| May 2022 COSEWIC Updates May 30th, 2022: SKCDC's Vertebrate and Invertebrate Animal Species Lists have been updated to reflect the most recent COSEWIC wildlife species assessments. Updates for SK are as follows: Dusky Dune Moth - Threatened (previously Endangered), Bobolink - Special Concern (previously Threatened), and Brassy Minnow (Missouri population) - Special Concern. | |
| Species Lists Updated January 31, 2022: SKCDC's species lists have been updated. Read about some of the noteworthy updates here. A mail-out with this information has also been sent out to subscribers - please check your spam folders if you do not see it! Efforts are underway to reduce the amount of mail-outs ending up in spam. | |
| November 2021 COSEWIC Updates January 31, 2022: The SKCDC's species lists include COSEWIC statuses. In the November/December COSEWIC meetings, the following SK species were assessed: Black-footed Ferret (remains Extirpated), Greater Prairie-Chicken (remains Extirpated), Greater Sage-Grouse (remains Endangered), Mountain Plover (remains Endangered), and Sage Thrasher (remains Endangered). | |
| Species at Risk Act Amendments - August 2021 January 31, 2022: The SKCDC's species lists include Species at Risk Act (SARA) statuses current to the date they were created. In August, 2021, an order amending the Schedule 1 of SARA was published. Changes for SK included adding the Bullsnake and Transverse Lady Beetle as Special Concern. The Golden-eye Lichen (Prairie/Boreal population), recently discovered in SK, was also added as Special Concern. | |
| COSEWIC and SARA Status Updates May 17, 2021: Five species that occur in SK were assessed/reassessed in the May 2021 COSEWIC assessment meetings. They are: Black Hills Mountainsnail - Endangered (Oreohelix cooperi); Short-eared Owl - Threatened (was Special Concern); Swift Fox - remains Threatened; Barn Swallow - Special Concern (was Threatened), and Ferruginous Hawk - Special Concern (was Threatened). Furthermore, the Red-headed Woodpecker has been reclassified in Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) from threatened to endangered. See the Species at Risk Public Registry for more details. These status changes have been updated in the SKCDC's invertebrate and vertebrate taxa lists, as well as HABISask. | |
| Red Lily Beetle May 7th, 2021: The first reported 2021 sighting of the invasive Red Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, has happened near Shellbrook. Time to be on the lookout for this invasive species. Please email records to: invasives.imap@gov.sk.ca and include a photo if possible, or consider getting an iMapInvasives Account to use the iMapInvasives Mobile Field Application to report them and other invasive species directly. See here for detailed reporting guidelines. | |
| Species List Updates February 2nd, 2021: Species lists have been updated and posted to our species list page. Ranking updates are a result of the 2020 program on the General Status of Species in Canada. See here for a summary of some of the changes. |
| COSEWIC November 2020 Wildlife Species Assessments December 9th, 2020: A summary of the COSEWIC wildlife species assessments for the November, 2020 meeting has been posted. In SK, the following species were assessed/reassessed: Lesser Yellowlegs - Threatened (new - will be added to SKCDC tracking list); Aweme Borer - Data Deficient (previously Endangered); Canada Warbler - Special Concern (previously Threatened). Red Knot rufa subspecies has been split into three populations that may be found in the province: Northeastern South America wintering population is now Special Concern; Southeastern USA / Gulf of Mexico / Caribbean wintering population and Tierra del Fuego / Patagonia wintering population remain Endangered. | |
| NatureServe Canada EBAR Range Mapping September 14th, 2020: NatureServe Canada has published several Ecosystem-based automated range maps (EBAR) available for download as a PDF or a geospatial package. EBAR maps combine expert knowledge with species occurrence data to populate ecoshapes (i.e. landscape areas) with species presence information. The current focus has been on mapping species for the Canada Key Biodiversity Areas program (KBA) and for upcoming COSEWIC assessments. Learn more about this program here. | |
| Red Lily Beetle May 22nd, 2020: The first reported sightings of the invasive Red Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, happened over the Victoria Long weekend in both Saskatoon and Prince Albert. Time to be on the lookout for this invasive species. Please email records to: invasives.imap@gov.sk.ca and include a photo if possible, or consider getting an iMapInvasives Account to use the iMapInvasives Mobile Field Application to report them and other invasive species directly. See here for detailed reporting guidelines. | |
| Vertebrate and Vascular Plant Species Lists Updated February 20th, 2020: Please see our Species Lists page for updated vertebrate and vascular plant lists, including the vascular plant accepted and synonym scientific names list and tracked species by ecoregion. |
| November COSEWIC Assessments December 5th, 2019: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met in November, 2019. As a result, three species that occur in Saskatchewan have new or updated COSEWIC statuses. The Chestnut-collared Longspur has been reassessed from Threatened to Endangered. New to the list are Suckley's Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Threatened, and Plains Hog-nosed Snake, Special Concern. The summary of results can be found on the COSEWIC web site. | |
