Municipal Vote an Opportunity for Habitat Protection

PUBLIC PASTURES – PUBLIC INTEREST

MEDIA RELEASE – For immediate release

Friday October 30, 2020

Municipal Vote an Opportunity for Habitat Protection

Regina, Saskatchewan  Public Pastures – Public Interest is reminding people that municipal governments have a key role on land use decisions and that attitudes toward habitat protection should be a consideration when we vote for town and RM councils on November 9.

Cities can make better choices in building roads and urban expansion. The Northeast swale in Saskatoon is one example, as well as the housing development all around the city, where urban sprawl is expanding into semi-natural habitat.

In Regina, the City could invest in natural, climate-change resilient infrastructure by expanding and restoring natural areas such as the McKell Conservation Area. The decommissioned Craig golf course near the airport could be turned into a natural area restored to native grasses, a place where students and visitors could learn about grassland and see what the land was like before it became a city.

Rural municipality reeves and councilors make decisions on discretionary land use. They are on the front line when it comes to land use and habitat destruction or remediation by major developments such as potash mines and rural estates.

Undeveloped road allowances are critical ribbons of habitat which provide corridors for wildlife to travel and remnant landscape for rare plants and insects. When these public lands are cleared and broke by adjacent landowners the conservation values are lost. Local R.M.s have the authority to discourage and prevent the destruction of unused public road allowances and some R.M.s do enforce their preservation. Municipalities and cities could play a leadership role in working with conservation NGOs and government agencies to conserve and restore marginal habitats in ditches and road allowances. Wetlands, grasslands and aspen bluffs all help to make our landscapes more resilient in the face of climate challenges presented by drought and flooding, and reduce the nutrient load that causes algae in our rivers and lakes.

During the recent provincial election PPPI put forward a list of recommendations for action for MLA candidates. https://pfrapastureposts.wordpress.com/saskatchewan-2020-election/  PPPPI is also working with other groups to bring more federal resources to preserving grasslands.

Temperate grasslands are the most threatened biomes on the planet. Less than 10 percent of Saskatchewan’s original prairie remains. Saskatchewan’s grasslands are a precious natural resource, the reason we are called a prairie province. There is a groundswell of support recognizing the grasslands’ role in carbon sequestration, providing critical habitat for Species at Risk and providing pastures where livestock production is part of the natural ecological cycle.

Bringing the Land onto the Public Agenda: A 4-minute evocative film about the importance of grasslands to Saskatchewan https://youtu.be/eQ3H4Ego7WY

Formed in 2012, the mission of Public Pastures – Public Interest (PPPI) is to retain and conserve publicly-owned grasslands and advocate for the conservation and protection of Saskatchewan’s remaining prairie grassland ecosystems.

Click here for printable version

For further information:

Public Pastures – Public Interest  Email: public4pastures@gmail.com

Lorne Scott: cell (306) 695-7458, home (306) 695-2047, Trevor Herriot: cell (306) 585-1674

Website: https://pfrapastureposts.wordpress.com/saskatchewan-2020-election/

Grasslands Video

If a picture is worth 1000 words, what is a video worth? Bringing the Land onto the Public Agenda is a 4-minute evocative film about the importance of grasslands to Saskatchewan. Please share it far and wide!

Factsheet – help with election discussions

We’ve created a factsheet on the importance of grasslands and community pastures that you can use when discussing election issues with others. This Sask provincial election is an important one for grasslands!

Includes facts such as:

• Less than 10% of Saskatchewan’s native prairie remains
• Grasslands help mitigate climate change through carbon sequestration
• Grazing by herbivores, whether bison or cattle, provides the disturbance that grassland needs to stay healthy and diverse
• Publicly owned lands are more than a commodity. While they have financial value for agriculture, they also provide important environmental, cultural, and recreational values for all Saskatchewan people.

Provincial Election 2020

The Saskatchewan election is upon us and we have created materials to help influence policies of election candidates. THIS ELECTION IS IMPORTANT FOR SHOWING SASKATCHEWAN LEADERS THE BREADTH OF THE SUPPORT FOR PRESERVING GRASSLANDS. First, we have a sample letter to MLA candidates. Please share with your neighbours, your community and your MLA candidates. People from all parties have supported wildlife habitat protection over the years – and let’s continue to do so!