The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) has received a $200,000 grant from the Washington, DC-based National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) for grasslands conservation projects.
The SSGA is collaborating with the South of the Divide Conservation Action Program Inc. (SODCAP) on the projects.
“We’re enlisting the help of producers in the southwest,” said SSGA President Shane Jahnke. “We want to preserve the grasslands we have, and expand habitat onto some land that is no longer in its original state.”
Participating producers will implement grazing management strategies, control invasive species, prepare seeding beds, control weeds, and seed and establish native feedstock plants.
The SSGA will develop and implement four Habitat Management Areas and four Habitat Restoration Areas on 4,000 acres of native grasslands; reduce invasive species on 100 acres of native grasslands; and restore habitat on 500 acres of previously disturbed grasslands.
The NFWF funding will be matched by Species At Risk Partnerships on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL), a program of the federal Environment and Climate Change Canada ministry.
“Our members have a huge stake in the state of Saskatchewan’s natural grass prairie,” Jahnke said. “The funding from NFWF and SARPAL will help us preserve habitat for species at risk, and will go a long way toward protecting the remaining grasslands.
“This is an important part of our commitment to sustainable beef production.”
For more information contact:
Chad MacPherson, General Manager, SSGA
(306) 757-8523 | ssga@sasktel.net