| Federal Species at Risk Act Amendments August 28th, 2019: On August 21, an Order to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act for 31 freshwater species was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. In Saskatchewan, the Plains Minnow has been listed as threatened. The SKCDC vertebrate species lists and HABISask have been updated to reflect this change. | |
| NatureServe Canada Annual Report July 24th, 2019: Take a look at the 2018-19 NatureServe Canada Annual Report to learn about the projects NatureServe Canada and its member programs have been working on. Page 6 features an update from Saskatchewan on the Important Plant Areas program. The NatureServe Canada network consists of nine conservation data centres that cover all of the provinces and territories except Quebec. | |
| iMapInvasives 3.0 Email Alerts Are Now Live July 3rd, 2019: NatureServe is excited to announce the release of email alerts for iMapInvasives. With this new feature, you can now create custom alerts (e.g., by species or location) and opt in or out of standard alerts. For instructions on how to use the alerts, please see the help documentation. | |
| iMap Invasives 3.0 is Here! April 25th, 2019: As of April 19th, the new iMapInvasives platform (iMapInvasives 3.0) was launched and is now LIVE! Please login or sign up using your email and password (existing users will need to reset their password). Remember to update your bookmarks and download the new mobile app! If you require further assistance or have questions consult the Help Documents or contact imap.invasives@gov.sk.ca. | |
| Sask. Important Plant Areas Program March 25th, 2019: The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan (NPSS) and Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre, on behalf of the Botanical Assessment Working Group, are pleased to announce the Vern Harms Important Plant Areas (IPA) of Saskatchewan program. The IPA program is an international effort to identify and conserve a region’s most important places for wild plant and fungal diversity. | |
Eight sites in Saskatchewan have already been designated, and information on these will be available in the spring. Anyone can nominate a site, provided it meets certain criteria. More information on the program, site criteria, and how to nominate a site can be found on the NPSS website. Nominations will be adjudicated twice a year in April and October (next intake is for October 2019). Although an IPA designation is not legally binding, partners hope that such a designation will afford the sites extra avoidance/mitigation consideration should they ever be subject to a development, and will spur land managers to make decisions with outcomes that will benefit plant species of concern, plant diversity and sensitive habitats. Although locations of privately owned IPAs will not necessarily be available to the public, they will be made available on the Ministry of Environment’s HABISask application to users with data sharing agreements (e.g. only visible to those who login). Questions about the IPA program can be directed to the NPSS or SKCDC. Please help us spread the word! | |
| Coming Soon: iMapInvasives 3.0 March 18th, 2019: The iMapInvasives Network is excited to announce that the iMapInvasives platform is undergoing major changes this year, leading to a new and greatly improved iMapInvasives 3.0! Current iMapInvasives users will transition to the new platform in Spring 2019. See the iMapInvasives website for details and timelines! Please note that iMapInvasives will be offline from April 1st until the new platform is launched on April 15th. If you have further questions please contact imap.invasives@gov.sk.ca. | |
| Species Lists have been Updated February 13th, 2019: All of our species lists have been updated and posted to our Species List page. Notable changes are to birds which have been updated to better match the latest Check-list of North American Birds from the American Ornithological Society. Four letter codes have also been added to the vertebrate list in Excel. Furthermore, vascular and non-vascular plant lists by ecoregion have been updated with more recent data. |
| November 2018 COSEWIC Assessments December 21st, 2018: In the most recent COSEWIC meeting, Greater Short-horned Lizard and Pale Yellow Dune Moth were two Saskatchewan species that were reassessed. The Pale Yellow Dune Moth remains at Special Concern, while the Greater Short-horned Lizard has changed from a COSEWIC status of Endangered to Special Concern. The vertebrate species lists have been updated to reflect this change. Refer to the Government of Canada's COSEWIC web page for details. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NatureServe Canada Annual Report October 4th, 2018: Find out what NatureServe Canada and its network have been up to, including how the SKCDC has been building species information for national parks in Saskatchewan on page 9. The NatureServe Canada Network consists of Conservation Data Centres across Canada and works to develop, manage, and distribute authoritative knowledge regarding Canada’s wild species and ecosystems. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species Lists Updated with SARA Additions August 13th, 2018: An Order to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act for 13 terrestrial species was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II on June 13th, 2018. The SKCDC's vertebrate and invertebrate lists have been updated to reflect these changes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Saskatchewan species added to Schedule 1 of SARA
