Conservation Incentive Finder
Land • Legacy • Partners • Programs • Find support for your land stewardship
Habitat Enhancement Program
Nature Saskatchewan
Photo: Nature Saskatchewan
Program Summary
Nature Saskatchewan offers a Habitat Enhancement program to improve habitat for Burrowing Owls, Piping Plovers, Sprague’s Pipits, and Ferruginous Hawks. Habitat enhancement can take place through wildlife-friendly fencing, as well as native seeding, alternative water development, and/or protective fencing around existing Ferruginous Hawk nesting platforms/trees. Projects are cost-shared with the landowner paying 50% (or 0%) of the costs.
Program characteristics
Province
Saskatchewan
Natural Features
Species-at-risk Habitat, Wildlife Habitat, Native Grasses, Grasslands
Agriculture Type
Rangeland / Pasture
Program Scope
Provincial
Conservation Approach
Protection, Restoration
Incentive Type
Cost-sharing / Discounts, Payment for Practices / Conservation / Credits
Delivery Agent Type
NGO
Commitment Type
Infrastructure Installation, Restoration / Re-seeding / Conversion
Commitment Term
Medium Term (10 to 50 years)
Conservation Goals
This program seeks to establish, re-establish, and/or protect habitat for listed bird species.
Eligible Lands
Eligible landscapes include lands in Saskatchewan that are adjacent to native and tame pastures located near specific bird habitats.
Additional Details
Details on the payments for various species habitat programs can be found at https://www.naturesask.ca/rsu_docs/2022-23-habitat-enhancement-guidelines--1-.pdf
Commitment
Landowners sign a 12-year agreement with Nature Saskatchewan, and must commit to infrastructure installation guidelines and/or the re-seeding process. Detailed guidelines as to what is expected for each program can be found at https://www.naturesask.ca/rsu_docs/2022-23-habitat-enhancement-guidelines--1-.pdf
Incentive
Compensation is available for various habitat enhancement projects. For protective fencing specifically for the Ferruginous Hawk, the program covers 100% of the project costs. For wildlife-friendly fencing, native seeding, and alternative water development, the landowner covers 50% of the project costs, with the program providing the remaining 50%. Additionally, personalized gate signs are available through programs such as Operation Burrowing Owl, Plovers on Shore, Shrubs for Shrikes, and Stewards of Saskatchewan.
Important to Know
Seeding needs to be done within18 months of seed purchase
Seed lots must provide seed testing certificates to Nature Saskatchewan's Professional Agrologist showing they do not contain any problematic weed species
Landowners cannot receive funds if land was broken from native prairie within past three years