Education

Meewasin leads hands-on educational tours at Beaver Creek Conservation Area (BCCA) for grade 5 school groups.

Considered a microcosm of the Meewasin Valley, BCCA offers educational programs that provide visitors with opportunities to discover nature along a selection of nature trails winding through prairie, forest, sand dune, creek and river valley habitats. Every year, BCCA offers interpretive programs for thousands of Grade 5 students.

Bookings for the Grade 5 Programs at Beaver Creek take place annually in April/May. Check back at that time to find the formal booking process on this page. If you have any questions about the Grade 5 Education Programs in the meantime, please contact Beaver Creek Conservation Area at 306-374-2474. 

Meewasin leads hands-on educational tours at the Northeast Swale for grade 3 school groups.

The Meewasin Northeast Swale contains considerable areas of native prairie grasslands and offers high quality biodiversity, proximity to urban areas, economic benefits for recreation and education and a natural filter for our air and water. The swale contains wetlands that provide a means of flood control for the surrounding community.

Bookings for the Grade 3 Programs at the Northeast Swale take place annually in April/May. Check back at that time to find the formal booking process on this page. If you have any questions about the Grade 3 Education Programs in the meantime, please contact Kenton Lysak at 306-665-6887.

Click here for a location map of the Meewasin Northeast Swale.

Meewasin leads hands-on educational tours at Saskatoon Natural Grasslands for grade 2 school groups.

The Saskatoon Natural Grasslands (SNG) is a 34 acre (13.8 hectare) parcel of native Saskatchewan grassland persisting in a surprisingly natural condition.  It lies within the area known as Silverspring.  This fescue grassland is not just grass, but an ecosystem – a complex association of grasses, flowering and non-flowering plants, birds, animals and insects representing 10,000 years of natural history since the glaciers receded.

Bookings for the Grade 2 Programs at the Saskatoon Natural Grasslands take place annually in April/May. Check back at that time to find the formal booking process on this page. If you have any questions about the Grade 2 Education Programs in the meantime, please contact Kenton Lysak at 306-665-6887.

Thanks to education programs provided by the University of Saskatchewan Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, the Saskatoon Nature Society, the City of Saskatoon, the Greater Saskatoon Catholic School Division, the Saskatoon Public School Division, Meewasin  and others; and the stewardship by the Silverspring community, the SNG continues to provide habitat, aesthetic and recreational opportunities, soil protection and gene pool for future medical and agricultural research.

Related resources at Meewasin: SNG brochure (223 KB pdf), SNG Ecological Education Guide (29 MB pdf).

Meewasin hosts an annual celebration of International Bat Week with our Dark Skies at the Creek event at Beaver Creek Conservation Area. Take part by joining Meewasin interpreters, astronomers and local naturalists and learn about the importance of dark skies, the amazing diversity of nocturnal animals, and how both are affected by global light pollution.

The Saskatoon Dark Sky Initiative is both a monitoring and educational program aimed at educating the public about the negative effects of light pollution on nocturnal wildlife within Saskatoon. The program was designed to engage public and students of all ages through in-class programming, Dark Skies at the Creek public awareness events, and citizen science projects aimed at collecting valuable information on local light pollution within the Meewasin river valley. Thanks to our partners the Saskatoon Nature Society, and the Royal Astronomical Society Saskatoon Centre for the ongoing support of Meewasin’s Dark Sky event.

With over 20% of the terrestrial surface of our planet experiencing light pollution in its many forms, we are now beginning to understand the importance of maintaining dark skies for human health, plant physiology and nocturnal wildlife populations. Many studies have identified the negative effects of light pollution on human health, correlating greater light pollution with disrupting sleep patterns, negatively affecting the regulation of a variety of hormones, and lessening memory retention.

Light pollution has been shown to negatively affect nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems as a whole by changing animal behaviours, disrupting seasonal movements, and altering the structure of ecosystems. Many native species residing in and around the City of Saskatoon depend on dark skies for their survival. Nocturnal species, such as the endangered common nighthawk and the big brown bat, rely on natural darkness for foraging and movement patterns. Northern leopard frogs and tiger salamanders, both given a status of Special Concern under the Species at Risk Act (SARA), depend upon dark skies for the their normal behaviours, such as the timing of their vocal calls during their reproductive seasons. Smaller aquatic macro-invertebrates that are a vital source of nutrition in wetland environments, depend on light-dark cycles to govern their feeding behaviors. Even small changes to the illumination of our natural areas can drastically affect their ecological health and the survivability of the species that encompass them.

If you are looking to book a field trip or a in-class program please fill out this form.

One of Meewasin’s goals is to get students out in nature in hands-on, experiential learning experiences. We generally lead interpretive tours to most natural areas around the City of Saskatoon and provide in-class programming for a variety of topics, so we are pretty flexible in finding something that will work for your group. Here are the programs we are currently offering:

1) Meewasin Northeast Swale: Just on the outskirts of Saskatoon lies a unique ancient river ecosystem contains vital prairie-wetland habitats, full of native flora and fauna that call the swale their home. We invite students of all grades to explore the site through interpretive hikes and through stewardship by collecting valuable information through citizen science projects aimed at monitoring the health of the ecosystem. As roughly 50,000 people move into the area surrounding the swale, Meewasin is looking to monitor our impact on the site and the local species that use the site as their habitat. Students aid in collecting scientific information on the biodiversity of aquatic insects (pond dipping), larger animals (using binoculars), native plants abundance, or the water quality of the local wetlands. The cost does not include your transport.