For details, refer to the Species at Risk Public Registry. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Invasive Mussel Monitoring May 22nd, 2018: The new Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring (AIMM) reporting system is ready for use. Please read the AIMM User Guide for details on how to report using Survey123. First download the Survey 123 for ArcGIS field app to your mobile device from Google Play or the Apple Store. Then download the AIMM survey using the link provided in the AIMM User Guide. Once downloaded you can use your mobile device to fill the survey form out in the field and submit it when you are back in WiFi/cell service. More details can be found on the AIMM tab of our Invasives page. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| COSEWIC Wildlife Species Assessments May 17th, 2018: The SKCDC's species lists and HABISask have been updated to reflect the April, 2018 Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) assessments. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of assessments to species in Saskatchewan
For details, refer to the Government of Canada's COSEWIC webpage and review their COSEWIC Wildlife Species Assessments (detailed version), April 2018 document. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Cinquefoil in Saskatchewan May 17th, 2018: Potentilla hudsonii Ertter is a recently described species that occurs in Saskatchewan. Dr. Barbara Ertter of the University of California has been investigating the entity for some time and visited Saskatchewan in 2015 to study plants in the field. She recently published the description of this species, which she named after Saskatchewan’s own John Hudson. P. hudsonii is most morphologically similar to P. rubricaulis and P. hookeriana (see Ertter 2018 for a key) and can be found in grassland sites that have sandy, rocky or thin soils. It’s currently known Saskatchewan distribution is centered in the Saskatoon, Prince Albert and North Battleford areas (see figure). The SKCDC has ranked this species as an S2S3 tracked species. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Flowering Rush and Invasive Species Information Cards May 11th, 2018: As part of Aquatic Invasives Species Awareness Week the SKCDC- iMapInvasives program is posting a Flowering Rush Alert for the province as well as updated Invasive Species Information Cards. The confirmed report of Flowering Rush in the South Saskatchewan River has highlighted the need to raise awareness about the invasive nature of this species. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Volunteers Needed for Ferruginous Hawk Surveys March 12th, 2018: The Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment, with funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada, is conducting a province-wide inventory of ferruginous hawks in 2018. If you are a keen observer, want to learn something new and are available during the last week or weekend of April/beginning of May, see poster for details and contact bea.prieto@gov.sk.ca | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Order Amending Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act February 21, 2018: An Order to amend Schedule 1 of the Species at Risk Act (SARA) for 31 species including 7 in Saskatchewan has been published in the Canada Gazette, Part II. For details, see the Species at Risk Public Registry website. SARA statuses have been updated accordingly in the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre (SKCDC) vertebrate and invertebrate species lists and within HABISask. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Summary of Changes/Additions to Species at Risk in Saskatchewan:
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| Updates to Plant Species Lists February 15, 2018: Species lists, synonym lists, and tracked species lists by ecoregion for vascular and non-vascular plants have been updated on our Species Lists webpage. These updates mostly reflect taxonomic updates and not S-rank changes. The lists by ecoregion contain a great deal of updated information: the Tracked Vascular Plant Species by Ecoregion document contains approximately 600 new entries. |
| Changes to Plant S-Ranks; Festuca halli S3 November 27, 2017: The Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG) recently completed subnational rank reassessments of five vascular plant taxa. Five taxa were added to the provincial tracking list, one of which was a new addition to the provincial species list. View full story. |
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| Taxonomic Key to the Saskatchewan Cryptantha November 27, 2017: The Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG) has posted a key to the Saskatchewan Cryptantha, after clearing up some confusion surrounding the two perennial species found in the province. The document can be found on the SKCDC website under Resources>>Publications>>Taxonomic Resources. |
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| SKCDC Fieldwork Update October 16, 2017: Visit our projects page to see what SKCDC staff have been out searching for these past few summers. This year, surveys were conducted for Ord's Kangaroo Rats, breeding birds, Small White Lady's-slippers (Cypripedium candidum), and Fascicled Ironweed (Vernonia fasculata), see the details! |
