Grazing, construction | Knowing wildlife rules helps minimize disruption
CYPRESS HILLS PROVINCIAL PARK, Sask. — Producers who eventually own land that is now part of the federal pasture system need to stay on top of environmental legislation that affects them.
Heather Wiebe, a federal biodiversity extension specialist who has spent 10 years working with pasture managers, said understanding the nuances of legislation such as the Species at Risk Act is critical to being able to conduct grazing as usual.
Her role has been to do that on pasture patrons’ behalf, but she is worried about what will happen without a point person to follow these issues.
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She recommended at the recent Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association meeting that organizations have someone who knows the legislation inside and out to advise producers.
Wiebe said grazing doesn’t usually cause problems for species at risk. Thirty-one species at risk live on the federal pastures and are there because of good grazing practices.
“Species at risk and grazing are so perfectly suited to each other, it’s ridiculous that there could be any kind of infractions,” she said.
“These are the best lands for species-at-risk recovery because they’re large contiguous blocks of prairie.”
However, construction activity such as new fences, corrals or water development can disrupt certain species at certain times of the year.
Wiebe developed comprehensive binders for each pasture, setting out where each species is found and the best times to undertake work to minimize disruption.
She said she will give the information to whoever ends up owning the pastures.
“The act that first and foremost affects them is the Saskatchewan Wildlife Habitat Act.”
The federal SARA supersedes that legislation but would only be enforced on private or provincial land if Ottawa decides there is a significant infraction.
Other legislation such as the migratory birds act also comes into play.
“Stay ahead of these things,” Wiebe said.
“Grazing goes so well in hand with the species that are there. (Producers) just need to be advocates for the good work they’re doing.”
And while producers might not always understand legislation, the developers of the legislation don’t always understand grazing.
Some of the troubleshooting she did involved making sure the correct language was used.
For example, the term “heavy grazing” might have a negative connotation or it could mean grazing hard once or grazing routinely so it affects plant growth.
Burrowing owls need short grass to thrive, while other birds need tall grass.
“They don’t realize that what we see as the value of that 929,000 hectares (2.3 million acres) of land is for it to have a diverse nature,” Wiebe said.
Being able to advocate for all 85 pastures as a group was an asset when they were all federally run. It will be up to producers to become advocates for their own good works now that the system is about to be fragmented into individual pastures, she added.
