Biology student Michela Sisti says Saskatchewan is the only province in Canada without a wetlands protection policy.

“We currently have a drainage policy in place, but we don’t have any legislation that cements the protection of wetlands,” Sisti said in an interview.

The threat posed by drainage was front and center at Wetlands Fest, hosted by the Biology Undergraduate Graduate Society (BUGS). Which was held on March 6, at the U of R.

Organizers of the event hope to educate the public about the benefits of preserving wetlands, including maintaining biodiversity and reducing green house gas emissions.

The Water Security Agency launched a campaign last year promoting the message that 80 per cent of the province’s wetlands are still intact.
Researchers at the U of R and University of Saskatchewan have been outspoken about challenging the validity of that claim. Some of those researchers claim that at least 70 per cent of Saskatchewan wetlands have been drained.

As the festival kicked off, the crackling of a popcorn machine and the shuffling of chairs grew louder; even with extra seating, it quickly became standing room only. Every one settled in as the first speaker was introduced.

Trevor Harriot, a naturalist and author, started his presentation by explaining the Prairie potholes region, otherwise known as sloughs.

“When you think of Prairie potholes, they are around us all the time, all over the Regina plain and all through out the Prairies,” said Harriot “They are little circular holes that where formed by the glaciers as they retreated.”

“Big chunks of ice fell off the glaciers, creating these depressions, producing spots where the melting ice flowed to. This has been happening for 10,000 years, every spring with the snow melt. If we get enough snow to fill up the potholes, that’s when beautiful things start to happen.”

A love of nature was the prevailing theme throughout the festival. Conservationists of all stripes showed up to hear from a diverse range of speakers and experience a variety of education booths. From waterfowl to micronutrients, the entire wetland ecosystem was well-represented.

Dr. Kerri Finlay from the U of R Spoke about her research on the impact of wetland drainage on carbon emissions. She found that we can reduce carbon emissions in the Prairies by 5-8 per cent by not draining wetlands.

Jordan Rustard from Last Mountain Bird Observatory described some of the best places to see the bird species that live in our wetlands. That includes Wascana Park, which attracts at least 115 migratory bird species every year, according to the Government of Canada.

“This is the first time we have got a big number of people together for a certain topic” said Sisti, as she described the success of the BUGS event.

When asked why BUGS was celebrating she said: “Spring is part of it but also timing. We have a new policy that came into being. It’s called the Agricultural Water Stewardship Policy, but it’s essentially a drainage policy.”

“There is this idea that wetlands should be drained to maximize the usable farm land. We are just trying to add balance to the conversation, because wetlands have been historically undervalued and people don’t understand what we are losing.”