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| iNaturalist.ca: A Community for Naturalists August 2, 2017: With iNaturalist you can submit photos and locations of species you observe in nature, and other users can verify or help figure out what that creature in the photo is. The SKCDC, along with other organizations and scientists, can then use these observations to understand where organisms occur across the globe. You can also join our SKCDC and iMapInvasives projects! Learn more. |
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| Wild Species 2015 Report July 4, 2017: Every five years, the National General Status Working Group produces a report on the status of wild species in Canada. The 2015 report assessed 29,848 species across Canada and found 20% of these species to be at some risk of extinction. The report was released June 16th and can now be downloaded from the Wild Species web site. |
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| Invasive Species Information Cards June 5, 2017: New invasive species information cards have been posted to our invasives page under additional resources. Instructions for printing may be found on the last page. |
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| Aquatic Invasive Species and Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring Forms June 1, 2017: Data submission guidelines and reporting forms for Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring (AIMM) and aquatic invasive species have been updated for 2017 and posted to our invasives page under the Data Reporting Resources and the AIMM tabs. These forms have been created to facilitate upload of this information into iMapInvasives. |
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| April COSEWIC Assessments May 15, 2017: COSEWIC assessments for nine species in Saskatchewan have been released this past April. The summary of updates is as follows: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The SKCDC species lists have been updated to reflect these changes; please clear your cache or refresh the page to download the latest versions. All COSEWIC listed species are tracked by the SKCDC, so make sure to send us your observations! |
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| Be on the Lookout for Red Lily Beetles! May 9, 2017: First of the year sighting of The Red Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, happened at the end of last week in Emerald Park. Time to be on the lookout for this invasive species. Please see our reporting guidelines and email photographs & locations to invasives.imap@gov.sk.ca, or enter them directly into iMapInvasives. An informative article about The Red Lily Beetle can be found here. |
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| New Invasive Species Outreach Material May 5, 2017: A Government of Saskatchewan poster from the Don't Let Them Loose campaign has been added to our invasives page. Visit our invasives page for resources on iMapInvasives, Adult Invasive Mussel Monitoring, invasive species campaigns & outreach material, and more! |
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| NatureServe Canada and Canadian Wildlife Service honored for Scientific and Technological Achievement April 25, 2017: Following the assessment of the conservation statuses of almost 30,000 species across Canada for the 2015 Wild Species Report, NatureServe Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service were awarded the Scientific and Technological Acheivement Award by NatureServe. The SKCDC was proud to be a part of this process. Details on the Saskatchewan species that have been reassessed as part of this project can be found here. |
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| Plant Species by Ecoregion Lists Now Posted April 7, 2017: Two excel spreadsheets have been added to our website: Tracked Vascular and Tracked Non-Vascular Species by Ecoregion. These lists are generated using the SKCDC tracked species occurrence records. Over time, we hope to incorporate more datasets to increase the information available, and also post similar lists for animals. The lists can be downloaded from our Species Lists page under the vascular and non-vascular plant sections. |
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| Keys to Identification of Alberta Vascular Plants April 7, 2017: This unique resource provides written keys as well as supporting illustrated material to guide users through the identification process. While it will contain some species not found in Saskatchewan and will be missing some species found in Saskatchewan, it will nevertheless be an excellent supplementary resource. The keys can be found on the Alberta Native Plant Council webpage. |
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| Changes to Plant S-Ranks April 4, 2017: At the spring meeting of the Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG), reassessments were completed for the ranks of four species: Apocynum cannabinum var. hypericifolium, Castilleja sessiliflora, Lilium philadelphicum var. andinum and Potentilla lasiondonta. A summary of the changes made to these species can be found here. |
