- CALVIN DANIELS
So it increasingly becomes a case of lost noise. Modern society never seems to have the patience to investigate and determine what is truly important and what is mere chaff in a world where our collective thoughts are most-influence by the latest social media meme. We have incredible tools of knowledge of much of the world at our fingertips, but we seem to lack the patience to investigate and learn.
So when the Government of Saskatchewan proclaimed June 19th to 25th as Native Prairie Appreciation Week, did most of us even know? If you did happen to see that week was being marked, did you delve into why it was important?
Granted, it’s not easy keeping track of ‘weeks’ and causes. The email inbox has them piling up, but in this case, why the concern over native prairie?
“Saskatchewan’s prairie landscape is part of what makes our province so unique,” Environment Minister Dana Skoropad said in a government release. “This week emphasizes the importance of recognizing our native prairie for its benefits to not only people, but as a habitat for many species that call Saskatchewan home.”
On some scientific level, it is the idea that native prairie makes Saskatchewan unique, but interview 100 people on the street across this province and ask them what makes their home unique. It’s a pretty sure bet native prairie is not among the answers. Equally, even recognizing native prairie versus a common pasture for cattle, or a field gone wild from lack of cultivation, would be beyond most of us.
Native prairie is a grassland ecosystem that is one of the most diverse systems on earth, according to the aforementioned release. “Native prairie ecosystems are some of the most at-risk ecosystems in the world. Native Prairie Appreciation Week is an opportunity to draw attention to the need to conserve these important areas,” it stated.
“We recognize the importance of having a healthy and sustainable native prairie from an agricultural, economic, and ecological perspective,” Agriculture Minister David Marit said in the release. “Our producers know that sustainable grazing management of native pastures supports biodiversity on these ecologically important lands, sustainable growth in production of their operations, and will maintain this ecosystem for generations to come.”
While the agriculture department might recognize the importance, in our world, it’s becoming ever more critical you find a way to educate the populace on the ‘why.’ They vote on who controls the purse strings to fund things – including programs to help preserve native prairie.
Therein lies the biggest question. How do you catch the attention of people in a meaningful way these days? To scratch just a few keystrokes deeper into something, to learn a bit more than a government release proclamation?
Hopefully, a few of you will Google native prairies and begin that process today.Comment on this article at lmtimes.ca/calvin
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
