climate action, check out The economics of climate change: no action not an option, which states, “The world economy could be 10% smaller if the 2050 net-zero emissions and Paris Agreement targets on climate change are not met.” [Swiss Re Institute] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribe by email (top right corner).

Nature Companion, a free nature app/website for Canada's 4 western provinces

EcoSask News, June 15, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

Canadian swallow populations are in rapid decline. Home and farm owners can make a difference by not removing or damaging nests [Nature Canada] 

A film tour of the proposed peat-mine site in northern Saskatchewan will be followed by a discussion and question period from 7:30-8:30 pm, June 15. 

Upcoming Events 

Protecting, better managing, and restoring Canada’s wetlands (including peatlands), grasslands, and forests can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more, register for a webinar at 10 am, June 16. 

The City of Saskatoon will be reporting on the natural areas screening that was completed as part of planning for the University Heights 3 development online from 7-8:30 pm, June 21. This area includes both Swales as well as various other remnants of native prairie. 

Michael Nemeth will discuss lessons learned from Saskatoon’s Radiance Cohousing in a Passive House Canada webinar from 10 am-12 pm, June 25. 

Urban Development 

“CPAWS-SK remains engaged in urban and near-urban conservation discussions and will continue to broaden our engagement at a local, regional, and national level to ensure the opportunities for and values of urban conservation are shared and prioritized. . . . We must find new ways to encourage and incentivize our municipalities and governments to see the merit – economic included – of protecting our most valued habitats and species in perpetuity and providing these landscapes with the necessary buffers and connectivity for both flora and fauna to thrive” [CPAWS-Sask] 

Food Production 

Emissions from food production have been underestimated for decades. A new study shows that, taken as a whole, the food system generates 20-40% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide [Inside Climate News] 

Competing interests: Louisiana farmers, the majority of whom lease their land, support state legislation to block solar projects from receiving industrial tax credit [Planetizen]

 

Activism 

“I wish that everyone who said they believed in angels would actually believe in insects” is the first line of Jay Griffiths’ book Why Rebel? . . . Here, then, the causes for rebellion: survival and awe, beauty and necessity, grace and grief” [book review, Earthbound Report] 

“We need a new language to communicate about the climate crisis and justice — one that embraces creativity and culture. . . . My activism is no longer rooted in fear or anger, but in love: a love for the people, humanity, and the planet, and love will always be greater than fear. There also has to be a place for fun in the climate justice movement if we’re going to pick ourselves up and keep going after every setback” [op-ed, Teen Vogue] 

Protecting Wildlife 

For pronghorn and mule deer, fences can change migration routes and cause death or injury. Removing or replacing fences is expensive, hence a software package illustrating the most problematic sections [The Revelator] 

Check out these online resources on gardening for birds [Nature Canada] 

The pileated woodpecker – a regal presence with a maniacal call [Wild Life] 

Did you know? New mule deer mothers usually give birth to a single spotted fawn, while older mothers usually have twins [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribe by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, April 20, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

EcoFriendly Sask has partnered with Wildernook Fresh Air Learning on Rubbish Roundup 2021, Apr. 24-27. For every person in Saskatoon who spends an hour picking up rubbish, EcoFriendly Sask will donate $10 to the Saskatchewan Environmental Society. For more information, contact Wildernook. Don't live in Saskatoon? Apply for one of our Natural Areas Clean-Up Grants. 

The City of Regina is using Rozol in its parks to kill gophers. Rozol is an anticoagulant which causes hemorrhaging; however, it can take the animal a couple of days to die. In the meantime, these gophers can be eaten by their natural predators such as owls, hawks, foxes, and coyotes, causing secondary poisoning, which will be fatal. Once a gopher dies, it may be eaten by scavengers such as crows, or your dog may come into contact with it. If you see wildlife in the parks with symptoms, please call Salthaven West immediately at 639-999-4957 or the WRSOS hotline at 306-242-7177.

Upcoming Events 

For Peat’s Sake – Protecting Northern Saskatchewan Muskegs is hosting an online presentation on peat-free gardening at 7 pm, Apr. 20. 

As part of Canadian National Film Day, the Saskatchewan Science Centre is streaming Wonders of the Arctic throughout the day on Apr. 21 with a live Q & A with the film’s director at 6 pm, Apr. 21. Sign up for the Science Centre’s Kaleidoscope newsletter to receive the links. 

The University of Regina’s Centre for Continuing Education is offering a 2-week sampler for beginners or people interested in learning the basics of astronomy online from 7-9 pm, Apr. 21 & 28. 

