With over 200 people in attendance, the Native Prairie Reclamation and Restoration Workshop (NPRRW) hosted by SK PCAP was very well received.  The workshop held February 16-17, 2011 in Regina focused on sharing experiences and information on native prairie reclamation and restoration techniques as well as providing important networking opportunities for participants to learn from those with the similar goal of restoring native vegetation.  

Day one provided a wealth of information on the technology and agronomics behind native prairie reclamation as well as experiences from a variety of stakeholders working on restoration efforts.  Day two began with additional speakers on seeding native species followed by break-out sessions where participants were given the opportunity to outline problems associated with native prairie restoration as well as define possible solutions. 

Barriers and solutions identified during the break-out sessions are currently being summarized and will be used to develop a long-term plan including future actions and priorities to aid in the restoration of native prairie.  Attendees will receive a summary of this information in the next few weeks and anyone else who is interested can request a copy by contacting the SK PCAP office.

Organizers were very pleased with the quality of information presented by the speakers, the wide cross section of stakeholders in attendance and how the workshop turned out in general.  It is hoped that this is the beginning of recurring conferences in Western Canada focused on the important topic of native prairie restoration and reclamation.

DVD copies of this workshop featuring all of the speakers and presentations will be available for purchase soon.  Please contact the SK PCAP office for details.

NPRRW 2011 Photo Credit: SK PCAP

Top of Page

Reprinted from Beef Business Magazine

As land managers, we are often focused on managing our grazing resource for the livestock utilizing the area.  What we don't sometimes realize, is that proper grazing management can have positive effects on a wide range of species that depend on native grasslands for habitat.  One such species is the Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia).

On the Canadian Prairies, Burrowing Owls can be found in central and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan in native prairie and seeded grassland where there is sparse vegetation and bare ground for burrow locations.  These small owls do not dig their own burrows but rather, they rely on abandoned burrows made by other animals including prairie dogs, Richardson Ground Squirrels (gophers), badgers and occasionally fox dens.  Burrowing Owls forage in a variety of habitats, but generally prefer vegetated areas that consist of mid-range vegetation (30-60cm) which support prey including voles, mice, snakes, salamanders, grasshoppers and other small animals and insects.  

Grazing principles that emphasize a diversity of native grassland conditions can help create preferred habitat for Burrowing Owls.  This includes using proper stocking rates, allowing for rest, observing optimal grazing periods and monitoring the grazing system for success.  It has been suggested that cessation of grazing negatively impacts Burrowing Owl populations due to the fact that shorter grass areas (>30 cm) are preferred for nesting locations.  Grazing can be an especially important tool in grassland areas where tree encroachment is a problem as tree cover is not preferred habitat for Burrowing Owls.  Shredded horse or cow manure is also used to line the nest burrows of this small owl, so grazed areas with access to manure is a benefit for this species.

Conscientious land managers are aware of the negative impacts that overgrazing has on forage productivity and subsequently on livestock productivity.  Likewise, heavily grazed pasture has a negative effect on the abundance of prey for Burrowing Owls; thus, heavy grazing in their foraging areas can be detrimental.  Rotational grazing systems can have a positive effect on Burrowing Owl populations by providing both grazed areas for burrows (enabling them to watch for predators) and adjacent

un-grazed areas for foraging.

In 1995, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) declared the Burrowing Owl "endangered," meaning that it may soon no longer exist in the wild in Canada. The Burrowing Owl has been designated "at risk" in all four western Canadian provinces and is protected under provincial wildlife acts from capture, harassment, trade, killing, or nest disturbance.

However, do not let the endangered status of this species scare you from reporting these birds on your land!  By reporting a sighting, you are helping to monitor the owl's population and distribution, and managed grazing is a benefit to the habitat of this bird.  If Burrowing Owls are nesting on your land, you may be eligible for shared cost pasture enhancement programs aimed at improving habitat for Burrowing Owls. Habitat enhancement funding may include re-seeding cultivated land to pasture, fencing, shrub planting, and alternate water development.  

