Patrons of federal community pastures in Saskatchewan now know when their pastures are slated to be turned over to the province and ultimately to them.
A tentative transition schedule for all 60 pastures has been developed, and letters were sent to patrons a couple of weeks ago.
Provincial agriculture minister Lyle Stewart said the patrons had asked for a schedule so that they could better plan for the future.
“The schedule also helps both levels of government prioritize the transition of each pasture,” he said in a statement.
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About 200 federal employees are affected by the transition, including pasture managers, riders, biologists and range ecologists.
Ottawa said last spring that it would no longer manage the pastures. Most of the land goes back to the province under a decades-old reversionary clause in the agreement between the two governments.
The province has said it will sell or lease the pastures to the patrons. The schedule sets out the last year the federal government will operate a particular pasture.
The first 10 slated to go after the 2013 grazing season were announced last fall: Estevan-Cambria, Excel, Fairview, Ituna-Bon Accord, Key West, Lone Tree, McCraney, Newcombe, Park and Wolverine.
According to the list obtained from the province, the others will transition as follows. The year indicates the last grazing season under federal management:
2014: Brokenshell #1 and #2, Coalfields, Foam Lake, Gull Lake, Hearts Hill, Hillsburgh, Kelvington, The Gap, Royal and Usborne.
2015: Elbow, Garry, Hazel Dell, Monet, Mount Hope-Prairie Rose, Paynton, Shamrock, Tecumseh, Willner and Wreford-Nokomis.
2016: Battle River-Cutknife, Caledonia-Elmsthorpe, Coteau, Dundurn, Lomond #3, Masefield, Meeting Lake, Progress, Rudy Rosedale and Spiritwood.
2017: Auvergne-Wise Creek, Battle Creek, Beaver Valley, Big Stick, Bitter Lake, Eagle Lake, Kindersley-Elma, Laurier, Lomond #1, Mantario, Mariposa, Montrose, Nashlyn, Oakdale, Reno #1 and #2, Swift Current-Webb, Val Marie and Wellington.
The Cote-San Clara and Spy Hill-Ellice pastures are located on the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border and have not yet been scheduled for transition.
As well, the Govenlock pasture in southwestern Saskatchewan has not been scheduled because it is federally owned and not subject to the reversionary clause.
About 2,500 patrons use the 2.2 million-acre prairie pasture system, although most are in Saskatchewan.
Twenty-four pastures in Manitoba and one in Alberta are also affected.
