Virtual Saskatchewan - Moist Mixed Grassland Ecoregion

Landscape: This region represents the northern extension of open grassland in Saskatchewan, and it's dominated by agriculture. Native vegetation is mostly confined to non-arable pasture lands, where spear grasses and wheat grasses grow naturally, and shrubs like chokecherry, snowberry, rose and wolf willow are common. Small aspen groves are found around sloughs and other wet areas.

This ecoregion is the Saskatchewan with which most people are familiar.

Wildlife: Mule deer, white-tailed deer are common, as are red fox, coyote, badger, Richardson's ground squirrel and jack rabbit. Birds include eastern kingbird, yellow-headed blackbird, piping plover, sharp-tailed grouse, western meadowlark and Franklin's gull.

Fish: Northern pike, walleye and perch. Fishing Guide

Recreation: Saskatchewan's largest population centres like Saskatoon, 260,600 (metro, 2011 census), and Regina 210,556 (metro, 2011 census) are located within this ecoregion, as are Moose Jaw (33,000), Estevan (11,000) and Weyburn (10,000). This is wheat country, but it's also home to a surprising number of smaller but very popular provincial parks. Echo Valley and Katepwa Point provincial parks, situated 70 km northeast of Regina in the beautiful Qu'Appelle Valley, are busy summer playgrounds featuring camping, boating, swimming, sailing, hiking, golf and mini golf.

Remnant native grasslands used largely as pasture.

Less than an hour northwest of Regina in a westerly portion of the picturesque valley is the popular (day-use) Regina Beach on one side of Last Mountain Lake, and Rowan's Ravine Provincial Park on the other. Rowan's, with its good marina facilities and popular "camping cabins", is big with anglers and family vacationers, alike, and the lake is home to the oldest bird sanctuary in North America. Buffalo Pound Provincial Park, 20 minutes north of Moose Jaw and less than an hour from Regina, sports a heated swimming pool, a trout pond, a bison range, the Nicole Flats Interpretive Area (wheelchair accessible boardwalk) for birders, and downhill skiing in the winter. Danielson and Douglas provincial parks, located an hour south of Saskatoon on massive, man-made Lake Diefenbaker, offer great beaches, great fishing, sand dunes, sailing, camping and hiking.