Let’s Talk About Water is hosting an online Earth Day forum on the cost of climate-induced migration at 11 am, Apr. 22. 

CPAWS-SK is hosting an Earth Day Clean Up along the riverbank in Saskatoon at 1 pm, Apr. 22. 

Regina’s EnviroCollective is hosting a virtual meeting at 7 pm, Apr. 22, with speakers on energy, carbon pricing, and peat. 

Wascana & Upper Qu’Appelle Watersheds Association will hold a virtual annual general meeting at 2 pm, Apr. 23. 

City of Regina residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 4-7 pm on Friday, 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, and 9 am-4 pm, Sunday, April 23-25. 

Nature Regina, along with other groups, is hosting online presentations and neighbourhood activities to celebrate Earth Day on Apr. 24. Sign up to receive a digital activity package. 

Regina Public Library is hosting an online talk on the future of EVs in Canada at 7 pm, Apr. 27. 

David Sobel will share insights from his book, Sky Above and Mud Below, at a SaskOutdoors online presentation at 5 pm, Apr. 27. 

The City of Regina is hosting an online session explaining what does and doesn’t go into your blue cart from 6:30-7:30 pm, Apr. 28.

 

Resources  

“Despite long-held promises to phase out fossil fuel subsidies, Ottawa increased assistance to the industry in 2020 with public funding for pipelines, inactive well clean-up and policing of Indigenous opponents.” 

“Between 2014 and 2018, spending on lithium mining in Quebec increased by 789 percent. . . . Lithium is a non-renewable resource, a metal that needs to be extracted from salt flats or igneous rocks called pegmatites. That process requires a lot of energy and irreversibly damages landscapes and habitats while often depleting or contaminating local water sources. There’s also a serious waste problem.” 

New research from the University of Saskatchewan shows that the continents are drying out, putting water and food security at risk. 

From Information to Action 

“Homeowners who want to minimize attraction of disease-causing insects and maximize insect survival should install amber-colored bulbs in outdoor lights” as amber-coloured filters substantially reduce the amount and variety of insects drawn to the glow.” 

New Zealand has introduced a new law that will require all financial institutions to report the impacts of climate change on their businesses: “We simply cannot get to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 unless the financial sector knows what impact their investments are having on the climate.” 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner). 

Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces

Barry Lopez, 1945-2020

“We cannot, of course, save the World because we do not have authority over its parts. We can serve the world though. That is everyone's calling, to lead a life that helps.” (Barry Lopez) 

“Barry Lopez, a lyrical writer who steeped himself in Arctic wildernesses, the habitats of wolves and exotic landscapes around the world for award-winning books that explored the kinship of nature and human culture, died on Friday at his home in Eugene, Ore. He was 75.” (The New York Times) 

“The cold view to take of our future is that we are therefore headed for extinction in a universe of impersonal chemical, physical, and biological laws. A more productive, certainly more engaging view, is that we have the intelligence to grasp what is happening, the composure not to be intimidated by its complexity, and the courage to take steps that may bear no fruit in our lifetimes.” (Barry Lopez) 

“My goal that day was intimacy—the tactile, olfactory, visual, and sonic details of what, to most people in my culture, would appear to be a wasteland. This simple technique of awareness had long been my way to open a conversation with any unfamiliar landscape. Who are you? I would ask. How do I say your name? May I sit down? . . . . It seems to me you must find some way in a new place—or with a new person—to break free of the notion that you can be certain of what or whom you’ve actually encountered. You must, at the very least, establish a truce with realities not your own, whether you’re speaking about the innate truth and aura of a landscape or a person.” (Barry Lopez, Love in a Time of Terror) 

“To put your hands in a river is to feel the chords that bind the earth together.” (Barry Lopez)

 

Bibliography: Books, Fine Press, Audio Recordings

EcoSask News, October 20, 2020

Upcoming Events 

EnviroCollective, Oct. 22 (online) 

Regina’s EnviroCollective is hosting a virtual meeting at 7 pm, Oct. 22. 

Advancing a Circular Economy, Oct. 22 (online) 

The Recycling Councils of Alberta and British Columbia are hosting a webinar on national updates and provinces’ efforts to advance the circular economy at 10 am, Oct. 22. 

Household Hazardous Waste Days, Oct. 23/24 (Regina) 

The City of Regina is holding Household Hazardous Waste Days on Oct. 23 from 4-7 pm and on Oct. 24 from 9 am-4 pm. 

