Climate Change Saskatchewan's Electronic Newsletter

Province Provides Almost $5 Million to Fight Climate Change and Protect the Environment

March 21, 2007 - The Government of Saskatchewan - The province is providing a total of almost $5 million to 20 innovative organizations and projects that will help protect the environment and address the effects of climate change.

"We are committed to dealing with climate change and ensuring future generations enjoy the benefits of a clean and healthy environment," Premier Lorne Calvert said. "This funding represents the first concrete actions coming out of our Green Strategy and is an example of our commitment to protecting the environment while building a green and prosperous economy in Saskatchewan."

The projects that address climate change issues include:

Contributing to a reduction in the need for coal-fired electricity by providing $900,000 to help consumers who meet their own power requirements from sources such as solar or wind to provide power back to the provincial electricity grid, off-setting their energy costs;

Helping to increase energy conservation by providing $500,000 in rebates to residential, institutional and commercial customers who install solar water heating systems;

Providing more accurate information about air pollution levels by spending $445,000 to purchase a mobile air monitoring laboratory that will be able to collect air quality data from anywhere in the province accessible by road;

Helping to conserve water supplies threatened by global warming by providing $400,000 in rebates to customers who replace old toilets with new, water-efficient 'low flow' models and $240,000 for cost-shared water conservation programs and public education;

$392,500 to support watershed and aquifer protection initiatives and to fund projects to implement source water protection plans for First Nations lands and small communities with high-risk surface waters; and

$80,000 to the University of Saskatchewan to assist in the development of THREATS - The Healthy River Ecosystem Assessment System.

Other projects include:

$375,000 to the Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo to improve exhibits and services that promote environmental education;

$25,000 to the Saskatchewan Science Centre to develop a 'Wild Saskatchewan!' exhibit that explores the importance of ecosystems and the implications of biodiversity loss;

$500,000 to provide assistance to urban and rural communities to address the management of invasive alien species to conserve biodiversity and protect species at risk;

$415,000 divided among 16 regional waste management authorities to assist with municipal recycling systems in smaller communities;

$60,000 to provide household hazardous waste collection days in targeted communities;

$210,000 to support and promote organic agriculture and the consumption of Saskatchewan-grown organic food;

$20,000 for the development of an integrated urban pesticide management plan;

$15,000 to SaskEcoNet to develop and operate an on-line directory of information for Saskatchewan residents about the environmental impacts and benefits of products and services;

$2,500 to the Education for Sustainable Development Working Group for public education of sustainable development initiatives in their communities; and

$60,000 to the Craik Sustainable Living Project to enhance public education on regional sustainable growth and diversification.

"It takes the commitment of everyone to address the issues we face as a result of climate change and the degradation of our natural environment," Environment Minister John Nilson said. "With this funding, we are delivering on our commitment and supporting the work of many dedicated people, organizations and communities across the province."

"This money directly addresses some of the immediate concerns raised by people in Saskatchewan as we put our Green Strategy together," Calvert added. "In the coming weeks, we will unveil our full Green Strategy and our long-term response to climate change."

Elert Contest Winner !

Climate Change Saskatchewan would like to congratulate Jessica Huguet, this year's winner of CCS's 'Win A Saskatchewan Dream Vacation' contest. Jessica is an education student at the University of Regina and plans to use her prize for a weekend getaway to the Temple Garden Mineral Spa In Moose Jaw. Congratulations Jessica!

 

Do you enjoy the outdoors and plants? Do you want to help study climate change? You can do both by becoming involved in Saskatchewan PlantWatch. By volunteering a bit of your time to record the blooming of common Saskatchewan plants, you will be part of an international monitoring effort to document biological responses to climate change! PlantWatch encourages people of all ages and skill levels to help scientists discover how and why our natural environment is changing. PlantWatch enables ‘citizen scientists’ to get involved by recording flowering times for selected plant species during the spring and summer. Saskatchewan PlantWatch has 20 ‘indicator’ plants to watch, including common ones like the dandelion, crocus and lilac.

It’s easy to help! Participants submit flowering dates of one or more of the plants that they are observing by mail or through the website www.plantwatch.ca. Observations make a difference right away when submitted electronically, as they’re added to web maps showing bloom dates from across Canada. Scientists look at these observations and discover trends or patterns that are developing due to the changing climate. Since plants flower largely in response to the amount of warmth they are exposed to, earlier flowering occurs after warmer winters and later flowering occurs after colder winters. PlantWatch helps build awareness and knowledge of environmental issues, especially about greenhouse gases and climate change.

You can get involved in PlantWatch by calling Nature Saskatchewan at 1-800- 667-4668 or 780-9417 (in Regina), or by e-mail at deanna.mutafov@accesscomm.ca. There is no charge to become a PlantWatch member or to receive any of the PlantWatch materials, including the recently created newsletter, poster or wall chart.

You can find great information on the website www.plantwatch.ca, including observation forms for plant watching, how to identify plants, descriptions of the plants to watch, and even a fun plant watching quiz! And there are links to the other educational NatureWatch programs: IceWatch, FrogWatch and WormWatch.

The Canadian PlantWatch program is part of the NatureWatch series of volunteer monitoring programs of Nature Canada and Environment Canada’s Ecological Monitoring & Assessment Network. Every province and territory has a PlantWatch program. PlantWatch is delivered by Nature Saskatchewan, with support from SaskPower and the EcoAction Community Funding Program of Environment Canada.

Solar Powered Back Pack and MP3 Player Contest Winners !!!

---

Sign Me Up For Elert!!!