Native Plants As Habitat For Wildlife - Native Plant Society of ...

Grazing and Fire Management Impacts on Wildlife Habitat
Conrad Olson
Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management
Background
• In an effort to protect important wildlife habitat in Saskatchewan the government
initiated the Wildlife Development Fund, in 1970, which was financed by an impost
on all hunting and trapping licences
• A fisheries component was added in 1984, and the Fund name was changed to the
Fish and Wildlife Development Fund (FWDF)
• Currently 30% of the revenue derived from all hunting, trapping, and angling licences
go into the FWDF
• The primary focus of the FWDF is to secure, protect, and enhance both fish and
wildlife habitat
• Current wildlife habitat holdings under the FWDF is approximately 185,000 acres, of
which nearly 90% remains in a natural state. Regional breakdown is as follows:
o Grassland EcoRegion 7%
o Parkland EcoRegion 53%
o Boreal Transition EcoRegion 40%
• Approximately 25,000 acres of these lands are jointly owned and managed by other
conservation agencies (Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk
Foundation, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, and
Saskatchewan Pheasants Forever)
• These FWDF lands are Crown lands and grants-in-lieu of taxes are paid to the local
municipalities
Management Initiative
Previous habitat management excluded grazing, primarily because of the concern for the
lack of control. Fire occurrences on these lands were also actively controlled. However,
in an effort to develop a more pro-active ecological approach to the maintenance and
improvement of FWDF lands, Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management
(SERM) has contracted the Saskatchewan Research Council (SRC) to complete a detailed
“before and after” review of four grazing sites and three prescribed burning sites within
the Parkland and Grassland EcoRegions. SERM, in co-operation with the Saskatchewan
Wildlife Federation, assumed the responsibility for organizing and initiating these trials.
Public consultation within the communities was also undertaken.
Objectives of this management initiative were as follows:
- Control woody vegetation and invasive plants
- Restore native grassland
- Enhance biodiversity
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