Species at Risk Act (SARA)

Prairie Region

Prairie Region: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba
Species at Risk Act (SARA) Consultation, Cooperation and Accommodation Project

Project Overview

This multi-year project will facilitate Indigenous communities’ and organizations’ participation in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) listing and recovery planning processes for terrestrial species as part of implementing the federal Species at Risk Act. CIER’s role is to support a range of activities between Indigenous communities and organizations and ECCC on developing recovery documents, sharing knowledge and language, addressing threats to terrestrial species at risk survival and recovery, and land use planning for species at risk on reserve lands and within traditional territories.

Funding Support and Information Session: Recovery Planning of Terrestrial Species at Risk

January 15, 2025: 9:30 – 11:00 PT / 11:30 – 1:00 CT / 12:30 – 2:00 ET

We are inviting applications for funding to support Indigenous Nations’ participation in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) listing and recovery planning processes for terrestrial species at risk. We are also holding an information session to provide an overview of this initiative and the funding available to support involvement in the different project components for the final year of the project. The information session will be held on January 15th from 9:30 – 11:00 PT/11:30 – 1:00 CT/12:30 – 2:00 ET. During this session, further explanation will be provided with opportunity for questions and discussion. To register for this session, please select the link below. 

Register for Zoom meeting

Resources

On this webpage you will find the materials shared at the sessions included in this project (e.g., SARA overview sessions, species-specific workshops, training sessions, information sharing sessions, funding application forms). You will also find helpful species at risk-related tools and resources. Click on the topic headings to see a drop-down list of the associated resources.

GRIZZLY BEAR

Grizzly Bear Indigenous Knowledge Participant Consent Form (Word Doc)

Graphic Recordings

WOLVERINE

Graphic Recordings

Word Clouds

MIGRATORY BATS

GRASSLANDS

OTHER SPECIES SPECIFIC WORKSHOPS

PROJECT OVERVIEW AND SPECIES OVERVIEW SESSIONS

CLOSED FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOLLOW-UP SESSIONS

Needs Assessment Follow-up Sessions, October 15 & November 19, 2024 – Register here.

In 2023, a Needs Assessment (pdf version) was conducted by the Center for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) to determine how well Environment and Climate Change Canada was communicating with, supporting, and empowering Indigenous communities across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta to participate in the Federal Species at Risk recovery process. Modest capacity funding for participation in the workshop is available and the privacy of participants will be respected and maintained. Prairie Needs Assessment Final Review.pdf

10th Anniversary of the Buffalo Treaty – September 22-25, 2024

Stand Off, Alberta for the event, hotel accommodation is in Lethbridge, Alberta.

The Buffalo: A Treaty of Cooperation, Renewal and Restoration is inviting all Bison, Buffalo, Iinnii, Tatanga, Tatanka, Paskwâwimostos, Xaniti, Qwisp, Kamquq̓ q̓ ukuǂ ʔiyamu, Iyanee’, heneeceeno’,ésevone, Mushkode Bizhikim, Q’weyqway, Hii3einoon, boyzhan, and many more relatives to a Gathering this September 22-25, 2024. The event is co-hosted by Motokiiksi (Buffalo Women’s Society), Blood Tribe (Kainai First Nation) of Blackfoot Confederacy and the International Buffalo Relations Institute.

Please complete your application by August 16th, 2024. You will be notified if you are successful by September 3rd, 2024. Please note that there is modest funding available so we are looking to support roughly 4-5 families to attend.

Apply here.

CIER Learning Circle Series : Wolverines – September 26, 2024

Starting on September 26, 2024 the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources in collaboration with Environment Climate Change Canada will be hosting a monthly Learning Circle Series. 

The Series will be hosted by various recipients of the Species at Risk Act, Cooperation, Consultation and Accommodation (SARA-CCA) fund, to present on their projects and the various outcomes.

The first Learning Circle will be hosted by Mamun Abdullah with the Prince Albert Grand Council who attended an engagement session last fall, 2023, to discuss Wolverines with the event hosts, the Northern Saskatchewan Trappers Association in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. The session will include reflections on what made it successful among various stakeholders from the planning to the final deliverable to support the recovery of Wolverine populations. If you would like to attend this session at 12:00 pm – 1:00 MT, please register here.

If you are interested in becoming a Learning Circle presenter for fall/winter sessions, capacity funding is available. Please contact Kat Hewitt ([email protected])

In the meantime we will keep you posted on upcoming Learning Circles.

Learning Circle: Taku River Tlingit First Nation Grizzly Bear Film: Pacific and Prairie- November 26, 2024

CIER and Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service (ECCC-CWS) invite you to join our next Learning Circle on Tuesday, November 26th, 12:00 – 1:00 pm Pacific Time.

Join us for a very special screening of the Taku River Tlingit First Nation’s short film depicting the Tlingit relationship to Grizzly Bears (xóots)! The film is called “xóots áyá xat,” which means, “Grizzly Bear, that’s me.”

The video gives a voice to the Taku River Tlingit community as they express their values and relationship with xóots (Grizzly Bear) within their traditional territory. Participants share traditional stories that underpin the relationship of coexistence between the Tlingit people and xóots. Following the screening will be a discussion with TRTFN’s Fisheries Coordinator, Mark Connor.

Learning Circles are a great opportunity for Indigenous Nations, organizations and their partners to learn about stewardship activities and share about their work. This session is open to anyone in your community or organization interested in attending, so please feel free to share this invitation.

Contact

Kat Hewitt, Project Manager, CIER ([email protected])
Kate Cave, Senior Project Manager, CIER ([email protected])

For questions specific to activities involved in the SARA Consultation, Cooperation and Accommodation Project: Natalie Fondren-Gasc ([email protected])

For general inquiries regarding Species at Risk and other ECCC programs: [email protected]