Native prairie filters our water, sequesters carbon, and is habitat for wildlife, including about 60 species of risk, and yet many people don’t realize its worth. That from the manager of the Saskatchewan Prairie Conservation Action Plan, which is a group of 28 partners with the common goal of native prairie conservation.

Carolyn Gaudet says less than 20 per cent of the province’s native prairie remains, lost to cropland conversion, urban expansion and other development. She explains that ranchers are excellent stewards of the grassland because it used to be bison that would roam the land and now it’s cattle.

On Tuesday, a free short video will be presented at the Roxy Theatre called Guardians of the Grasslands, followed by a discussion with a panel of experts. Gaudet says their goal is to bring more awareness about this disappearing resource. A University of Regina analysis shows a decline of 3.3-million acres over the last 25 years in Saskatchewan. That exceeds losses reported for any other major ecosystem type.