President’s Message

I hope you all are having a great summer despite all the smoke and fire – hopefully you have been spared any of the tragedy so many in our province have experienced in the last few weeks from the record wildfires. Our thoughts are with these folks and of course the huge impact on the wildlife and plants the fires are causing. The natural world can rebound in many ways, but we know these are not natural events but are triggered by climate change factors that we need to address!
Even so, over the last month or so, I’ve been able to get down to Francis Lake to see the Glossy & White-Faced Ibis – very special indeed as well as a Whimbrel at Reed Lake. We are delighted to report that our condo tower is hosting a new family of Peregrine falcons, three or four have hatched out in early June! All seem to be doing well!

I am happy to report that on May 30th, I signed our new 3-year Letter of Understanding with Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) regarding the Asquith Nature Destination. Over the past several months, our executive has worked diligently on this as SNS continues to be very proud of this project! We will contribute $22,500 over three years to NCC that “will allow visitors to engage in and receive the benefits of outdoor pursuits including citizen/community science and to learn more about the ecologically important area they are recreating in.” Our letter continues by saying “The unique and important ecosystems present on the Asquith properties, and its proximity to the City of Saskatoon make it an ideal location for the SNS to join NCC in partnership to create a Nature Destination for SNS’s membership and the public, connecting people with nature. The Asquith Nature Destination SNS contribution will promote protection and enhancement of the grassland ecosystem that supports its birds, insects, other animals and plants that are currently under continental threat.

Visit Asquith site if you can this summer! I see we have a tour set for Sunday August 3rd. Any donations to SNS to keep this going would be greatly appreciated!

I want to give a big shout out to all those who came out to help with the Spring bird count – these counts are always important as we are deeply concerned about the decreasing number of birds in our region. This effort provides rich data to support conservation work!

Speaking of important conservation work – Mercy Harris and Jan Shadick have been working hard to make the case to city officials regarding bird window strikes; this is a challenging cause as the city can be woefully slow to support important innovations to reduce window strikes!

We also had a chance to meet some local MLA’s, Erica Ritchie and April Chiefcalf and the environment critic, Jared Clarke (far right in pic beside me) to discuss our conservation concerns including the Northeast Swale, the new agricultural wetlands policy and the proposed changes to the Environmental Protection Act. Thanks to Heather Brenneman, Sara Bryson and Ron Jensen for coming out on the tours to the little swale, a perfect setting to make these points! Thanks as well to Candace Savage for coming along!

On the national stage we had our throne speech delivered by our King on May 27th. While not widely reported in the media, I was very happy to see biodiversity getting some ink in the speech. This is what the King said about the future of biodiversity here in Canada!
Nature is core to Canada’s identity. In 2022, Canada convened COP15 in Montréal, which concluded with 196 countries striking a historic agreement to protect 30 percent of their lands and 30 percent of waters by 2030. To this end, the Government will protect more of Canada’s nature than ever before through the creation of new national parks, national urban parks, marine protected areas, and other conservation initiatives.”

Excellent stuff – I can’t wait to see what that means for Saskatoon’s own National Urban Park! I understand public consultations will happen over the summer months – stay tuned!
Here is something to think about over the next few months as we get out and about –in the Globe & Mail, marking World Migratory Bird Day, Prof. Marcel O’Gorman lamented and exalted our ever-increasing reliance on apps while bird watching, Yes, he was referring to our beloved app, Merlin, which we must admit we spend too much time looking down at instead of up at the bird – I know I do! Here is his closing argument:

But nature connection is one of those few of human experience that advance technologies simply cannot automate. So, let’s not lose sight of the version of conservation offered by J. Drew Lanham: “Be the bird. See the miracle in each and every one of them. Conservation is the act of caring for something so intensely that you want only the best for its survival and future being. That intense care and love is called conservation.”

Have a great summer!! Be safe, see lots of birds, bugs and flowers and no more fires!!
David Forbes