2) Saskatoon Natural Grasslands: The Saskatoon Natural Grasslands is a 34 acre parcel of rare, native Saskatchewan grassland within the Silverspring area and persisting in a surprisingly natural condition. This fescue grassland is not just grass, but an ecosystem – a complex association of grasses, flowering and non-flowering plants, birds, animals and insects representing 10,000 years of natural history since the glaciers receded. Join Meewasin interpreters on an experiential hike through the past, present and future of conserving natural areas within urban environments. Students will learn about why the grasslands are an important ecosystem, how humans effect the environments around them, and what sustainable practices we can implement in our daily life to aid in conserving these important habitats. The cost does not include your transport.

3) Beaver Creek Conservation Area: Located 13km south of Saskatoon, this important conservation area provides valuable refuge for numerous native species and habitats, including endangered grassland birds, colourful wildflowers, rare short-grass prairie and an abundance of mammals. The site offers many opportunities for your class to discover nature via the hands-on activities in the interpretive centre and the three nature trails offer. Join the interpreters on an educational hike along the creek and into the many valleys that are sure to inspire your students. The cost does not include your transport.

4) Visit to a Natural Area: Choose a natural area within the Meewasin River Valley and we will lead your class on an interpretive adventure looking at the flora and fauna that encompass it. Depending on the site and season, the interpretive staff will provide interactive activities, unique learning experiences, and site-relevant information pertaining to your current curriculum outcomes. Examples include visiting Chappell Marsh for a wetland fieldtrip or Cranberry Flats to learn about the South Saskatchewan River Watershed on the Meewasin Trail. The cost does not include your transport.

Founded in 1993 by Meewasin, Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin (PFSRB) promotes stewardship and sustainability of the Saskatchewan River Basin, an international watershed stretching over the three Prairie Provinces and a portion of Montana. More than 3 million people live within the basin which includes the North Saskatchewan, Red Deer, Oldman, Bow, Highwood, South Saskatchewan, Battle, Saskatchewan, St. Mary, and Carrot Rivers.

Their focus is the Basin itself, however programs are most often delivered to all areas of the Prairie Provinces. To date, PFSRB has delivered over 20 major educational and informational projects. Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin continues to strive for excellence, maintaining that their primary client is the River.

PFSRB is governed by a Board of Directors with members from the three prairie provinces. For more information on PFSRB please visit their website.

Saskatoon residents have special visitors each summer. April through October, pelicans gather by the weir to fish. These birds, once on the endangered species list, have been a beautiful sight on the South Saskatchewan River since the late 1970s. For Saskatoon residents, their arrival is a harbinger of spring.

The contest runs annually from March 1-31.

With the support of the Saskatoon Nature Society, Meewasin has been holding a Pelican Watch Contest since 1996. Each spring Saskatoon residents guess the arrival time of the first pelican to Saskatoon to land between the CPR Bridge and the Saskatoon Weir.  However, it is more than a contest. It is an opportunity to learn about the pelican.

The American White Pelican is one of the largest birds on the continent weighing 7 – 10 kg and having a wing span of up to 3 metres.  Breeding birds develop an orange horn on their bill that falls off after nesting season. The breeding birds seen at the weir have likely flown to Saskatoon from Redberry Lake, the site of the nearest colony.  The pelicans make the 160 km trip daily.  In late fall, our pelicans migrate to sites in California, Florida, Mexico and Guatemala.

2019 Pelican Watch

The first pelican to touch down between the CPR Bridge and the weir in 2019 did so, Wednesday, April 17 at 5:07 p.m. as observed by the official spotters from the Saskatoon Nature Society.

Thank you to all who participated, the Saskatoon media and all of the businesses that have supported the contest with prizes including: Don’s Photo Shop, White Pelican Bed and Breakfast, Wow Pizza, Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon, Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Nature Society and Saskatoon public and catholic schools.

Congratulations to the 2019 Winners!

• Nick Roman – Grand Prize Mountain Bicycle courtesy of Meewasin
• Julia from St. Philip School – Classroom Pizza Party courtesy of Wow Pizza & Wildlife Watching Pack courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon and Meewasin
• Allan Knihniski – Binoculars courtesy of Don’s Photo Shop Saskatoon
• Doug Stott – Bird Feeder and Bird Food Courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon
• Jessica Wyllie – Overnight Stay for Two at White Pelican Bed and Breakfast Saskatoon
• Hayden from St. Augustine – Wildlife Watching Pack courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon and Meewasin
• Zharmel from St. Philip School – Wildlife Watching Pack courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon and Meewasin
• Caelan from St Philip School – Wildlife Watching Pack courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon
• and Meewasin
• Dominic Crippen  – Wildlife Watching Pack courtesy of Wild Birds Unlimited Saskatoon and Meewasin
• Tushit from St. Philip School – Wildlife Rehabilitation Society Membership and Prize Pack
• Louise Friesen – Gift Cards from Pelican Market

Thank you to our 2019 sponsors!