Conservation, or activity to preserve or reconstruct the diversity of natural habitats, is the work of many people. It ranges from the individual working alone to combined efforts by national and international agencies. Ranchers who maintain natural grasslands pastures, and city gardeners who plant gardens with local species which support native birds and insects are small-scale conservationists who are important because of their numbers. Many communities have natural history and horticultural societies which are active in preserving habitats that support native plant species. At the provincial level, Nature Saskatchewan, the Native Plant Society, the Saskatchewan Econetwork and the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation raise funds for projects to protect and study specific habitats, such as wetlands, which support a large number and variety of species. The provincial government's Wetlands Corporation as well as Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Management study the management of the health of the habitats. National bodies, such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, act to conserve native grasslands and wetlands. Saskatchewan also is the site for projects funded by international bodies such as Ducks Unlimited and the World Wildlife Fund. There is an increasing tendency for these various levels of agencies to co-operate in funding and overseeing conservation and restoration. For example, the important Bird Area of Chaplin Lake, a major staging area for migrating tundra-nesting shorebirds, is supported by the town, the province, the federal government, and international agencies.
Diane Secoy