River Cleanup, Oct. 25 (Saskatoon) 

The Environmental Studies Students Association, U of S, is hosting a riverbank cleanup from 2-3:30 pm, Oct. 25. Everyone is welcome to assist.

Toads & Frogs, Oct. 29 (online) 

There will be a discussion about Great Plains Toads and Northern Leopard Frogs at noon, Oct. 29, as part of SK PCAP’s Native Prairie Speaker Series. 

Looking Ahead 

Early Childhood Education, Nov. 9-23 (online) 

SaskOutdoors is offering an online series on early childhood outdoor and environmental education resources from 7-8:30 pm, Nov. 9, 16, and 23. 

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

Katie Suek, Restoring 71, shares her story of landowner-driven conservation, restoration, and education during a pandemic in a short video. 

Nature Saskatchewan has prepared 3 videos: 

What is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)? 

How do I monitor an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA)? 

Basic Bird Id Tips 

Southern Saskatchewan residents hold conflicting opinions, caught between the need to address climate change and support for the oil and gas industry. 

A new Nature Conservancy property extends a wildlife corridor near Saskatoon. 

A Pike Lake bioblitz – “I learned lots and had fun!”

 

From Information to Action

Secondhand jeans - Levi’s joins a select handful of fashion brands that have developed a ‘reverse supply chain’ to support secondhand sales. 

Canada’s hydroelectric power is a hot export commodity – but at what cost? 

There are over 24,000 orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells in Saskatchewan. The cost to clean them up continues to grow. 

“Bringing the buffalo, the black-footed ferret and now the swift fox back, bringing those family members back home, connects us to our history with this land. It gives us a lot of pride as Natives.” 

The Arkansas Native Seed Program is collecting locally sourced native seed for large-scale habitat enhancement, habitat restoration and revegetation projects. 

Protectors of the Planet: Interviews with 11 Canadian environmental heroes [book review] 

2020 wildlife photography award winners 

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner). 

Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces

EcoSask News, September 22, 2020

Upcoming Events 

Sustainable YXE, Sept. 24 (online) 

The Saskatoon Public Library is hosting a program to help teens engage with others who share an interest in environmental sustainability. The first session is at 6 pm, Sept. 24. 

International Climate Strike, Sept. 25 (Saskatoon) 

YXE Youth Climate Committee is hosting a socially distanced (masks mandatory) climate strike from 1-2:30 pm, Sept. 25. 

Birds for Beginners, Sept. 25 (online) 

LeeAnn Latremouille, Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator, will host a Zoom presentation on beginner bird identification at 2 pm, Sept. 25, for the Saskatoon Public Library. 

Wildlife Rehab AGM, Sept. 26 (online) 

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan is holding a virtual annual general meeting at 2 pm, Sept. 26. Register in advance. 

Household Hazardous Waste Days, Sept. 26 & 27 (Regina) 

City of Regina is holding Household Hazardous Waste Days on Sept. 26 (9 am-4 pm) and Sept. 27 (9 am-4 pm). 

Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency, Sept. 30 (online) 

Join Seth Klein, author of A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency, for an evening of music, a reading, author Q&A, and a panel discussion with local climate emergency activists from 7-8:30 pm, Sept. 30.  

Climate Action Networking, Oct. 1 (online)

Are you working on climate change issues in Saskatoon? Register for an evening of networking and presentations on key climate policies from 7-8:30 pm, Oct. 1.

Saskatoon Nature Society 

Golden Eagles 

Sept. 24, 9 am – Petrofka Orchard & Trails 

Oct. 1, 9 am – Radisson Lake 

Oct. 8, 9 am – Whooping Cranes (members only) 

Oct. 15, 9 am – Blackstrap & area 

Retirees and partners who are interested in birds and the natural world are invited to participate. 

Other Saskatoon Nature Society Field Trips 

Sept. 26, 1:45-9:30 pm – Goose & Crane Trip 

Oct. 10, 8 am-5 pm – Whooping Crane Field Trip 

Oct. 12, 9:30-11:30 am – Woodlawn Cemetery Bird Walk 

Field trips are currently for members only, so sign up now.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

Regina citizens have responded to a motion by Regina City Council to go 100% renewable with community meetings and a report emphasizing the need to include equity in the plan. 

Northern Saskatchewan residents can make a valuable scientific contribution by monitoring bird species and letting people know about species decline. 

Northeast Swale Watchers have updated their website – find out why speed kills. 

From Information to Action 

The less you rake, the more you help fight climate change and save biodiversity. 

