Get involved as a volunteer with Meewasin!
Join our monthly volunteer opportunities email list and become a steward of the river valley alongside Meewasin with activities that support biodiversity, wildlife safety, community events, and more!
Become a Citizen Scientist!
Citizen Science is a term that refers to public participation to scientific research. “Anyone can support Meewasin’s conservation efforts, and it’s a lot simpler than you may think.” Says Renny Grilz, Meewasin’s Resource Management Officer.
When you head outdoors for a local escape to get fresh air, along the way you may notice some interesting tracks on the ground, hear a bird’s singsong call, or you may even spot a small creature scurry across the earth. These small encounters may be exciting moments, but taking these observations a bit further can help local conservationists in a major way!
Meewasin and other conservation-focused organizations can utilize information recorded on databases such as iNaturalist to inform and direct future conservation efforts. For example, if a rare or endangered species was recorded in an area of the Meewasin Valley, future work will reflect these observations, with extra efforts to conserve this space or habitat.
iNaturalist is a citizen science app and website where you can find and collect information about the flora and fauna that you can find in the Saskatoon Region. Meewasin uses iNaturalist as a way to collect data on our natural areas and conservation areas such as the Northeast Swale and the river valley to learn more about these areas from a resource management planning perspective and long term ecological monitoring. Take pictures of plants and animals (or traces of them), share with fellow naturalists, and have the opportunity to discuss your findings. This helps Meewasin with identifying long term management of our sites, so the more information and citizen scientists involved, the better!
What is iNaturalist? Check out these info sheets on:
Other Citizen Science Apps and Programs
eBird, iMapInvasives, Pronghorn Xing, eTick, Nature Watch: Plant Watch, Frog Watch, Ice Watch, Milkweed Watch
Outreach – Presentations
Meewasin’s Resource Management staff have presented to over 50 different groups, agencies and conferences and to over 9,000 people throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and North Dakota over the last 4 years. Presentations and tours include various topics including: invasive species identification and management, native prairie management, prescribed fire, targeted conservation grazing, native prairie restoration, native plant identification, and watershed management. The groups include government agencies, watershed groups, producer groups, naturalist groups, and more!