Native Prairie Speaker Series

July Native Priaire Speaker Series – Webinar

Webinar: Every Observation Counts: How You Can Help Document Saskatchewan’s Biodiversity

Wednesday July 29th, 2026 at 12:00pm MT

Speakers: Andrea Benville and Erin Swerdfeger, Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre, Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment

Register Free: https://shorturl.at/KC33e or https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aBKlDkhpTYCOHMQ9dOfV_A (for government computers)

This presentation is FREE! Tune in from anywhere! Everyone welcome!

More Information about our July Native Prairie Speaker Series Webinar

About this Webinar:

Have you ever wondered how species-at-risk and other rare species are tracked in Saskatchewan? Join the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC) to learn how observations collected by scientists, naturalists, and community members help build the province’s database of wild species records. Discover how the SKCDC maps species locations, maintains provincial species lists, assigns conservation ranks, and provides information that supports conservation planning, research, and land-use decisions. Learn how you can contribute observations through the SKCDC’s iNaturalist project. Several priority species and groups will be highlighted for which additional observations are needed, including rare plants and species under consideration in national conservation assessment processes. Whether you’re an experienced biologist or simply curious about nature, you’ll learn how your observations can help improve our understanding and conservation of Saskatchewan’s biodiversity.

Hosted by: Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, Stewardship Coordinator, Prairie Conservation Action Plan

Presenting Sponsors: Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, North American Helium, Pembina, Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and SaskTel

August Native Prairie Speaker Series – Webinar

Woody Plant Encroachment in the Aspen Parkland Ecoregion

Speaker: Andrew Williams,  Masters of Science Student, University of Saskatchewan

Register Free: https://shorturl.at/d180M or https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oPEs6-56S9GiLgIawCW3UQ (Best for government computers)

More Information about our August Webinar

Hosted by: Caitlin Mroz-Sailer, Stewardship Coordinator, Prairie Conservation Action Plan

Presenting Sponsors: Canadian Forage and Grasslands Association, North American Helium, Pembina, Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association and SaskTel

This webinar is in conjunction with Transboundary Grassland Partnership – Webinar, Saskatchewan Edition

About this Webinar:

Woody encroachment is a significant range management issue in western Canada. Here we examine the impact of woody encroachment on forage quality and quantity in the Aspen Parkland ecoregion of Saskatchewan, Canada by estimating the rate of scale of woody plant encroachment over the last 40 years in a representative Aspen Parkland pasture, and by quantifying the effects of increasing woody cover on forage production and quality. Forage production declined with increasing tree cover, with a 10% increase in tree cover resulting in a loss of approximately 80 kg of grass production and 58 kg of forb production per hectare. Shrub cover did not impact forage production, but forage quality declined with increasing shrub cover. The current extent of woody plant cover on the pasture, and changes over time, were estimated using remote sensing methods. Estimates for 2024 using high-resolution (10 m) Sentinel imagery are that 16.93% (7.55 km2) of Foam Lake pasture has tree cover, and an additional 7.87% (3.51 km2) of Foam Lake pasture has shrub cover. Tree cover was estimated from historical Landsat imagery to be 27.07% in 1985, increasing to 32.34% in 2009 and followed by a drop to 18.75% in 2024. While woody cover on this pasture is currently relatively stable, further research is needed to assess longer-term historical trends in cover.