Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
The Regina Plain is a vast area along a northwest to southeast axis between Regina, Moose Jaw and Weyburn. Less than 0.1 per cent of the 1.1 million acre Regina Plain landscape area remains as native prairie.
A few years ago, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority thought it would be wise to start collecting some of the seeds and genetic materials of remaining native plants, and preserve them for restoration efforts.
Thus, the Regina Plain Native Prairie Nursery was born, according to Jennifer Lohmeyer, Coordinator of Landowner Relations at the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA).
“The Regina Plain Landscape is a level to very gently undulating glacial lake plain, associated for the most part with dark brown clay soils,” says Lohmeyer. “For this reason, it is ideal for annual crop production, and nearly all the area is cultivated.
“Seeds were hand-collected from the wild. In the nursery, seeds are collected for the most part using a handheld seed harvester. The seeds were then planted in the nursery, which is located within the Riverside Memorial Park at815 Assiniboine Avenue E. in Regina, just beside the cemetery.”
Because differences in topography, soils, and geographic location may lead to differences in species composition and genetic characteristics, restoring native prairie on the Regina Plain using seed from plants found within the landscape is important.
“The nursery allows the multiplication of the small amount of wild seed that is available. It also increases the ease of harvesting and protects remnant sites from being harmed by repeated removal of seeds.
The nursery presently contains 48 species of forbs, 22 species of grass, three sedges and four woody species, for a total of 77 species.
“Valuable species for agricultural producers include Canada wild rye, which is very robust and has a lot of leaf matter; and Western wheatgrass which is rhizomatous—meaning that it spreads through its roots horizontally through the soil—an attractive element in a forage mix destined for soils susceptible to erosion.”
To increase awareness of the importance of native grassland environments over the Regina Plain territory, SWA has approached local schools and community groups about planting patches of native prairie in schoolyards. Groups interested in participating must develop a management plan and implement it.
“They have to prepare the site using herbicide, tilling up the ground or even using a solarization process which involves covering the ground with plastic sheeting and using heat from the sun to kill the vegetation. An initiative like this gives people a chance to see what native prairie should look like. People become the architects of a restoration project in a way.
“Teachers work this into their curriculum. These initiatives are particularly important in Regina Plain communities, because the students in schools today are the decision-makers of tomorrow.”
To find out more about the Regina Plain Native Prairie Nursery, click here.
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Lohmeyer
Landowner Relations Coordinator
Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
(306) 787-8707
The Regina Plain is a vast area along a northwest to southeast axis between Regina, Moose Jaw and Weyburn. Less than 0.1 per cent of the 1.1 million acre Regina Plain landscape area remains as native prairie.
A few years ago, the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority thought it would be wise to start collecting some of the seeds and genetic materials of remaining native plants, and preserve them for restoration efforts.
Thus, the Regina Plain Native Prairie Nursery was born, according to Jennifer Lohmeyer, Coordinator of Landowner Relations at the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority (SWA).
“The Regina Plain Landscape is a level to very gently undulating glacial lake plain, associated for the most part with dark brown clay soils,” says Lohmeyer. “For this reason, it is ideal for annual crop production, and nearly all the area is cultivated.
“Seeds were hand-collected from the wild. In the nursery, seeds are collected for the most part using a handheld seed harvester. The seeds were then planted in the nursery, which is located within the Riverside Memorial Park at815 Assiniboine Avenue E. in Regina, just beside the cemetery.”
Because differences in topography, soils, and geographic location may lead to differences in species composition and genetic characteristics, restoring native prairie on the Regina Plain using seed from plants found within the landscape is important.
“The nursery allows the multiplication of the small amount of wild seed that is available. It also increases the ease of harvesting and protects remnant sites from being harmed by repeated removal of seeds.
The nursery presently contains 48 species of forbs, 22 species of grass, three sedges and four woody species, for a total of 77 species.
“Valuable species for agricultural producers include Canada wild rye, which is very robust and has a lot of leaf matter; and Western wheatgrass which is rhizomatous—meaning that it spreads through its roots horizontally through the soil—an attractive element in a forage mix destined for soils susceptible to erosion.”
To increase awareness of the importance of native grassland environments over the Regina Plain territory, SWA has approached local schools and community groups about planting patches of native prairie in schoolyards. Groups interested in participating must develop a management plan and implement it.
“They have to prepare the site using herbicide, tilling up the ground or even using a solarization process which involves covering the ground with plastic sheeting and using heat from the sun to kill the vegetation. An initiative like this gives people a chance to see what native prairie should look like. People become the architects of a restoration project in a way.
“Teachers work this into their curriculum. These initiatives are particularly important in Regina Plain communities, because the students in schools today are the decision-makers of tomorrow.”
To find out more about the Regina Plain Native Prairie Nursery, click here.
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Lohmeyer
Landowner Relations Coordinator
Saskatchewan Watershed Authority
(306) 787-8707
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