Home for the birders and more

The Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association (YFBTA) - what a mouthful some would say, but the reality is that the group is just an assortment who come together to walk and talk, to learn about Nature, to discuss ideas about conservation. Oh, did I mention that they all like to visit and talk?

The group's activities include a partnership arrangement with nature trails in Saltcoats and Esterhazy and at the Cherrydale Gold Course and the Carlton Regional Park near Spy Hill. Members conduct counts of loons nesting on Madge Lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park and take excursions to visit birding and nature sites through the area. The latter is where some of the visiting occurs. More talk occurs at the annual Christmas Bird Count.

"Oh, and just case you're interested, memberships are available on the YFBTA website," explained Martin Phillips, President of the organization.

"One of our most important initiatives is our summer program," Phillips continued. "Every year, we hire a student for the months of May through to August."

It is that person's responsibility "to attract people of all ages to the organization, its programs and trails within our geographic area, but in fact, a major part of the program is the work with children and youth. The summer facilitator goes into the schools during the months of May and June to assist teachers in planning outdoor classroom activities, field trips and camping experiences. Through fun in the outdoors, the students study the environment and the conservation of local flora and fauna.

"This is a major initiative of our organization," Phillips said. "We make and sell Christmas cakes and puddings as a fund-raiser. We make some money on our annual Symposium, too, but that event is not a major fund-raiser. We organize the Symposium because it is a way to bring our members together."

Paula Maier, chairperson of the organizing committee, agreed.

"We are so pleased with the line-up for the event this year," she said. "It's going to be informative, entertaining and thought-provoking. There's always good food and the opportunity to meet other people interested in nature and conservation."

The 2013 Symposium, to be held in Churchbridge April 13, has expanded its focus to a look at place and that place over time.

Merle Massie, one of the presenters, is an environmental historian from Biggar. Presently, she is working as co-author with Dr. Stuart Houston on a new edition of his 2002 book, Steps on the Road to Medicare.

Her latest book, due out in late fall, is based on work she did for her PhD. At the Edge details her research into the zone where the Parkland and Saskatchewan boreal forest meet. The work looks at the environment over time from pre-settlement days to the arrival of the lumberjack, the fisherman, the farmer and the tourist operator.

Her presentation at the Symposium will focus on one part of her book, the trek of impoverished farmers from the drought-stricken regions of Southern Saskatchewan during the 1930s to the Parkland. This new settlement area, while more difficult to farm, had the decided advantages of rain and forest.

Massie is a story teller. Despite its serious nature, her presentation will fit the bill of humour and entertainment.

Lorne Scott very nicely slides into the niche of the thought provoking. Recently, the federal government decided to drop its long-held management responsibility for the PFRA pastures and transferred the responsibility for these pastures to the three provincial governments. Saskatchewan was left with a problem - what to do next? Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart proposed his government's answer.

"We're making pastures available to the patrons that are using them now," he said in a recent CBC interview. We will make the land available for purchase or lease from the provincial government."

"The vast majority," Stewart continued, "will be leased simply because the present cost of farm land is high."
Rules, quite likely easements, will be in place, he added, to prevent the breaking of the land to seed crops. Each patron would then become responsible for the management of the pasture land he uses.

The subject is of concern to environmentalists and the farmers who graze their cattle on the land. That concern prompted the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and the Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan to pass resolutions calling on the province to retain ownership of the PFRA pastures. In addition, 250 pasture patrons met in Saskatoon recently to form the Community Pasture Patrons of Saskatchewan (CPPS). This new group is looking at new proposals to address their concerns.

Scott, elected as MLA for the Constituency of Indian Head in 1991, was later appointed Minister of the Environment and Resource Management. He has won numerous awards for his work in conservation. Those credentials will bring to his presentation the credibility needed for a controversial topic. Scott's language is civil; his approach is persuasive - two essential components given an issue that has received such a lot of media attention in the few months. His thought provoking talk will open the door to much needed discussion.

The agenda of speakers concludes with Alan Smith and Anna Leighton, well known plant scientist. Her talk will delve into the past of the 1845 Franklin Expedition and the plants and lichens described in the journals of Expedition member, John Richardson.

Smith will focus on the specific interest of the birders with his presentation on the identification of birds by sound.

"In the forest, the birds hide out in the trees," he said. "The only way to identify them is by their singing."

The annual YFBTA Symposium is open to the public. It will offer interesting presentations, thought provoking discussion and the sociability of a warm and welcoming group of naturalists. This year, it will be held April 13 in Churchbridge. For more information, please consult the YFBTA website http://www.yfbta.com/.