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| Species Lists Updated to Reflect Amendments to Schedule 1 of SARA March 7, 2017: Horned Grebe, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, and Baird's Sparrow are Saskatchewan species that have been added as Special Concern under the Species At Risk Act (SARA). Tiny Cryptantha (Cryptantha minima) has been reclassified as Threatened, and Buffalograss (Bouteloua dactyloides) and Hairy Prairie-clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) as Special Concern. See the SARA Registry for details. |
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| SKCDC Completes Major Review for the General Status Program January 26, 2017: Every five years, the General Status of Species in Canada project releases a Wild Species report that provides a snapshot of the status of wildlife in Canada. In preparation for the 2015 report (now available for download from the Wild Species web site), the Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre has completed a major review of the subnational ranks (S-ranks) for taxa ("elements") found in this province: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
**added Taxa may include species newly found in the province, species that have undergone taxonomic revisions, or species that were previously missing from the SKCDC database Click here for a list of species new to the SKCDC tracking list. This was a significant review of the status of Saskatchewan's flora and fauna that will provide a better understanding of the taxa most in need of targeted conservation efforts and data collection. Updated ranks and taxa listings can be found on the SKCDC species lists. |
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| Potentilla, Salix, Viola and Eleocharis Updates to the Vascular Plant List – the Importance of Using Current Taxonomic Keys January 26, 2017: The SKCDC strives to keep its species lists up to date with the latest accepted taxonomic changes. Please read this article for information on changes to these four groups as well as others. |
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| Resources by John Hudson Now Available Online January 26, 2017: The SKCDC has posted two resources that were developed by Saskatchewan botanist John Hudson: the Taxonomic Reminder for Recognizing Saskatchewan Plants and the Field Checklist of Saskatchewan Flora by Area series. Although there have additions and taxonomic changes to the Saskatchewan flora since their development, they are nevertheless excellent tools for both the amateur and professional botanist in Saskatchewan. They can be found on our Publications page under “Technical Reports: Vascular Plants.” The SKCDC wishes to thank John Hudson’s family and Nature Saskatchewan for allowing us to make these works available online. |
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| SKCDC Guidelines for Collecting Spatial Data during Vascular Plant Surveys January 25, 2017: An updated version has been posted to our survey protocols page. |
| Mail-out List Subscriptions | |
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November 8, 2016: Subscribe to the new mail-out lists and keep up-to-date on changes pertaining to: Government of Saskatchewan Species Detection Permits, Species Detection Surveys, Submissions Standards and Guidelines, Academic Research Permits, Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre Species Lists and Ranks, Legislation/Policy, and the HABISask Online Mapping Application.
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| Meet the New Wildlife Application | |
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October 12, 2016: HABISask stands for Hunting, Angling and Biodiversity Information of Saskatchewan, and it is the new mapping application for viewing SKCDC occurrences of rare and endangered species and more. If you had an account for the Wildlife App, it will work for signing in to HABISask. For details, see our HABISask page. |
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| Report a Woodland Caribou Sighting | |
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August 15, 2016: Woodland caribou observations can be submitted using our caribou reporting page. Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Environment is in the process of conducting range assessments to better understand the status of woodland caribou populations and habitat. This information will be used to develop range plans to help maintain self-sustaining woodland caribou populations within their current range. |
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| Giant Lacewing Observations | |
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July 22, 2016: A national status report on the Giant Lacewing (Polystoechotes punctatus) is being prepared for the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). If you have observations, specimens, or photographs, please send this information to Vincent Bereczki and cc the SKCDC. See poster for details. |
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| Red Lily Beetle Observations | |
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May 10, 2016: The Red Lily Beetle, Lilioceris lilii, has expanded its invasive range, and has been recently confirmed in Saskatchewan. Partnering with the South Saskatchewan Lily Society, SKCDC will track the distribution of the Red Lily Beetle in Saskatchewan. Please email observation and photo records to: invasives.imap@gov.sk.ca or enter them directly into iMapInvasives. For information on data and specimen collection, please see the reporting guidelines.
