Program
Indoor Programs
February Program
“Wildlife, Landscapes, & Geology”
Dr. Dale Leckie
Online Only!
7:30 PM Thursday February 20, 2025
Explore Grasslands National Park, the Great Sandhills Ecological Reserve, the Missouri Coteau, and the Saskatchewan River valley with Dale to observe how the geology of Saskatchewan controls where wildlife lives. Dr. Leckie will talk about his new book “Wildlife, Landscapes, & Geology”.
From the vast rain shadow of the prairies to the Rocky Mountains, from deeply entrenched rivers and their prairie oases, and glaciated terrain, geology has a strong impact on wildlife. The relationship between wildlife and landscape is explored and exemplified in the lives of burrowing owls on glaciated plains, and greater short-horned lizards surviving in semi-arid badlands, of golden eagles and the Rocky Mountains, the American pika and eroding mountains.
In the prairies, pronghorn antelope require semi-arid, flat to gently rolling glacial terrain and expansive mixed grassland for survival. This setting allows antelope to use their long-range vision to escape predators using intense bursts of speed. The vegetation on which antelope feed is controlled by aridity in the vast rain shadow of the Rocky Mountains. South-facing slopes of entrenched eroding river valleys, glacial meltwater channels, and badlands coulees provide favourable habitat and warmth for the greater short-horned lizard, prairie rattlesnakes, eastern yellow-bellied racers, and bullsnakes.
After the glaciers melted, large lakes formed across the prairies which then drained. Strong winds constructed extensive fields of sand dunes of which Ord’s kangaroo rat take full advantage.
During the last glaciation the kilometres-thick Laurentide Ice Sheet depressed the Earth’s crust across the prairies. When the ice melted, the heavy load was reduced causing the prairies to uplift and river valleys to become deeply entrenched. Today, meandering rivers in valley bottoms allow for the growth of towering cottonwood forests, which are oases providing specialized refuge from sun and heat for birds, reptiles, and mammals.
Dale Leckie, Ph.D., P. Geol., is a geologist who worked at the Geological Survey of Canada and as chief geologist at Nexen, a large Canadian energy company. He has edited numerous books and published widely on the geology of western Canada. He is adjunct professor in Earth, Energy, and Environment at University of Calgary. Dale is recognized for his long-term contributions to geology and is an honorary member of Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM) and Canadian Energy Geoscience Association. Dale’s most recent book “Wildlife, Landscapes, and Geology – An Alberta and Saskatchewan Touring Guide” is third of his best-selling trilogy. Most recently, Dale is the recipient of the 2024 AAPG Geoscience in the Media Award in recognition of his books.
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.
Previous Presentations
Miss a talk?
Want to:
Review previous presentations?
Learn more about our natural world?
Check out below.
If a speaker gives us a copy of a presentation we will have a link set up below.


Nature Saskatchewan: A History and Update
With Ellen Bouvier, BSc.
7:30 PM Thursday, January 16, 2025

Eat Pray Love
The secret lives of spiders.
With Catherine Scott
7:30 PM Thursday, December 12, 2024

The Future of Conservation on the Prairies
Dr. Branimir Gjetvaj,
Prairie Food System Vision Networks
7:30 PM Thursday, November 21, 2024

Saskatchewan Muskegs: What Are They and
Why Do They Need Our Help?
Dorothy Bird, Saskatoon, Member of “For
Peat’s Sake”
7:30 PM Thursday, October 17, 2024

Monitoring and Science for Recovery of
Whooping Cranes
Mark Bidwell and John Conkin
7:30 PM Thursday, September19, 2024

Reflections on Peregrine/human Interactions Throughout History
With Lynn Oliphant
7:30 PM Thursday, April 18, 2024

Measuring Biodiversity by Harnessing the
Wind
with Elizabeth Clare
York University, Toronto
January 18, 20024

Magnificent Mōlī: Laysan Albatross
of Kaua’i
with Hob Osterlund
December 2023

Hunting Aurora Borealis
by Dale Boan
Saskatchewan Aurora Hunters
October 2023

The Beaver: A Geographic Journey
Dr. Glynnis Hood
February 2023

Dr. Fabien Mavrot University of Calgary
January 2023

Emerging Diseases in Wildlife
Trent Bolinger
October 2022

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

Woodland Caribou in Saskatchewan
Michael McLaughlan
R.P.F.Ministry of Environment & Fish, Wildlife & Lands
December 2021
Workshops
Due to Covid-19 workshops have been suspended until further notice.
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.
Saskatoon Nature Society
Connecting People and Nature
Saskatoon Nature Society
Box 27013 Grosvenor Park
Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9
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Contact Us
Saskatoon Nature Society
Box 27013 Grosvenor Park
Saskatoon, SK S7H 5N9