A tribute to the cowboys on PFRA community pastures
This photo essay is a tribute to the life of cowboys serving as managers and riders on the PFRA community pastures. A tribute to the hard-working people who have been looking after the federal community pastures in Prairie Provinces for over 75 years. Last October I visited the Wolverine Community Pasture north-east of Lanigan, one of the first five PFRA pastures to be transferred from federal control to the province of Saskatchewan. In turn, the pastures will be leased out to the current pasture users. The pasture patrons will pay a fee for the right to graze their herds on the public...
Read MoreBirdWatch Canada cover and article about the PFRA pastures
A few months ago Saskatchewan author Laura Stewart wrote an article about the plight of PFRA community pastures which was published in the Briarpatch magazine. A few of my images were selected to illustrate the story. Laura recently wrote a cover story for the fall issue of BirdWatch Canada magazine titled “Prairie Grasslands in Peril?” The magazine publishes feature articles about the world of birds. Laura Stewart eloquently discusses the threats to grassland birds through recent changes in the type of use and management of prairie grasslands, including changes to and...
Read MoreArticle about PFRA community pastures by Laura Stewart
Saskatchewan singer, song-writer and author Laura Stewart wrote a passionate and reflective article about the PFRA community pastures for the latest edition of Briarpatch magazine. A few of my images were used to illustrate the story. Here are a few excerpts from the article titled A voice for the grasslands: The struggle for an endangered prairie ecosystem. “My first such assignment (.. survey of plant species..) in a PFRA pasture was 15 years ago. So powerful and overwhelming was that meeting with vastness and vibrant prairie life that the sensations come back to me at...
Read MoreHorse in pasture with sagebrush, Val Marie PFRA Community Pasture
I spent several hours photographing a group on horses near the Val Marie PFRA community pasture headquarters. This horse decided to run through a field of sagebrush to catch up with his buddies. Val Marie PFRA is the largest community pasture in Saskatchewan, containing over 41,256 hectares (101,946 acres) of magnificent native prairie. Frenchman River flows through the pasture, with rugged valley slopes adding to it’s photographic appeal. Together with the adjacent Beaver Valley PFRA pasture, there are over 200,000 acres (80,000 hectares) of un-interrupted native prairie. Something...
Read MoreSaskatchewan Community Pastures video
Here is a short video that I prepared for the Public Pastures – Public Interest group, a citizen-based organization devoted to maintaining Saskatchewan’s public grasslands as healthy prairie ecosystems and working landscapes. The idea was to raise awareness about the plight of former PFRA community pastures that will no longer be manged through the 70-year old Community Pasture Program, and transferred from federal control to the prairie provinces. The Saskatchewan government is not interested in managing these large tracts of native prairie and plans to sell or lase the...
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Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj is a biologist and internationally published environmental photographer specializing in western Canadian landscapes. He leads photography workshops and photo tours, and gives public presentations on photography, natural history and conservation biology topics.