Riparian Areas
This is the transition area between aquatic
(river/stream/slough) and upland terrestrial
ecosystems
What is a riparian area?
This is any actions taken or intended for the removal of
water or lessening the amount of water on the land
What is drainage?
Wetlands act like this, holding water and releasing it slowly which helps to mitigate the effects of flooding and drought.
What is a sponge?
This is a form of local government, acting with authority under The Conservation and Development Act, made up of private landowners, with the ability
to raise project funds by taxing landowners in an area.
What is a Conservation and Development Area Authority or C&D?
This wetland classification system is well suited for forest and boreal areas.
What is the Canadian System of Wetland Classification?
This agricultural activity should be avoided in riparian areas in the spring and late fall to help protect the riparian area form erosion or damaging plant root systems.
What is grazing?
In the 1950s, the Government of Saskatchewan began promoting agricultural drainage and the
creation of these.
What are Conservation and Development Area Authorities (C&Ds)?
Wetlands are classified by these two features
What are the types of
vegetation present and how long the wetland holds water during the year?
This a form of local government acting under
The Watershed Associations Act, also with the power to levy taxes but are made up of corporate entities such as RMs, C&Ds and Irrigation Districts.
This wetland classification system is well suited for prairie and grassland areas.
What is the Stewart & Kantrud Wetland Classification System?
This is used to measure whether or not a riparian area can perform it's key ecological functions.
What is a riparian area health assessment?
The Drainage Control Act required approval for drainage works constructed after this year.
What is 1981?
Wetlands accumulate and store this, reducing the amount released to the atmosphere.
What is carbon?
The Species at Risk Act falls under the jurisdiction of this federal agency.
What is Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)?
Bog, Fen, Marsh and Shallow Water are the wetland classes under this classification system.
What is the Canadian Wetland Classification System?
This is used to determine the edges of a riparian area.
What is vegetation?
It is estimated that there are this many quarter sections of land in Saskatchewan with unapproved drainage works.
What is 150,000?
Sunlight is turned into organic material by photosynthesizing plants in this process, which wetlands have at the highest rate of any ecosystem.
What is primary productivity?
Any navigable stream or waterway may be protected by this federal agency.
What is Transport Canada?
Under CWCS this is a peat–forming, acidic wetland raised or level with the surrounding terrain, receiving water only from precipitation and dominated by
Sphagnum mosses with a low plant diversity.
What is a bog?
Livestock grazing, cultivation, recreation, urban development (pavement, concrete), roads/trails, timber harvest and industrial activities can lead to this, reducing the riparian area health assessment score.
What is human caused bare ground?
This is required for a drainage approval and can either be ownership, an easement, a joint application or a written agreement.
What is land control?
Wetlands provide this to approximately one third of the
species found on the rare and endangered species list.
What is habitat?
In Saskatchewan, water and drainage is regulated by this agency.
What is the Water Security Agency (WSA)?
Under S&K, this class holds water for the least amount of time, usually briefly in spring or in rain events. In cropland, it is usually farmed through.
What is an ephemeral pond?