聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 At the 89th annual Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation (SWF) Convention held in Prince Albert, the River Ridge branch of the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation received a plaque in appreciation for donating over $50,000 to SWF Habitat Trust.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The plaque was accepted by Kathy Thomas, president of River Ridge, at the convention which ran from February 8 鈥� 10. Other River Ridge representatives joining Thomas at the convention were her husband Hal and Ernie Gazdewich.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thomas said the convention theme was, 鈥淗abitat Trust: Your Land 鈥� Your Legacy.鈥�
She said close to 200 delegates were in attendance from across the province.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 One of the topics of concern at the convention was aquatic invasive species, specifically zebra mussels. Thomas said zebra mussels could have a huge negative impact on fisheries and infrastructure in Saskatchewan, which emphasizes the importance of prevention.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Once zebra mussels have entered a body of water, it鈥檚 generally too late. In most cases they will eventually kill pretty much all other life in that waterbody.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Information at the convention indicated that a full decontamination of a boat can take up to seven hours. Several check stations are in place around the province and more are being set up, but so far no zebra mussels have been found in Saskatchewan water bodies. One boat tested positive at Elbow, but did not enter Lake Diefenbaker, said Thomas.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was an important topic for many. As of January, 82 animals had tested positive for CWD in Saskatchewan, including three elk, eight moose, 11 whitetail deer and 60 mule deer.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A CWD trial study has been carried out on Macaque monkeys, which are genetically close to humans. The monkeys were found to be susceptible to the disease, which means that CWD appears to have the potential to infect humans, said Thomas.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The convention passed a number of resolutions where SWF would like the provincial government to make changes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A resolution was passed asking for a phasing out and permanent ban on all remaining domestic wild boars, and for a wild boar eradication plan.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In the area of habitat, 30 per cent of all money collected for habitat certificates goes to Saskatchewan Fish and Wildlife for habitat development. The SWF passed a resolution that all hunters and licensed anglers be required to purchase habitat certificates.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 On February 8, close to $30,000 was raised for SWF, with most of the money coming from delegates in attendance.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The parade of cheques occurred on February 9, said Thomas. The total amount raised was just under $150,000. This money comes from clubs that raise funds in their communities, and then donate it to various programs. The largest portion, $107,200, went to Habitat Trust.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 A new fundraiser is 鈥淎dopt an Acre鈥� where an interested person can support Habitat Trust by adopting an acre for $50 per year. Thomas and her husband Hal adopted one acre for one year for each of their grandchildren.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽Dr. Paul James gave a presentation on land management at the convention, said Thomas.
He stressed that land must be managed to produce the best results for wildlife sustainability, through optimal combinations of options such as grazing, haying and logging.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Thomas said now that the convention has been concluded, the River Ridge branch is planning its 29th annual banquet and awards night, which is set for March 3 at Rainbow Hall in Canora.