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| 2016 Botrychium (Moonworts) Workshop | |
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May 4, 2016: Come join us in Cypress Hills Provincial Park for a 2-day workshop - July 14 and 15, 2016 - conducted by Botrychium experts Dr. Donald Farrar and Dr. Cindy Johnson. Please sign-up on the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan (NPSS) Website. You will find the 2016 Botrychium Workshop by clicking the "Events" category from the NPSS Store page. | |
| iMapInvasives Webinar | |
| November 26, 2015: Watch this recorded presentation about iMapInvasives - an online, GIS-based tool that connects researchers, citizen scientists and environmental organizations in the fight against invasive species! This video is hosted on the SK PCAP youtube channel and was presented by SKCDC invasive species coordinator, Ahdia Hassan, as part of the Prairie Conservation Action Plan (PCAP) Speaker Series. | |
| The Importance of Collections | |
| October 5, 2015: Plant collections, centrally housed in herbaria, are the main resource for the study of plant taxonomy and distribution. The SKCDC, with the support of the members of the Botanical Assessment Working Group, would like to encourage appropriate plant collection for a number of groups that require more information for study. Read more. | |
| New Moonwort Found in Saskatchewan | |
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September 25, 2015: The SKCDC set out to explore the diversity of Moonwort (Botrychium, sometimes also called Grape-ferns) species in the Cypress Hills during the 2015 field season. Collectively, Moonworts in Saskatchewan are rare, with many ranked as S3 or less and having a global rank of G3 or less. Our searches led us to collect a new Moonwort species record for Saskatchewan: Daisy-leaved Moonwort (Botrychium matricariifolium). Read more about Botrichium and our exciting finds! | |
| General Status Work Results in Changes to Plant S-Ranks | |
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September 15, 2015: Environment Canada, in partnership with NatureServe Canada, recently undertook a massive species ranking assessment for all species groups in Canada. The result is a comprehensive, updated look at the status of species in Canada. The SKCDC has finished reviewing the reassessments for vascular plants and has now posted the changed S-ranks. Updates for other groups (animals, invertebrates, non-vascular plants, etc.) are ongoing. See list of taxa added to the tracking list. | |
| Turtle Surveys | |
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June 11, 2015: SKCDC staff will be surveying for western painted turtles and snapping turtles to better
understand their distribution in Saskatchewan. If you have any observations of turtles, wildlife or plant species of concern, please contact us via email at: SKCDC.data@gov.sk.ca. | |
| Tiny parasitic wasp, Baeus, found in 2014 field work | |
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June 4, 2015: Check out this facebook post by the Royal Saskatchewan Museum about a wasp that was collected by our summer students last summer! This tiny parasitic wasp is just about 1/2 mm in length and is the first official record of the genus Baeus in Western Canada. Cory Sheffield is currently going through the SKCDC's samples at the museum and is making some great finds. | |
| Update on Saskatchewan Lichens | |
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May 27, 2015: A new technical report by Bernard de Vries has been posted to our publications page: Update on Saskatchewan Lichens, February 2015. The document lists 29 additional species of lichens not yet included in the SKCDC's species lists, and 24 new records from Saskatchewan and Canada. | |
| New COSEWIC Wildlife Species Assessments | |
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May 4, 2015: The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met recently to examine the status of 20 species in Canada. As a result, two species in Saskatchewan were assessed and given a status of Special Concern: the Prairie Rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) and the Yellow-banded Bumble Bee (Bombus terricola). The Yellow-banded Bumble Bee has been added to the SKCDC's tracked species list. See the COSEWIC press release for more details on these assessments. | |
| Changes to Plant S-ranks | |
| April 23, 2015: The
Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG)
recently reassessed the ranks of six species:
Achnatherum nelsonii ssp. dorei, Polygala senega,
Osmorhiza depauperata, Antennaria howellii ssp. canadensis,
Antennaria howellii ssp. neodioica, and Myriophyllum verticillatum.
