Crown land sales in Saskatchewan are once again raising concerns in the conservation community.
This fall, the province has offered 75 parcels totalling 11,000 acres of Crown agricultural land for sale by online auction.
Well-known conservationist and author Trevor Herriott said in a blog post that virtually none of these parcels have conservation easements on them even though they include native grassland.
But Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart said that’s because the land up for sale does not fall under the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act.
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“This is land that is considered to not have substantial benefits above its agricultural value,” he said.
There is no significant wildlife habitat, sand and gravel, oil and gas reserves, nor strong heritage value, he said.
“Its primary value is that it’s agricultural production,” the minister said. “We certainly believe that land of that nature, where there’s no additional benefits or reasons for government to own it, is better off in the hands of our agricultural producers.”
As well, he said the land gets the same protection in private hands as it does in government hands.
Under the assessment process the province uses to determine the ecological value of land, land that is of high value will not be sold and land of moderate value can only be sold with a conservation easement.
But Herriott said that one lot of 2,240 acres of native grass in the Bengough area is for sale without easement.
“If 2,200 acres of native prairie in an area surrounded by many more blocks of native grassland is not of the highest ecological value then nothing is,” he wrote.
The land is offered on the Iron Planet website, which is a division of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers. The 75 parcels are selling as 48 lots with those in the northwest closing first on Nov. 6. There is no land for sale in the southwest.
The online auction earlier this spring resulted in 2,200 bids and the sale of 68 parcels totalling 10,000 acres.
