Hayfield to haven Restoring grassland habitat at Grasslands National Park

Greater Sage Grouse are at imminent risk of extirpation from Canada. Grasslands National Park, which is home to the two remaining active lek sites in Saskatchewan and protects approximately half of the Canadian population, is uniquely positioned to begin reversing historical habitat loss, which is the major driver of population decline. To reverse ongoing declines and support species recovery, we will complete 5 of 7 years of the restoration process by 2025, for 30 hectares of habitat lost to hayfield conversion prior to park establishment. We will complete this work in an area with high potential for quality habitat in the West Block of the park, and close to one remaining active Greater Sage Grouse lek (within 10 kilometers). Approach: — Prepare 30 hectares of hayfield for restoration to native vegetation, with a focus on species that support Greater Sage Grouse recovery. — Cut, bale and remove the existing non-native agricultural vegetation, and spray herbicide to reduce or eliminate re-growth. — Grow a cereal crop for several years to continue to deplete the root reserves of the non-native vegetation. — Acquire native seeds for sowing through collection inside the park or through purchase of genetically appropriate seed from local and regional seed growers. — Sow native species seeds into the area once the non-native vegetation is sufficiently suppressed. Sowing will be done using techniques that improve success rates, such as increasing seeding rate and targeting seeding to appropriate precipitation conditions. More project information: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/sk/grasslands/nature/faune-wildlife/tetras-grouse