December Program

Habitat Restoration in the Canadian Prairies:
When and Where Does it Work, and Why Do We Need to Keep Habitat Intact?

Dr. Lauren Bortolotti
Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research
Ducks Unlimited, Manitoba

7:30 PM, Thursday Dec. 11, 2025

Online Only!

The restoration of lost or degraded habitat is an important tool for biodiversity conservation, with the global community striving to restore at least 30% of areas of degraded ecosystems by 2030 (Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target #2). However, not all ecosystems can be restored, and not all organisms benefit from restoration. Lauren will share research by Ducks Unlimited Canada that has asked and answered questions about habitat restoration in the Canadian Prairies like: What species benefit from restoration and where is it most effective? How long does it take for a restored ecosystem to recover? She’ll also discuss why we can’t rely on restoration alone and need to keep remaining habitat intact.

Lauren Bortolotti is a Research Scientist with Ducks Unlimited Canada’s Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research. Her research aims to advance conservation in Canada through quantification of the benefits of nature to society, evaluation of conservation programming to improve program design, and addressing fundamental knowledge gaps related to conservation threats and opportunities. Research projects involve facets of wetland ecology and biogeochemistry, avian ecology, and/or conservation biology. Lauren has a BSc in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan and a PhD in Ecology from the University of Alberta.

Please note that if the link to join online requests a passcode, please enter SNS. If you have trouble connecting via the Zoom link, please text or phone LeeAnn at 306-880-9027. Please consider joining the meeting a little early so we can address any problems.

All members who have registered an email address with SNS will receive an email containing the link to join the meeting through Zoom. If you have not registered an email address with us, but would like to do so, please contact Claire Bullaro at c.bear@sasktel.net.

Tracking Migratory Birds:Where Do They Really Fly? – Ernesto Carman

September 2022

Wetland Drainage and its Impacts on Biodiversity in the Prairie and Parkland Region of Canada

Kiel Drake

February 2022

Monthly Meetings and Speaker Programme

Listen, learn, and share ideas with people who are passionate about our natural world! 

SNS offers a monthly speaker programme from September to April on the third Thursday of the month. All meetings are live streamed through Zoom.

During the fall and spring months presentations will be in hybrid format: speakers will present live at in-person meetings while being simultaneously streamed through Zoom. During winter months speakers may be streamed from outside the Saskatoon region and on these occasions, there will be no in-person meeting.

All are welcome to attend these meetings either in-person or through Zoom. Look for details about each month’s meeting in the SNS membership newsletter, confirming any in-person meeting time and place. A reminder email with the meeting details and Zoom link will be sent to each member whose current email address is on file.

Non-members who wish to attend through Zoom should provide their name and email address to Claire Bullaro at c.bear@sasktel.netfor each meeting. Please consider becoming a member of the Saskatoon Nature Society if you wish to receive the Zoom link automatically each month.

In person meetings are held on the University of Saskatchewan Campus and are thus subject to the university’s rules regarding COVID restrictions. At present, masks and social distancing are encouraged but not required. We will not be providing shared refreshments, so please bring your own drinks and snacks.

The monthly meetings include announcements from the SNS president. If you have an announcement or notice, please contact the president at least 2 days before the meeting.