Friday, January 06, 2006

Ranchers Key to Bison's Return to Grasslands National Park


Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

For many visitors at Grasslands National Park, this was the next logical step. The reintroduction of the Plains bison in this protected territory—born out of the foresight of a few visionaries, including landowners along the Frenchmen River valley near Val Marie— establishes new standards in relationship-building.

“We are receiving 70 plains bison from Elk Island National Park,” explains Heritage Presentation and Visitor Services Co-ordinator Colin Schmidt. “They are young animals: 30 female calves, 30 male calves and 10 one-year old females. A small holding facility of 40 acres in the West Block will be their home for their first winter.”

What made the reintroduction possible is the way in which the process engaged park neighbours, including a number of stock growers, with their expertise in how to best maintain harmony between the needs of landowners and those of the park.

“While we created our Park Management Plan, which is an obligation of all national historic sites and parks, we realized we required a great deal of input,” says Schmidt. “We set up an advisory committee made up of stakeholders like ranchers, scientists, tourism operators, reeves and RM representatives. As a result, it was identified that bison were the preferred means of restoring grazing in the park.”

One of the prerequisites to reintroducing the bison was the establishment of a suitable perimeter fence.

“Come spring, when the grass is greened up on the native prairie, we’ll open those gates at the holding facility and the bison will be allowed to roam within that larger fenced area over 70 square miles.”

But in order to build the fence, park authorities needed some guidance. They got it from folks who know best what makes sense in the area: ranchers.

“Including their insight in our planning efforts proved invaluable, says Schmidt. "We went from eight-foot posts down to seven-foot posts, and realized substantial savings on materials. In terms of the wire as a result, we ended up switching from conventional hi-tensile page wire to five strands of barbed wire.

The barbed wire is about 18 inches above the ground. It is a little higher than what we are used to. That allows Pronghorns to go back and forth with greater ease. It was also recommended that the top two wires be smooth, so there are no barbs to these wires. In the event a mule or whitetail deer gets caught, that allows them to kick sideways without hooking a tendon into a barb.”

Fence construction started in April and was completed in October. Meanwhile, an elaborate strategy was developed to minimize stress for the animals when they would arrive.

“This is what is referred to in the reintroduction world as a soft release," Schmidt explains. "A hard release would just be bringing the animals, dropping them on the ground and hoping that they make it. A soft release is when you try to take steps to mitigate the harshness of moving from a previous facility, by giving the animals time get used to a new location. Thanks to that small holding area, they will able to adapt to a new horizon, to an area that has very few trees compared to Elk Island, and perhaps to a different climate.”

It so happens that the bison holding facility is located over an old Russian rye field.

“We are putting them there to chew down the exotic vegetation and help the native prairie come back. It is easily accessible because it is close to a road. It is out of sight, away from where visitors typically travel, so it won’t scar the horizon. We have some oats hay stored up for their first winter."

“Having at a very minimum 50 animals—we eventually chose 70—allows us to capture 99 per cent of the genetic material of the source herd. We wanted to capture as much genetic diversity from Elk Island as possible and bring it over here for our herd. We see ourselves growing into the 250- to 300-animal range. We didn’t want to bring all those animals at once. This allows us to start small, adapt, and get used to managing bison in our park. We can grow with them, says Schmidt.”

The reintroduction of bison to the area is a major milestone for those involved: neighbours, members of the community and the Parks Canada organization. The return of the bison will give those who earn their livelihood along the Frenchman River something else to be proud of, believes Schmidt.

"Neighbours have long wanted us to reintroduce the role of grazing, as they noted it was good for the grass early in the development of Grasslands National Park. This acknowledges ranchers' stewardship efforts to this day."

“The great thing about bringing the bison back is the restoration of the grazing element that was missing from the park since the land was acquired. It also helps in the overall conservation of Plains bison in North America, by having yet one more herd on a large expanse of native prairie behaving 'as wild as possible.' This will be one more herd from which animals can be drawn for future conservation initiatives.

“The bison is an icon of the prairies. Having them helps provide visitors to the park that connection with the prairies, and a fuller assemblage of species on the ground.”