A summary of the changes made to these species can be found
here. |
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| Your Data Informs Species Ranking | |
March 5, 2015: Did you know the SKCDC uses submitted data to help inform species ranking? The data housed in the SKCDC’s database, much of which had been submitted as per permit requirements through the Fish, Wildlife and Lands Branch, is used to reassess the subnational ranks of priority species. Data on these species is input into NatureServe’s rank calculator (which is part of a standardized process that the SKCDC uses to rank all species) to assist in the reassessment, and ranks are reviewed by experts (e.g., the Botanical Assessment Working Group). Notable changes in the past two years include:
These changes are a direct result of observations submitted to the SKCDC. For more information on ranking, visit our Species Conservation Rankings webpage. |
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| Astragalus lotiflorus removed from tracking list March 5, 2015: | |
| The Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG) recently reassessed the ranks of two species: Running Serviceberry (Amelanchier humilis) and Low Milk-vetch (Astragalus lotiflorus). Of note, Astragalus lotiflorus has been removed from the tracking list following this reassessment. A summary of the changes made to these species can be found here. |
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| Trials and Tribulations in Plant Taxonomy January 20, 2015: | |
| Read NatureServe's article at natureserve.org to learn how a few example plant species have posed taxonomic challenges, how this has impacted conservation and the need to focus on plant taxonomy. | |
| Emergency Listing Order for Three Canadian Bat Species December 17, 2014: | |
| The Government of Canada has added three species of bats to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk in Canada (also known as Schedule I of the Species at Risk Act). These three bats species - the Little Brown Myotis (Myotis lucifugus), the Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) and the Tri-colored Bat (Perimyotis subflavus) - have been listed as Endangered. Both the Little Brown Myotis and Northern Myotis occur in Saskatchewan. For details, see the Species at Risk Public Registry. |
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| Update to COSEWIC Statuses December 8, 2014: | |
| In the latest round of COSEWIC assessments (October 2014), the following Saskatchewan species have been assessed:
Red-necked Phalarope – Special Concern (no previous status) Of note, SK is not currently included in the range for Fascicled Ironweed. This species is included in our provincial flora but is considered historical, as it has not been observed in the province for some time. For more information, or to see the complete list of species assessed, refer to the COSEWIC Wildlife Species Assessments (detailed version) November 2014. |
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| Vascular Plant Synonym List Now Available December 2, 2014: | |
| You asked, we listened! A request was made to the SKCDC to provide a vascular plant synonym list. The list is now available for download in Excel and PDF format, and can be found on our species list page! Please be sure to read the introductory information contained within the document. |
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| Short-flower Suncup Rediscovered! December 2, 2014: | |
| Thanks to our partners at the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, the rare Short-flower Suncup (Taraxia breviflora) has been rediscovered in Saskatchewan after last being observed in the province in 1968. Read the full story on CBC News.
The Saskatchewan Conservation Data Centre is actively working with its partners to update its data on species that have not been seen in the province for 40 years or more. |
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| Video: SKCDC Rankings, Research & Rare Plants November 24, 2014: | |
| Wondering what the SKCDC does? Where your data goes? How species are ranked and what makes a tracked species? Watch this video on the SK PCAP youtube channel of a presentation given by SKCDC botanist, Sarah Vinge-Mazer, as part of the Prairie Conservation Action Plan (PCAP) Speaker Series! |
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| SKCDC Verifies a New Plant Species for the Province November 20, 2014: | |
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Bacopa rotundifolia, Water Hyssop, has been confirmed for the first time in Saskatchewan! See full story.
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| New EO Not Found Loadform November 20, 2014: | |
| If surveys were conducted in an area where a known element occurrence (EO) was located and it was not found, you can now report this to the SKCDC by using our "EO Not Found" loadform. See our "Submit Data" page for more information and to download this form.
