You can help support us at Prairie Wind & Silver Sage
Prairie Wind & Silver Sage — Friends of Grasslands Inc. is a non-profit registered charitable corporation. A tax deductible receipt can be issued for any donation over $20, or upon request. Your support helps keep our doors open and keeps a diverse and enriching resource available to both residents and visitors.
Charity Registration Number: 888616232
Donate now through CanadaHelps.org
You can choose to have your donation directed to one of the following areas:
Heritage, Cultural & Environmental Programming
Prairie Wind and Silver Sage provides a space for regional and local artists to display their culturally and ecologically relevant work. We host speaker series for authors, heritage professionals and environmental researchers to share their stories and results with the local community and those visiting the Park. We are a venue for people to explore, engage and envelop themselves in the Grasslands lifestyle.
Heritage Building Restoration
Prairie Wind and Silver Sage is housed in Val Marie’s little brick schoolhouse, which was declared a Municipal Heritage Site in 2007. It was built in 1927 just one year after the incorporation of the village. The substantial brick and masonry construction reflected the small community’s commitment to education and its optimism for future growth. The closure of the school in 1985 celebrated the town’s optimism for growth with the construction of a larger modern school. The original schoolhouse has been continually maintained and restored by PWSS and the Village of Val Marie and we hope to continue doing so for generations to come. Your donation to this fund helps us to continue our restoration efforts.
Virtual Museum
Our museum features examples of wildlife found in native mixed-grass prairie including species at risk found in Grasslands National Park and surrounding areas. Also displayed in the museum is information about the historic and ongoing significance of ranching to the conservation of native prairie as well as a history of Val Marie. We plan to expand the scope of our current historic and ecological information by providing a virtual platform to share with those not able to visit our physical location. Collecting culturally and ecologically significant stories, photos and other media content and presenting this material in an educational, engaging and user friendly way are our goals for our virtual museum.
Burrowing Owl Feeding Program
Burrowing owls are native to the grasslands of south Saskatchewan, but much of their habitat has been disturbed, resulting in a drastic decline in owl populations. Grasslands National Park is home to nesting sites for some of these rare birds. In cooperation with our partners at Grasslands National Park, Prairie Wind and Silver Sage collects donations to provide supplemental food sources for newborn burrowing owls, which substantially improves their survival rate into adulthood and helps contribute to the species’ recovery. Learn more about the program here.
We thank you for your support!
