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2024 Fall Meet 75th Anniversary Celebration

Our 75th Anniversary Committee has been hard at work to make sure this year is one to remember and the Meets are a big part of the celebration! For the Fall Meet, September 13-14 in Regina, staff, board members and representatives from local societies in Regina and Saskatoon are excited to bring you another wonderful weekend of presentations, field trips and more!

Our friends and cohosts at Nature Regina have planned two fantastic field trip options to choose from exploring the Qu’Appelle Valley! These tours will fill up fast, so register early to get the tour you want!

Not able to attend the whole weekend? You can still join us for the 75th Anniversary Banquet at the Conexus Arts Centre! Tickets are $65 and can be purchased by contacting our office, or through our website.

Friday, September 13th

6:30pm Registration and reception at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. The RSM will be opening their galleries for us to explore and enjoy the exhibits for the evening!

*light refreshments will be served

8:30pm Brief overview of Saturday’s itinerary

Saturday, September 14th

8:15am Buses load up at the Atlas Hotel

TOUR A - Walking and Hiking Tour
TOUR B - Leisurely Hiking and Sightseeing Tour

8:30am Buses depart - head to Qu'Appelle Valley for the day

12:00pm Bagged Lunch at the Last Mountain House Historic Park

3:30pm Buses return to the Atlas Hotel

Saturday Evening at the Conexus Arts Centre - Schumiatcher Theatre

5:00pm Business Meeting

5:30pm Cocktails with entertainment by the Regina Mandolin Orchestra

6:30pm Banquet

7:30pm EVENING EVENTS

Nature Saskatchewan 75th History - Part 2 presentation by Dale Hjertaas

Evening Presentation - TBD

Raffle, 50/50's and more!

Sunday, September 15th - Bonus Birding in Wascana

8:00am - Meet at the Atlas Hotel: Exact locations in Wascana Park TBD based on recent interesting observations.

Hotel: The Atlas Hotel (4177 Albert St.)
Book online or call 1-306-586-3443 (the block code is 091224NSK and the block name is Nature Sask)

Camp: Sherwood Forest Campground
Book online of call 1-306-545-0330

You can now register online for Nature Saskatchewan meets. To register for the 2024 Fall Meet 75th Anniversary Celebration please click here. If you would like to purchase banquet tickets only please click here.

mail or e-mail the below form or call the Nature Saskatchewan office:

2024 Fall Meet registration form

(please make cheque payable to Nature Saskatchewan).

Nature Saskatchewan
206-1860 Lorne Street
Regina, SK S4P 2L7
info@naturesask.ca
1-800-667-4668
306-780-9273

We are excited to announce that all non-member registrations now include a 2024 electronic membership to Nature Saskatchewan for the remainder of 2024!

Tour A - Walking and Hiking

Morning: Hidden Valley Refuge. Nature Regina began to protect the 320 acres Hidden Valley property as a nature sanctuary in 1945 through a lease, then acquired the property in 1954. The purpose of the Hidden Valley Sanctuary is to preserve and protect wild fauna and flora and the surface itself in a natural form.The planned loop is about 2 kms. in length, with total elevation gain of 74 metres. You may wish to bring a walking stick. If this climb looks beyond your abilities, we recommend tour B or you may choose to do the shorter Woodland Trail.

Lunch Stop: Last Mountain House Historic Park Interpretive panels explain the history and layout of the site. We will meet the other bus here and have an opportunity to explore the post and adjacent prairie and coulee.

Afternoon: NCC’s Valley View Property. We will travel from Last Mountain House down the Qu’Appelle Valley along Highway 99 to the Valley View Property. The Nature Conservancy of Canada acquired the Valley View property in 2019. This 136- hectare property is on the north side of the Qu’Appelle Valley. Because the north side of the valley faces south it warmer and drier than the valley slopes at Hidden Valley. The hillslopes therefore include more open grassland. We will spend a couple of hours exploring the valley slopes and upland prairie for birds, fall wildflowers and other wildlife.

Tour B - Leisurely Hiking and Sightseeing

Morning: Condie Nature Refuge Condie Reservoir was created to provide water for the steam engines of the nearby railroad. The property was later acquired as a provincial recreation site with walking trails through grasslands along Boggy Creek and through a planted forest beside the reservoir. We will explore the forest trail. This provides easy walking beside the reservoir and through the forest, with several loops for those who hike more or less quickly.The trail provides excellent opportunities to see waterfowl on the lake as well as migrant sparrows, late warblers and other birds in the wooded area.

Lunch Stop: Last Mountain House Historic Park We will meet the other bus here and have an opportunity to explore the post and adjacent prairie and coulee.

Afternoon: Hidden Valley Refuge We plan to walk the Woodland Trail which takes people into the wooded ash forest of a coulee bottom. This is a short trail, about 600 metres, with gentle changes in elevation. This is a much easier walk than that planned for the morning tour. On this tour we will also observe how Nature Regina members successfully stopped erosion on a gulley that had been created on the valley slopes and tell how this work became known as the Stairway to Heaven. People may also choose to explore the closer parts of other trails such as the East Ridge, which will be good for wildflowers, or the Saskatoon Way trail.

Sunday morning there is Bonus Birding in Wascana Park!

This is a chance to do some birding in Regina before your trip home. We will spend an hour and a half looking for migrants in Wascana Park. Exact location is to be determined as our visit will be based on recent interesting observations in the park.

Interested in joining us for the Fall 75th Anniversary Celebration Banquet? You can purchse tickets online or by contacting the Nature Saskatchewan office at 306-780-9273 or info@naturesask.ca.