A new report demonstrates how countries can tap into the undervalued potential of their wetland systems to fight climate change. 

Reclaiming golf courses and waterways – how volunteer rewilders are building a new harmony with nature. 

That’s Amazing! 

From emergency first aid to spy games and booby traps – how plants defend themselves from insects. 

It pays to have a beak! Why birds survived and dinosaurs went extinct. 

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces

SOS Trees Coalition

A stroll down Spadina Crescent south of the weir on a summer evening is a delight. The tall elms on either side of the street provide cool, dappled shade and there is a constant chorus of birds. With the help of SOS Trees Coalition (formerly known as SOS Elms Coalition), Saskatoon’s elms are healthy and well maintained.

The situation could have been very different if a group of concerned citizens had not stepped forward to speak for the trees. SOS Elms was established in 1992 in response to a growing threat from Dutch Elm Disease, which was making its way across North America, killing elm trees in its path. 

The American elm is an ideal urban tree. It thrives in our climate, tolerating urban stresses, such as soil compaction, road salt, and poor drainage. But it can’t fight Dutch Elm Disease (DED), a fungus that blocks the tree’s vascular system, which carries water and food to all parts of the tree. DED is spread by the elm bark beetle when it lays eggs in fungus-infected elms. When the new adults emerge, they carry the fungus to healthy trees. Spread of the disease can be halted by not bringing in firewood from other parts of the country and pruning dead or dying wood. (To avoid spreading disease, elm trees should never be pruned between April 1 and August 31.) 

Advocacy efforts by SOS Elms have made a huge difference. The City now prunes its urban trees every 7 years, rather than every 50, and hires students in the summer to survey the city, looking for diseased trees or illegal firewood. One tree had to be removed in 2015, and just this week another case was confirmed. But the City foresters have identified the infected tree and are taking it down along with a few others close by to ensure the fungus hasn’t spread. This is good DED management and we can only hope that we can continue to contain this disease through diligent monitoring. 

Based on their success in advocating for elms, the Coalition decided to expand its reach to protecting and fostering all urban trees. Advocacy continues to be an important part of their mandate. Faced by the wholesale destruction of the trees along the 33rd Street rail line, SOS Trees, along with other citizens approached the City, CP Rail, and the media. CP Rail eventually issued an apology and a committee has been set up to make remediation arrangements, including planting low-growing bushes and hopefully some trees. The City of Saskatoon has already planted new trees along the public right of way. 

An ongoing area of concern is providing protection for existing trees when construction work is underway. Most developers have caught on to the fact that they should install protective fencing around established trees on city boulevards. However, they frequently fail to protect the trees’ roots, which extend out to the drip line. “Driving heavy equipment over the area around the tree damages the roots by compacting the soil,” explains Linda Moskalyk, president of SOS Trees. “The damage may not be immediately apparent, but a few years down the road, you’ll see die-off and eventual death.” Developers can avoid compacting the soil and damaging the roots by laying down a thick layer of mulch and not digging within 3 metres of the trunk. 

Trees play an important role in creating a livable city. They lower the heat on hot days, reduce air pollution, and promote biodiversity by providing food and shelter for birds, insects, and small mammals. They also improve our mental health and are a source of beauty. But trees have a tough time in an urban prairie environment and there are only a limited number of species that can withstand the harsh winters, compacted soil, and poor drainage. Disease also plays a role. A cottony ash psyllid outbreak has killed over 7000 ash trees in recent years and the City is struggling to replace them. Residents can play a role by planting trees in their yards and caring for their boulevard trees. 

SOS Trees pairs its advocacy efforts with educational initiatives. The Saskatoon Tree Tour booklet highlights 24 of Saskatoon’s most impressive trees. Copies of the booklet are available for a small donation from several locations around the city. SOS Trees has also led walking and cycle tours. They are currently working with Meewasin Valley Authority to develop a variety of different activities to celebrate Arbour Week in the spring. 

If you have questions about trees, don’t hesitate to contact SOS Trees. They’ll be happy to answer your questions, whether it’s how to care for a tree or the choice of a new one. You can follow SOS Trees on Facebook and they welcome new members. 

See Also 

Saskatoon's Urban Forest, EcoFriendly Sask

Saskatoon Tree Tour, SOS Trees 

A Guide to Nature Viewing Sites In and Around Saskatoon, Saskatoon Nature Society 

Urban Forestry Booklet, City of Saskatoon 

Urban Forest, City of Saskatoon 

Prairie Regional Urban Forest Update, July 2020, Tree Canada