A number of governmental and non-governmental programs in Canada's four western provinces are conserving and studying habitat for this bird, and raising awareness about the needs of the Burrowing Owl.  Through two environmental non-government programs alone, Operation Burrowing Owl (OBO) in Saskatchewan, which began in 1987, and Operation Grassland Community (OGC) in Alberta, which started in 1989, more than 700 landowners combined have conserved roughly 70,000 hectares of Burrowing Owl nesting habitat.  Both programs are voluntary stewardship initiatives focused on habitat conservation and awareness of Burrowing Owls with information strictly confidential and only shared with permission from the landowner. 

If you are one of the few landowners with Burrowing Owls nesting on your land, or if you have prairie habitat that formerly supported owls, you can play an important role in the survival of this prairie species.  For more information on managing Burrowing Owl habitat, please contact:

- In Saskatchewan: Operation Burrowing Owl - 1-800-667-HOOT (4668) (SK only) or obo@naturesask.ca

- In Alberta: Operation Grassland Community - (780) 437-2342 or office@afga.org

Male Burrowing Owl Photo Credit: J. Ng

Top of Page  

Top of Page

The University of Saskatchewan Range Team recently travelled to Billings, MT for the 64th annual Society for Range Management (SRM) conference. The following is a brief review of the team's experience this year.

The trip began with the Pryor Mountain Technical Tour which focused on the Pryor Mountains and Bighorn Canyon. The primary points of interest on the tour were a talk on the formation of Bighorn Canyon and a discussion on the wild horses that reside in the area. The Pryor Mountain wild horses are one of the widest known bands of wild horses in the US and throughout the world, thus managers have a hard time balancing appropriate stocking rates with public interest. We had an excellent opportunity to learn about this issue of range management - one that was very new to our team.

Monday morning was the Undergraduate Range Management Examination (URME) where our team, largely made up of first time writers majoring in Animal Science, finished in sixth place. We are pleased with the result and I have high hopes for next year in Spokane where we can take a seasoned team and improve our standing.  The rest of the week consisted of lectures and poster presentations on a wide variety of range management issues from which our team learned a great deal.

The U of S Range Team seems to be unique, as this year we had the largest team, but most likely the smallest number of Range majors. Our team is built on people such as myself who take advantage of the wisdom of Darcy Henderson (coach) and generous sponsors such as SK PCAP, to learn about range management when we cannot fit these classes into our programs. We as members are very grateful to have this opportunity to diversify what we learn at the U of S and appreciate those who provide both time and money to these efforts.

The 2011 team consisted of: Kyle Froese, Angela Japp, Leanna Mehmal, Travis Ebens, Seraina Giovanoli, Risa Iwasiuk, Danica Fichtner, Paige Knox, Brodie Haugan, Lauren Ovinge, Braeden Syroteuk, Chelsea Tomcala, Claire Kincaid, Lauryn Sederberg, Breann Guraliuck, Jessica Dubnyk, Kimberly Lansdall, Virgil Lowe, Hilary Steinbach, and Christine Rosser.

2011 U of S Range Team

Science Horizons is a Government of Canada program aimed at advancing research and achievements in the field of environmental science while giving young people the opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and experience that will prepare them for sustainable employment in environment based careers.

The application period for 2011-2012, which began on January 17, 2011, has been extended to March 11, 2011. 

For more information on this program and for an application, click here to visit the Environment Canada website.

Top of Page 

If you're involved in grassland restoration efforts, you may be interested in a manuscript coming out from the Grassland Restoration Network.  We've put together a set of lessons learned from the participants of this learning network including everything from basic techniques to planning decisions. 

You can read a summary at http://prairieecologist.com/2010/12/13/lessons-from-the-grassland-restoration-network/  and the same blog post also allows you to download a PDF of the manuscript which will be published in the upcoming Proceedings of the 22nd North American Prairie Conference.

 

Top of Page