If you happen to be in Saskatoon today, come down to the Public Library – I will be presenting an illustrated talk titled:
Saskatchewan Grasslands – a Vanishing Landscape?
Friday, January 24, 2014 at 2 pm
Frances Morrison Public Library in Saskatoon, 311 – 23rd Street East
Native prairie at Fairview PFRA community pasture near Fiske, Saskatchewan
This event is open to the general public and I will be happy to see you in the crowd. Here is the official promo piece:
Temperate grasslands are one of the most altered and modified landscapes in the world. In North America, 80% of the grasslands have been converted (only ~20% remain). Recent estimates show that only 19% to 20% of the original native prairie still remain in Saskatchewan.
Recent economic and social trends in the Prairie Provinces are driving a change in the type of land use, with industrial agriculture and development negatively impacting the remaining prairie habitat. The expanding market for grain and oilseed crops might lead to further conversion of native prairie and semi-natural rangeland into a more intensively managed lands destined for food and biofuel crop production. This process of land-use change is predominantly driven by the system of agricultural subsidies, a strong demand for food and biofuel products, and advances in farming technology.
Join Saskatoon photographer Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj on a journey of discovery of our prairie landscapes in peril.