Pictured from L to R: Rebecca Magnus (Nature Saskatchewan), Chad Pawluk (Falconer), Jon Cooper (Falconer) and Iain Timmins (Falconer).

Since 2012, SaskTel is proud to support Nature Saskatchewan and a number of its events and programs through the SaskTel Community Investment Program (CIP).

One of the programs we support is Stewards of Saskatchewan. The program offers a suite of five voluntary stewardship programs that engage rural landowners and land managers in conserving habitat in southern Saskatchewan to benefit species at risk, ecosystem health, and people.

“SaskTel's sponsorship has allowed Nature Saskatchewan to invest in our rural landholders and managers,” said Rebecca Magnus, Species at Risk Manager at Nature Saskatchewan. “This has helped us double our participants across southern Saskatchewan in the past 10 years, to over a thousand program participants, conserving nearly a million acres of prairie habitat for species at risk and all biodiversity.”

Stewards of Saskatchewan aims to help raise awareness and provide support to agricultural producers, enhance prairie habitat for species at risk, and search for and monitor target species at risk populations. While the focus is on a specific species targeted by each program, these programs ultimately benefit many other prairie species and their habitat.

One of those target species is the peregrine falcon. It was once endangered in Canada due to high Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) insecticide concentrations in their food which inhibited their ability to reproduce; however, it was through human efforts and the ban of DDT that their numbers have come back.

As a show of appreciation for our longtime sponsorship, Nature Saskatchewan offered to help organize a Lunch and Learn at SaskTel’s main office in October where employees had the chance to meet two peregrine falcons under the supervision of their handlers.

“The peregrine falcon is a symbol of conservation success,” said Rebecca. “It is birds like the falcon, that give us hope and encouragement to keep doing what we are doing and working to conserve habitats for species at risk.”

SaskTel is proud to support events and programs that feature environmental sustainability, like the Stewards of Saskatchewan program, through our Community Investment Program (CIP). Environmental sustainability is the newest criteria added to the CIP in March 2022.

“As a one of Canada’s Greenest Employers and a leader in environmental sustainability in Saskatchewan, we are proud to support non-profit and charitable organizations who share the same values as us when it comes to creating greener communities and promoting environmental awareness,” said Lindsay Mazenc, Corporate Communications Manager.

Since its inception in 2001, the CIP has resulted in SaskTel support for Saskatchewan non-profit and charitable organizations that also focus on: environmental sustainability; information and communications technology; promoting diversity by representing groups such as women in non-traditional roles; persons with disabilities, visible minorities, and Indigenous people; youth, and rural communities.

For more information please visit: sasktel.com/sponsorships.