The Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation could be on the phone to Ottawa more often.
Just days ago, the federation was named as one of the groups the federal government wants to bounce ideas off of when it comes to conservation efforts in Canada.
Darrell Crabbe is the executive director of the SWF.
Crabbe expects Ottawa will ask his group’s opinion on issues such as how to protect fish habitats in the wilderness.
The government says it wants to streamline the decision-making progress and take a “common-sense” approach to protecting bodies of water — some of which may not have any fish in them.
Crabbe says it’s a complex issue:
“But there’s the other side of that coin which we’ve sent a briefing paper to the government on. As an example, in Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, many of our fish-bearing streams might only have water in them for three, four or five months of the year because of the cycle in those types of rivers.”
He adds those issues need to be addressed — because for half of the year, there might not be any water in prairie streams.
Crabbe also notes reservoirs in southern Saskatchewan make up a great deal of the fish habitat in that portion of the province — so they need to be recognized, as well.
The Fur Institute of Canada was also named to the advisory panel.