For more information, contact:

Colin Schmidt
Heritage Presentation and Visitor Services Co-ordinator
Grasslands National Park
(306) 298-2257
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/sk/grasslands/index_e.asp

posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 11:01 PM 0 comments

Honeywood Nursery A Heritage Operation with Agritourism Appeal


Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

When Bert Porter established the Honeywood Nursery during the 1930s west of Shellbrook, he likely didn’t suspect he would one day become one of the most celebrated horticulturalists in North America.

The nursery is located on a quarter section about four miles south and one mile west of Parkside. It has operated for over 65 years. Before he passed away in 2000 at the age of 99, Porter had developed nearly 40 different strains of lilies marketed around the world.

In 1971, A.J. Porter received the E.H. Wilson Award, which is the highest award given by the North American Lily Society. A collection of his hybridized lilies was also awarded a Silver Medal at the Stuttgart Outdoor Garden Show.

After his death, the nursery faced potential obliteration until a group of local investors decided to acquire the property and operate it with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers.

David Moe is Chairman of the Board of Honeywood Nursery and one of the shareholders.

“Porter was born in Guilford, England, in 1901. He immigrated to Canada when he was six years old. He grew up on his parents’ farm in Parkside, where he became a schoolteacher. During the early years of the Depression, he struggled to support his family on the meager salary of a teacher. He left the profession and started selling nursery stock, including shrubs, flowers, fruit trees, etc., door to door. If customers were unable to pay for nursery stock when it arrived, he absorbed the loss and planted the stock at his farm.

“At the same time, he also started a market garden featuring strawberries and raspberries. It didn't take him long to realize that many of the varieties of fruit he was growing were not fully hardy for his region. This led to a lifelong pursuit of breeding to produce plants which would be high quality, disease resistant, and hardy for the prairies.”

Moe and his colleagues have inherited a true jewel, and they know it. The mission of Honeywood Heritage Nursery, as they see it, is to preserve, restore and operate it as a Parkside community heritage property. Naturally, this means exploring its tourism potential.

Ian McGilp is Industry Development Manager at Tourism Saskatchewan. He is simply in awe of the resource the nursery constitutes for the tourism industry.

“Many of the flowering crab-apple varieties, like Spring Snow, growing in the yards of residential districts in the province were developed at this place. It is one of those places in Saskatchewanthat is a hidden gem," says McGilp

“There are different markets for its offerings. There are people who would be interested in seeing the beautiful orchards and flowers at different times of the growing season. In the spring, there are the blossoms. Of course, you have all the apple trees and different fruit trees blossoming. It is just beautiful. The early part of summer—in July—is when the lilies are in bloom, and there are all kinds of varieties of these lilies with all sorts of different colours. Some that are almost jet black in colour; others are pink, rosy and orange, of course, yellow and combinations of those colours.”

Incidentally, three of Bert Porter’s most popular lily introductions are the Earlibird, Happy Thoughts and Flaming Giant varieties. The Flaming Giant variety is known as Moulin Rouge in Holland. It is grown by the hundreds of acres for the cut flower trade.

As the summer unfolds at Honeywood Nursery, new attractions emerge, explains McGilp.

“Later on during the summer, when the fruit has grown and is ready to be picked, you can come and enjoy the preserves made from the fruit. It is fun also to see different kinds of fruit growing on the same tree, as well, because there are some apple trees on which different limbs were grafted which yield different types of apples. I have actually seen different kinds of apples growing on the same tree."

And then there are the fall colours that show up towards the end of September.

“It is a beautiful stop, less than a two-hour drive from Saskatoon, on paved roads all the way, which would be very interesting for people in particular attending conventions in Saskatoon to go through and visit, and lots of photographs and strolls through these groves of trees could be enjoyed," McGilp says.

“The diversity of trees is remarkable, as well. There are all sorts of tree varieties like oak, maple, Siberian larch and birch. I appreciate the greenery and diversity.”

Be sure to catch any of the events that take place at Honeywood Nursery every year. You won’t be disappointed. To find out more, visit: www.honeywood-lilies.ca.

For more information, contact:

David Moe
Chair of the Board
Honeywood Heritage Nursery
(306) 747-2275
www.honeywood-lilies.ca

posted by Claude-Jean Harel, MA MAHI @ 10:50 PM 0 comments