The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Saskatchewan Chapter (CPAWS-SK) is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to the preservation of healthy boreal and prairie ecosystems in Saskatchewan, with a focus on the protection and management of many important areas of Canada's wild and culturally rich landscapes.
As a non-profit conservation organization, we are dedicated to keeping our natural world healthy for the benefit of Saskatchewan society and its future generations. Working in a way that respects the sovereignty and leadership of Indigenous nations, we are focused on conserving nature to respond to the dual crises of accelerated biodiversity loss and climate change.
CPAWS Saskatchewan works collaboratively with all levels of governments, local communities, industry, and Indigenous Peoples, to protect the amazing natural places found in our province. We also strive to ensure that our national and provincial parks, as well as other existing protected areas, are managed effectively to protect the ecological integrity of the ecosystems they steward.
Our Vision
CPAWS believes that ensuring the health of our natural ecosystems is critical to securing a sustainable future for all Canadians.
Canada, home to one-quarter of the world’s remaining wilderness forests, stands out as a beacon of hope for conservation in a time of enormous change.
The next decade represents a critical time for us to act, before industrial development forecloses the chance to protect some of the last great forests and fresh water and marine ecosystems on earth. We have the amazing opportunity to protect at least 50% or more of our remaining wilderness, including our Boreal Forest region.
CPAWS’ vision is that Canada will lead by example through conserving large landscapes and waterscapes within our own borders and oceans. Our vision is that Canada will maintain pristine lakes, vast caribou herds and abundant wild salmon; that we will share the land with magnificent predators like grizzly bears and wolves; that we will nourish the land ethic of Canadian cultures; and that we will continue to enjoy the beauty of nearby natural landscapes in our daily lives.
In Saskatchewan, we work to make this vision a reality by helping to establish protected areas on public lands and by promoting responsible land use that is sustainable for nature, communities and the economy.
Our History
The CPAWS national organization was founded in 1963 and CPAWS Saskatchewan was established in 1976. CPAWS has one of the strongest grassroots support bases in Canada with thousands of active members and hundreds of volunteers working with 13 regional chapters. Our structure is unique among national conservation groups. Decision-making for land use lies largely with provincial governments, and as such, regional chapters lead regional campaigns with support from our national office and other chapters. Our programs focus on large-scale wilderness protection of public lands.
In Saskatchewan, all of our work has been achieved through passionate and dedicated volunteers and staff working on a variety of provincial conservation issues including protection of the Great Sand Hills and the establishment of Grasslands National Park. In 1994, our chapter expanded its focus to include boreal forest ecosystems. Forest work began near Dore and Smoothstone Lakes in west-central Saskatchewan, and expanded into northern reaches of the boreal forest. Since the signing of the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement in 2009, CPAWS Saskatchewan has been the sole Environmental Non-Governmental Organization (ENGO) at the negotiation table. This underscores the importance of the work that CPAWS is currently doing to preserve boreal ecosystems and vulnerable species such as woodland caribou.