Proactive disclosure Print version ![Print version Print version](/web/20061103010020im_/http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/esst_images/_printversion2.gif) ![ÿ](/web/20061103010020im_/http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/esst_images/_spacer.gif) | ![ÿ](/web/20061103010020im_/http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/esst_images/_spacer.gif) | ![Geoscape Canada Geoscape Canada](/web/20061103010020im_/http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/esst_images/geoscape_e.jpeg) Natural Resources Canada > Earth Sciences Sector > Priorities > Geoscape Canada > Southern Saskatchewan
Geoscape Southern Saskatchewan Geoscience for Prairie communities | | ![Next (Our landscape) Next (Our landscape)](/web/20061103010020im_/http://geoscape.nrcan.gc.ca/esst_images/_seqnext.gif) |
We are prairie people, inhabiting a dry grassland landscape - a mosaic of flat plains, rolling hills,
steep-sided valleys, and forested coulees. Two centuries ago, this
prairie was an ocean of grass, and home to First Nations peoples and
millions of bison; today the grasslands are largely gone, the soil
tilled into farmlands. Most of us live in cities and towns, but all
of us are tied to our geological landscape - or geoscape - by the
energy we draw from it, the earth on which our homes are built, the
water we drink, and the food that grows from our soil and water.
Rich resources lie hidden below the prairie surface and our modern
life is fueled by energy from coal, oil, and natural gas. Water has
always posed limits on prairie life; where it was sufficient,
ranches, farms, and towns sprang up. Our agriculture is built upon
Saskatchewan's soil, formed from mineral-rich debris left by
retreating glaciers more than 8000 years ago. As custodians of this
land, we are responsible for its care. By understanding our
geoscape, we can promote its wise use: conserving water, energy, and
mineral resources; minimizing the impact of natural hazards; and
protecting natural ecosystems that sustain our life.
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