Health of Prairie Landscapes Focus of Public Forum
Award-winning Saskatchewan author Sharon Butala will open a public forum exploring the health of the Prairie landscape May 15-17 in Regina at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum (RSM).

Plain As The Eye Can See Public Forum on Managing Changing Prairie Landscape will explore the combined effects of climate and human activity on Canada’s prairie landscape – past, present and future.

The forum is sponsored by the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Canadian Plains Research Center at the University of Regina and the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative in Regina Research Park. There is no admission or registration, and the public is welcome to attend. A full conference schedule is on the web at http://uregina.ca/~radenbat/plainforum/

Butala will open the event with a writer’s perspective on prairie landscapes on May 15 at the RSM. Her talk begins at 7:30 p.m. Throughout the three-day conference, scientists and experts will explore strategies to sustain healthy prairie landscapes and examine the links between landscape and economy, society and ecology.

Few ecosystems on Earth have been changed as dramatically as the Great Plains of North America. The public forum will explore the effects of current management strategies on resources in the Northern Great Plains. It will also examine possible futures that could result from climate changes using four types of capital and full-cost accounting as central themes. Questions to be addressed include:

1. How can we manage changing landscapes so they remain healthy or sustainable?

2. How can a balance be achieved that links social and economic concerns with ecological ones?

3. Does living in a dynamic landscape have any policy implications?

4. Where should we be spending our limited dollars to reach and defined management goal; and,

5. What barriers or shortfalls keep us from maintaining or reaching healthy communities.

“Examining issues and transmitting knowledge about climate change is important both in terms of the University of Regina’s service to the community and in our research in energy and environment,” said President David Barnard. “Our faculty have a valuable role to play in addressing important questions about climate change in partnership with the community.”

“ The RSM has an important role to inspire an appreciation and understanding of our natural and cultural heritage,” Culture, Youth and Recreation (CYR) Minister Joanne Crofford said. “This is an opportunity for government agencies, non-government organizations, private industry and individuals to voice their ideas and concerns about the current management of our ecosystems, the possible effects of climate change, and the challenges in developing and maintaining healthy communities.”

 

For media interviews about the conference please contact:
Glenn Sutter
Royal Saskatchewan Museum
(306) 787-2859

Todd Radenbaugh, Geology
University of Regina
(306) 585-4679