Summer 2018

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AIS Monitoring on the Rise
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) are of growing concern for Saskatchewan and the prairie provinces. Although not currently established within our province, zebra and quagga mussels are of most concern. These species of mussel are highly invasive and can permanently damage water bodies due to their high rate of reproduction and high intake of lake nutrients. You may see check stations set up at provincial borders, routes to major lakes and recreational water systems for inspecting water craft for AIS, especially mussels. You can do your part in preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species by thoroughly cleaning any watercraft, draining excess water and making sure the watercraft is well dried before moving it to other water bodies. For more information on AIS click Here.

Love Your Lake Surveys This Summer

Our lakes and water systems in this province are a valuable resource and maintaining the health of these lakes and rivers is essential. The "Love Your Lake" program provides lakefront property owners with a survey to inform landowners how natural or developed the landscape is on their property. A report is prepared for each property and mailed out to each landowner stating how they can maintain or improve the quality of natural vegetation and landscape. The natural vegetation plays a key role in maintaining soil structure, acting as a natural filter and improving water quality overall. Keeping these shorelines healthy and naturalized ensures a lake that will be enjoyed for generations to come.
The Natural Edge Program is an option for lakefront property owners who want to follow up on the Love Your Lake survey.
There are plans to continue these surveys on Jackfish, Brightsand and Turtle Lake this summer in July. For more details on the program visit http://loveyourlake.ca/natural-shoreline/.

The Natural Edge: Restoring the Ribbon of Life

Lake health is affected from numerous sources, whether it’s pollution, aquatic invasive species
or shoreline development. While developing a shoreline isn’t necessarily a bad thing, there are ways to help maintain the integrity and health of shores. The shoreline is a buffer zone of vegetation acting as a natural filter and reinforcement to prevent things like erosion, nutrient loading or eutrophication. It also provides habitat for native species part of the local ecosystem, promoting diversity.
The Natural Edge Program seeks to maintain, improve and restore shoreline along lakefront properties. Those involved will get to work alongside technicians in developing their shoreline, from the initial site visit to the planting operation and maintenance itself. The Natural Edge Program promotes the health and diversity of our lakes and helps ensure a safe, healthy and valuable resource to be enjoyed for generations to come. Contact us to book your site.

Invasive Weed Concerns Spark Interest In Beetle Collection
Besides aquatics, there are land dwelling invasive species of concern in Saskatchewan as well. One of major concern is Leafy Spurge. This plant is highly invasive and hard to eradicate from an infected area. This is due to its vectors of spread including their prolific root system that it sprouts from (rhizomes) and spreading by seed. Cultivating, spraying and even hand pulling have their limitations for fighting this noxious weed. One of the ways to effectively fight an infestation is with releasing Leafy Spurge Beetles. The larvae from these beetles dig their way down to the root of the spurge plant, feed off of it and kill the plant. These beetles do best in larger infestations of Leafy Spurge as there’s more for them to feed off of. The use of beetles on spurge is a long term management strategy and can take 5-10 years to effectively lower spurge populations. It will not eradicate an infestation completely, however it's a good management tool to help control it's growth and spread.

Harvey Anderson is hosting the 2018 Leafy Spurge Beetle Collection Days from July 2^nd – 6^th at Besant Campground, west of Caronport on Highway #1. Provided you bring a net and help with the collection and packing, these collected beetles are free for all Saskatchewan landowners and Rural Municipality Rep.’s.
For more information on this event contact Harvey Anderson at:
harveyskulianderson@gmail.com Phone: 306-221-5289

Our mailing address is:
North Saskatchewan River Basin Council
Box 458
Hafford, SK
S0J 1A0

306-441-3119 | 306-549-2360
info@nsrbc.ca

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North Saskatchewan River Basin Council (NSRBC) · Box 458 · Hafford, SK S0J 1A0 · Canada