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| New SKCDC Email Address for Data Submissions November 3, 2014: | |
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Wild species observations submitted to the SKCDC can now be sent to SKCDC.data@gov.sk.ca. Please see our page on submitting data for more information. |
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| Updates to Plant S-Ranks and Tracking Statuses November 3, 2014: | |
| The fall meeting of the Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG) was recently held on October 30, 2014, and resulted in a number of plant S-rank changes: see full story. |
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| Updates to Data Loadforms August 12, 2014: | |
| Updated versions of the data loadforms found on the Government of Saskatchewan Research Permit web site have been posted. |
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| Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan July 29, 2014: | |
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The Greater Sage-Grouse Conservation Plan for Saskatchewan has been updated as of June 2014 and is available for download now. The Plan, originally put together in 2012, contains the most updated information about the status of the bird in the province, as well as an analysis of the threats that affect the species. It identifies efforts needed in four main categories: population assessment and monitoring, habitat identification and assessment, threat mitigation and partnership collaboration. The goals of the plan are to ensure that a Greater Sage-Grouse population persists in Saskatchewan, and to manage Greater Sage-Grouse habitat to benefit both the species and the sagebrush-steppe ecosystem, ensuring that no other species at risk are negatively impacted but potentially benefit from these conservation actions. Take a look! |
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| Proposed Red List for Saskatchewan Lichens July 24, 2014: | |
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A new report has been published by Bernard de Vries & the SKCDC: The Proposed Red List for Saskatchewan Lichens.
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| Updates to COSEWIC statuses June 5, 2014 |
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COSEWIC met in May, 2014 to discuss and evaluate the status of wildlife species in Canada. The result was a change to the COSEWIC statuses of the following Saskatchewan species:
Western Grebe - Special Concern Dakota Skipper - Endangered (previously threatened) Mormon Metalmark (Prairie Population) - Special Concern (previously threatened) Gypsy Cuckoo Bumble Bee - Endangered Western Bumble Bee, occidentalis subspecies - Threatened To see the complete list and reasons for designation, refer to COSEWIC Wildlife Species Assessments (detailed version), May 2014. | |
| Updates to Plant S-Ranks and Tracking Statuses May 22, 2014 |
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The Botanical Assessment Working Group has recently reassessed the ranks of seven species. A summary of the reassessments can be found here.
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| SKCDC Guidelines for the Collection of Spatial Data During Plant Surveys March 2014 |
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View our new guidelines on the Protocols & Guidelines page. | |
| Your Data Informs Species Ranking March 2014 |
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Did you know the SKCDC uses submitted data to help inform species ranking? Recently, Rough Pennyroyal (Hedeoma hispida) was reassessed by the Botanical Assessment Working Group (BAWG). The data housed in the SKCDC’s database, much of which had been submitted as per permit requirements through the Fish and Wildlife Branch, indicated that this plant is more abundant than previously thought, and therefore possibly at a lower extirpation risk than its rank of S3 would imply. By inputting this data into NatureServe’s rank calculator (which is part of a standardized process that the SKCDC uses to rank all species), BAWG determined that the rank of the species should be downlisted to an S4, and as a result, it is no longer on the SKCDC tracking list. This downlisting is a direct result of all of the observations submitted to the SKCDC for this species. For more information on ranking, visit our Species Conservation Rankings webpage.
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| Launch of the New SKCDC Website March 2014 |
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Our website has undergone a few changes! We’ve added new pages including details on our partnerships, methodology, and frequently asked questions - check out our sitemap to see more. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact us. | |
| Update to Plant S-Ranks March 2014 |
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Since the inception of the Botanical Assessment Working Group in 2011, 22 species re-ranking assessments have been conducted. In addition, more than 300 taxa that previously had a rank of SNR have now been ranked. View a summary of the reassessed taxa, as well as those that were previously ranked SNR and have now been placed on the tracking list. | |
| Mitsubishi grant to support IUCN and NatureServe assessment of Canadian freshwater species February 2014 |
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Over the next three years, statuses of about 1,300 Canadian freshwater species will be researched and assessed.
View full story at NatureServe.org... | |