Conservation groups in Saskatchewan last week called on the government to remove from its agenda legislation allowing the sale of protected wildlife lands, but environment minister Nancy Heppner said it will pass this week.The organizations a week earlier appeared satisfied after meeting with Heppner and agriculture officials that their voices would be heard and some changes made in the process.But last week the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation and Nature Saskatchewan both issued statements saying they had grave concerns about the amendments to the Wildlife Habitat Protection Act and wanted it pulled.“The combination of a lack of consultation and the aggressive time line on this bill has effectively made it impossible to address our concerns and left many important questions unanswered,” said Darrell Crabbe, executive director of the SWF.“We need the minister to table this legislation until all the variables can be properly addressed.”The legislation would enable ranchers who lease protected crown land to buy it with or without a conservation easement.Heppner has estimated that up to 10 percent of the 3.5 million acres of protected land could be sold outright.Iit’s not known how much might be sold with an easement.The changes would also allow the environment minister to remove easements from land at the request of a purchaser, something that worries conservationists.However, Heppner said there have to be sound ecological reasons to do so.Nature Saskatchewan president Lorne Scott said their argument is not against ranchers owning land but with the government for not consulting.“Important issues need to be resolved about what and how much WHPA land would be sold, what lands would be sold without any protection, will non WHPA crown lands be evaluated for protection and will a no net loss policy of WHPA lands be retained,” he said.“Clear and decisive answers to these and other questions were not available.”The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan also weighed in.It said it supports the amendments and agrees with recommendations made during the second stakeholders’ meeting that a crown land advisory committee be established.It also agreed that some money from sales be put into a conservation fund.APAS said the science-based Crown Land Ecological Assessment Tool being used to evaluate the lands in question should be reviewed to make sure it is effective.Crabbe added that the SWF is a rural organization that counts many ranchers among its members.A membership poll showed 7,000 landowners and more than 3,000 livestock producers among its 30,000 members.He said lessees have done an exemplary job of caring for the protected land.“This is nothing to suggest that we don’t believe that they are the best stewards of the land, period,” he said. “We don’t see that as the issue.“We see the fact that this is such a massive, encompassing piece of legislation and there’s just so many unanswered questions.”
Read Also
Powdery mildew can be combine fire risk
Dust from powdery mildew can cause fires in combines.
