We currently have 24 ongoing partnerships and growing! That means 24 classrooms and 24 land partners throughout the province of Saskatchewan. Since our first pilot projects in 2021, approximately 1000 students have planted over 7000 trees, shrubs, wildflowers, and grasses of 82 native species.
Our partnerships are a multi-year relationship built between the teacher and the land partner. Each partnership is unique based on the strengths of the individuals involved, the ecology of the land, and the biodiversity goals.
OSOF supports the planting of:
- Prairie Strips (pollinator gardens) Prairie Strips Continue to Provide a Practical Solution for Conservation | News (iastate.edu)
- EcoBuffers (Shelterbelts) Shelterbelt & Ecobuffer Project – AWES | Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society of Alberta (awes-ab.ca)
- Bluffs (Mini forests, sometimes called the Miyawaki method) The many benefits of the minuscule but mighty Miyawaki forests | Canadian Geographic
- Food Forests – What is a Food Forest? – Project Food Forest
All of these types of plantings are accepted as long as they are primarily native species (other than the food forests, but they too must include native wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs).
OSOF supports your classroom through:
- Facilitating partnerships
- Paying for student transportation
- Providing plants and seeds
- Providing grow lights for growing native wildflowers and grasses
- Organizing planting days
- Advising on curriculum connections
- Providing guidance on site prep, planting designs, and species selections
Watch our introductory video here:
https://www.canva.com/design/DAF47JnPrNg/watch
Check out our intro slide show here to learn about the why’s of what we do: