Global climate change has been linked to the increase in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Mixedgrass Prairie of hummocky terrain in Saskatchewan is an understudied landscape contributing an unknown quantity of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to global climate change. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of topography and mowing on carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) flux and to correlate them with environmental and plant community characteristics. The study site was located in the Northern Mixedgrass Prairie of the Missouri Coteau near Macrorie, SK. April mowing and an unmowed control were imposed on six different landform elements. Carbon dioxide, CH4 and N2O were measured every 7-10 days from spring until fall for two years with closed, vented chambers. Soil physical characteristics, weather and plant community characteristics were measured. Landform element and mowing influenced the flux of all three gases in both sampling seasons. Soil CO2 flux ranged from 3.1 to 23.3 kg CO2-C ha-1 d-1 among the unmowed control plots and 3.6 to 26.4 kg CO2-C ha-1 d-1 after mowing. Soils were a net sink for CH4, consuming 1.4 to 4.4 g CH4-C ha-1 d-1 among the unmowed control plots and 1.8 to 4.1 g CH4-C ha-1 d-1 among the mowed plots. Nitrous oxide flux ranged from -0.25 to 1.17 g N2O-N ha-1 d-1 among the unmowed control plots and -0.20 to 1.51 g N2O-N ha-1 d-1 among the mowed plots. Greenhouse gas flux changed from year-to-year and within years. The greatest GHG flux rate occurred in the depression landform element. Mowing increased the positive flux of CO2 and N2O while increasing the negative flux of CH4. Species composition was correlated with soil water, topography, percentage litter cover and GHG flux rate. Overall, the Mixedgrass Prairie of Saskatchewan likely contributes very little to GHGs. Properly managed, the Mixedgrass Prairie has a well-balanced nutrient cycle that includes various GHGs. The grassland ecosystem plays a role in mitigating climate change by retaining carbon that would be released to the atmosphere with poor grazing management or the conversion to arable agriculture. Government agencies and the ranching industries could best mitigate GHG emissions of Mixedgrass Prairie in Saskatchewan by promoting the retention of above-ground plant material, increasing below-ground carbon sequestration and the avoidance of conversion to cropland.

ABSTRACT Powerful themes of physical and emotional isolation are found in the Saskatchewan radio plays stored in the CBC files of the Saskatchewan Archives Recorded Sound Collection. Based on the examination of a selection of these plays in their audio format, this thesis will explore themes of isolation and how they are developed in contemporary Saskatchewan radio drama as organized into the following three categories: Timescape, Landscape, and Bodyscape. The Timescape chapter deals with themes of isolation and history plays. The Landscape chapter explores isolation and landscape within three radio plays by James Quandt. The Bodyscape chapter is dedicated to plays with themes of isolation, health, and healthcare. It also highlights the abundance of playwriting by women on healthcare topics. In doing so, the thesis addresses two larger questions: 1. To what extent are themes of isolation and the struggle to relieve it developed by Saskatchewan playwrights on the radio? And 2. If the most acute geographic and demographic isolation experienced by Saskatchewan residents was historic, i.e. during the history of European settlement, why are there still strong thematic currents of isolation appearing throughout Saskatchewan radio plays written after 1980? The development of themes of isolation in this selection of plays often reinforces the value of community and the dangers of isolation. The critical framework of the thesis relies most heavily on the thoughts of Northrop Frye, Margaret Atwood, Kelley Jo Burke, and Carol Gilligan. Most of the plays discussed were produced during the period between 1978-1988. These were the first ten years of local, full time radio drama production at CBC Saskatchewan in Regina. An annotated bibliography of the plays studied en route to this thesis follows the text.

Kabuli chickpea (<i>Cicer arietinum</i> L.) has two leaf types, the fern and unifoliate. Yield potential is limited for kabuli chickpea in Saskatchewan. It is limited by a short-season, a semi-arid environment, and end-of-season rainfall. Manipulating plant population, and choosing chickpea cultivars with the best leaf type for biomass production, radiation interception and yield for the early, middle, or late growth season, may increase chickpea yield. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: to (i) determine the relationship between leaf type and key growth parameters of six chickpea cultivars varying in leaf morphology at moderate and high plant population densities; (іі) to characterize the reaction of the fern and unifoliate leaf to altered canopy light environments. Different light environments were created by 50% defoliation at vegetative growth, first flower, and 50% shading from vegetative growth to first flower, as well as two light enrichment treatments initiated at the first flower and pod formation stages.<p> Fern leaf cultivars exhibited higher maximum light interception, seasonal cumulative intercepted radiation and a higher harvest index compared to unifoliate leaf cultivars. However, both leaf type canopies had less than 95% light interception for most of the season. The fern and unifoliate leaf type contributed to similar radiation use efficiency in three out of four location-years. In addition, fern leaf cultivars produced significantly higher seed yield than cultivars with unifoliate leaves.<p>Plant density influenced growth parameters. For example, the 45 plants m-2 treatment had a higher harvest index than the 85 plants m-2 treatment, in two location-years, while both population treatments were similar in the other two location-years. Yield of chickpea was increased by higher plant population in only one location-year, but was not significantly affected by plant population in the other location-years. The effect of canopy light environment manipulation on chickpea yield depended on the stages of plant development when they were applied. Defoliation at vegetative growth and first flower had no effect on yield. However, plants responded significantly to the 50% shade treatment; the crop growth rate, harvest index and yield were less in the shaded treatment compared to the control. Shading also increased plant height. Light enrichment treatments increased the yield. However, the degree of yield increase was greater when light enrichment occurred at first flower, than at the later stage of pod formation. These results highlighted the importance of the amount of irradiance during the flowering stage. It was concluded that chickpea breeders should select lines with fern leaves for improved radiation interception when breeding cultivars for semiarid short-season environments such as in Saskatchewan. Management and breeding practices should ensure that the crop can make efficient use of the solar radiation at flowering to maximize yield. Improvement at the canopy and subsequent yield level is yet to be made in Saskatchewan environments by increased light interception, increased growth before flowering, and increased and stable harvest index.

This thesis examines the creation of the Witchekan Lake Reserve in Saskatchewan, the resulting treaty land entitlement (TLE) for Witchekan Lake First Nation, and the 1992 Framework Agreement for Saskatchewan Treaty Land Entitlement (TLEFA). The history of the Witchekan Lake Reserve between 1913 and 1919 is reconstructed and reveals a unique situation within TLE. The creation of a Reserve some thirty seven years prior to adherence to Treaty Six presents a challenge to the interpretation of TLE. It also points to the importance of the historical context of Reserve creation within TLE <p>A study of land use and occupancy of Witchekan Lake First Nation and the area occupied by Settlers was facilitated by the use of Department of Indian Affairs files, map biographies, oral interviews, transcripts of earlier interviews with deceased elders, records and correspondence from Saskatchewan Environment and Resource Mangement (SERM) and the Department of the Interior Homestead Files. The analysis employs a non-traditional definition of the ethnicity of Settlers. That definition is based on their birthplace, their land use and their life experiences before arriving at Witchekan Lake. Employing theoretical concepts of colonization and underlying ideologies of racial inferiority, the work proposes that the existence of two opposing types of land use and occupancy and their respective value systems led to a TLE for Witchekan Lake First Nation. It is argued here that these ideologies were present in the homestead period and have persisted into the present due to the late timing of settlement and the pluralistic composition of Settlers. <p> A review of the events around the acquisition of the Bapaume Community Pasture by Witchekan Lake First Nation demonstrates the continuance of conflict with Settlers. This conflict first arose in the homestead era. A critique of the TLEFA, specific to the case of Witchekan Lake First Nation, proposes that lack of attention to their unique circumstances has left the community with unresolved claims. The community hoped that these unresolved claims would be settled in the TLEFA.

The Saskatchewan Indian Community College (SICC) is an institution of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) having the mandate to deliver occupational training progams to Indian people in Saskatchewan. For the years of this study, 1976-1981,the SICC delivered approximately 250 occupational training programs to nearly 3000 students.This study is the first attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of these training programs in a systematic manner. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the SICC occupational training programs and to make recommendations regarding the future operation of these programs.<p> The main goal of SICC occupational training programs is to provide their recipients with skills to advance to either further levels of training or to employment, As a result,the Decision Making Model of evaluation was utilized in order to gain adequate information on the results of SICC training in relation to employment. In order to obtain a broader perspective in terms of all the impacts of SICC training, the Goal Free Model was also used.<p> Data for this study was collected through interviews administered by research assistants. Research assistants were trained in a week-long orientation and skill session to prepare them to conduct student follow-up interviews. The research assistants travelled to reserves to interview as many former SICC students as possible. A total of 806 of 2909 former SICC students were interviewed for this study between June,1982 to August,1982.<p> The Adult Basic Education student completion rate was 60.8 per cent and it was 70.5 per cent for skills training. The pre-training Adult Basic Education employment rate was 33.5 per cent as compared to 33.3 per cent after training. The pre-training skills training employment rate was 33.3 per cent as opposed to 54.6 per cent after training. While SICC training is one variable affecting the employability of students, the difference may be the result of a number of variables of which SICC training is only one.<p>Former SICC students generally were satisfied with and perceived their training to have been of high quality but found the training to be of limited value in gaining employment. The training was of limited benefit in such unintended areas of increasing the respondents' self-confidence, their involvement in band affairs, their incomes and their children's attendance in school by their example.<p>There are a number of structural barriers limiting the effectiveness of the College's occupational training programs . These include(a)the lack of positive definition of the type of institution that the College is or should be, b)a complicated program identification, request, and approval process,(c)lack of accreditation of skills and trades programs,d)lack of a student support system and strategy, and (e) inadequate linkages between training and economic development and employment opportunities. Recommendations from the study include ensuring (a) that the nature of the SICC as an educational institution be positively defined and that this definition take into account the complex set of factors affecting the College, (b) that SICC training fits into a larger strategy of economic and employment development, (c) that a comprehensive set of occupational training opportunities exist, (d) that training be fully accredited and recognized, and (e) that links be made between Adult Basic Education programs and skill programs and employment.<p>This study provides a baseline of information on the SICC and the effectiveness of its occupational training programs . There needs to be further research in this area to develop a model for the delivery of occupational training that can be generally applied .

Patrick Gammie Laurie was a western enthusiast who came west to work as a writer and printer on various newspapers in Manitoba between 1869 and 1878. Eventually he established his own newspaper, the Saskatchewan Herald, which he published from 1878 until 1903. His aspirations for the West were remarkably similar to the national and imperial sentiments expressed by the Canada First Movement. He envisaged an organic, "holistic" society for Western Canada which would be modelled on British customs and institutions.<p>A Conservative politically, Laurie was an ardent supporter of the nation building policies of Sir John A. Macdonald. He was a stern critic of those who disagreed with his visions of an Anglo-Canadian West. Laurie believed that such a society was the only factor to prevent the West from being absorbed into the United States.<p> Laurie was frustrated with the slow progress of settlement. He had difficulty, at times, reconciling his position as a westerner and as a Conservative, and his writings reveal ambiguous and sometimes contradictory arguments on policies that affected Western Canada. Laurie's uncertainties: were due, in part at least, to the difficulties the federal government had ironing out the details of their Land, Railway, Tariff and Inmigration policies to the satisfaction of most westerners.<p>But in spite of the many criticisms Laurie had of government policies, he renamed a loyal Conservative. As an immigrant from Eastern Canada he remained essentially dedicated to the imperial and national ideals as expressed by the Canada First Movement. Laurie saw the West as an integral part of Canada and the Empire and not primarily as a separate region.

Studies were conducted at three different sites in Saskatchewan, Canada (Colonsay, Vanscoy and Rosthern) over two years (2005 and 2006) to determine the effect of dribble banded and coulter injected liquid fertilizer applied in the spring of 2005 at 56, 112 and 224 kg N ha-1 with and without P at 28 kg P2O5 ha-1. A similar study was conducted in 2006 at one site in Mongolia to determine the effect of granular N and P fertilizer application on dry matter yield, and N and P concentration in plant biomass in the year of application (2006) only. The three Saskatchewan sites were unfertilized, 7-8 year old stands of mainly meadow bromegrass (<i>Bromus riparius</i>) dominated haylands, while the Mongolia site was mixed species of native rangeland.<p>All fertilization treatments produced significantly (p≤0.05) higher dry matter yield than the control in the year of application at the three Saskatchewan sites. The addition of 28 kg P2O5 ha-1 P fertilizer along with the N fertilizer did not have a significant effect on yield in most cases. In the year of application, increasing N rates above 56 kg N ha-1 did not significantly increase yield over the 56 kg N ha-1 rate in most cases but did increase N concentration, N uptake and protein content. A significant residual effect was found in the high N rate treatments in 2006, with significantly higher yield and N uptake. In 2005, the forage N and P uptake were in all cases significantly higher than the control in the fertilized treatments. The N uptake at the three Saskatchewan sites increased with increasing N rate up to the high rate of 224 kg N ha-1, although the percent recovery decreased with increasing rate. The P fertilization with 28 kg P2O5 ha-1 also increased P uptake at the three Saskatchewan sites. The site in Mongolia was less responsive to fertilization than the three Saskatchewan sites, with only a significant response in yield, N uptake and no significant effect of P fertilization. <p>For incubation soil cores collected in the fall of 2006, mean respiration rates were similar among the fertilized treatments at all the sites and the pattern of CO2 and N2O evolution measured over a two-week period showed similar trend at the three sites, with no significant difference between treatments. However a significant increase in gas production occured as the soils were wetted during the incubation. By the fall of 2005, the fertilization effect had likely diminished along with available substrate for the soil microbial biomass.<p>Overall, rates of fertilizer of approximately 50 kg N ha-1 appear to be sufficient to produce nearly maximum yield and protein concentration of the grass in the year of application for the Saskatchewan and Mongolia sites. Surface banding placement was as effective as in soil placement and there was limited response to P fertilization. A small amount of N fertilizer that is surface-placed on these grass dominated forage systems appears to be an effective means of increasing production in the year of application. Higher rates are needed to sustain the rejuvenation beyond one year.

The general purpose of this study was to examine Native content inclusion in the Division one language arts program. Particular attention was given to gaining insight into, a) what Native content was being included, b) how Native content was being included, and c) what help was received affecting inclusion.<p>During the 1988-89 school year, five Division One teachers in two Community Schools with high Native student population, volunteered to participate in the study. Both Community Schools were affiliated with the Saskatoon Public Board of Education. The participating teachers were interviewed through the use of semistructured interviews during the study. Informal observations also took place over the duration of the study, and the participating teachers recorded on log sheets what forms and strategies they used for Native content inclusion. Treatment of data included a presentation of verbatim statements on matrices for each teacher interviewed, a search for general themes, and a comparison of interview and log data which highlighted patterns among responses.<p>Over the course of the school year, all of the participating teachers reported that they had included Native content in their language 'arts program. The degree to which Native content was included varied from teacher to teacher, as did the support they received. They recognized the need for Native content in their language arts programs and felt they were significant participants in the process of Native content inclusion.<p>The study also revealed that the participating teachers believed that they could have included even more Native content in the language arts program, had they more Division One resource materials and urbanized materials to work with.<p>Findings from this study have important implications for educators and for further research. Over the course of the year, support, in-service and the availability of resource materials must be in place to meet the needs of the teachers in their lesson and program planning. Consultants, community coordinators and administrators need to be aware of the individual needs of teachers so they in turn can meet the needs of their students.

The purpose of this study was to provide a model for teachers for the use of the oral tradition of the Indian in local history courses.<p>The study was based on two basic premises: that the Indian side of history is neglected in Canadian history books and school textbooks and that the Indian oral tradition is as valid an historical source as the traditional documentary evidence.<p>The Frog Lake Massacre, an incident during the Riel Rebellion in which eight white residents of Frog Lake were killed by some of the followers of Big Bear's band, was chosen to demonstrate this model. The Indian story of the Frog Lake Massacre has not been told in history books. Thus, it was proposed that the oral tradition for this event be traced, recorded and preserved for this study. Since the people involved in the Frog Lake Massacre fled from the area at the time of the troubles, three areas were chosen where it was suggested that there might be descendants of the people from the Frog Lake area. These were: Onion Lake Reserve and Poundmaker Reserve in Saskatchewan and Rocky Boy Reservation in Montana.<p>The selection of the Elders who could provide the information was left to the director of the Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre, Smith Atimoyoo, and the Chippewa-Cree Research team at Rocky Boy. These people have been involved in cultural retention programmes and have familiarity with the various Elders and their expertise. For the purpose of this study, one Elder was chosen from each area -- Mrs. PeeMee (Poundmaker), Mr. Four Souls (Rocky Boy), Mr. Francis Harper (Onion Lake).<p>After the initial contact was made through the intermediaries, the researcher was introduced and the intent of the research explained, a time and place was arranged for the taping of the tradition.<p>In preparation for the interviews, an extensive study was made of the literature on the oral tradition and in particular the oral tradition of the Cree. Further consultations with Smith Atimoyoo provided invaluable information on the position of the Elders and how someone should approach them when requesting their help.<p>Four Souls was taped in his home by members of the Chippewa-Cree Research team, Mrs. PeeMee was interviewed in the home of her grandson in Saskatoon. Mr. Francis Harper was recorded in a field near his grandson's farm on Onion Lake Reserve.<p>A search of the literature revealed very little work on the collection and preservation of the oral tradition on Native North Americans. Vansina, working in Africa, examined oral traditions and devised certain criteria for testing their validity as historical sources.<p>The collected stories met the criteria for reliability -- the right of the person to tell that story.<p>In applying Vansina's criteria -- the characteristics of the historian himself i.e. who he was, his acculturation level, reaction to the researcher; characteristics of the tradition i.e. origin, type and transmission; the cultural environment i.e. cultural value of the tradition, purpose and function; mnemonic devices -- it was revealed that each historian fulfilled the criteria in a similar fashion. The only difference appeared in the purpose for telling the story. The more traditional Mrs. PeeMee told her account simply to remember and let her grand-daughter relive it with her. Francis Harper and Four Souls expressed a desire to right some of the stories which they had heard and considered untrue.<p>The study revealed that there is a Cree oral tradition concerning the Frog Lake Massacre. Three people from three separate areas covering over 500 miles gave essentially the same story with only differences in emphasis and perspective. Each account must be considered as a unique historical document for this event. Thus, the study showed there was an Indian oral tradition alive in Saskatchewan which is accessible and can be validated as historical evidence within its own frame of reference.<p>Suggestions were made for ways in which teachers could utilize this untapped resource without exploiting it.

This study described the hospital morbidity of 194,persons with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), born between 1973-1992, who were identified through a major referral center for Saskatchewan children with disabling conditions. Computerized provincial hospital separation data were obtained for 84% of 101 males and 77% of 93 females. Complete hospitalization histories were obtained for 128 patients, and partial histories for 29 patients. This data provided information on 1,556 hospitalizations from January 1, 1973 to November 30, 1992. At least 54% of study group members experienced morbidity as newborns, and 83% of all females and 91% of all males had experienced at least one other hospitalization (excluding the newborn stay) during their life (based on provincial data combined with information from patient follow-up and record reviews). By November 1992 (provincial data only), the mean number of hospitalizations (SD) for males and females age 15-19 years was 8.4 (7.0) and 10.2 (8.1), respectively. For children <5 years the mean (SD) was 6.0 (5.8) for males and 3.1 (4.7) for females. Age and sex-specific hospital separation rates for the FAS group (based only on provincial data pooled from fiscal years 1987-91) were compared to the 1989-90 Saskatchewan rates. The 95% confidence intervals for the rate ratios indicated significantly higher rates for both males and females with FAS <1 year, 1-4 years and 5-14 years of age, relative to children in general. Comparisons were made using Saskatchewan Registered Indian rates, since 88% of the study group was Aboriginal. The 95% confidence intervals indicated significantly higher rate ratios for males with FAS in all age groups, and for females with FAS age 5-14 years, relative to Registered Indians. The rate ratios for females <1 year and 1-4 years may not have achieved significance because of a possible bias toward underestimation, given the higher proportions of missing data in these groups. The results suggest the high rates of hospitalization in children with FAS are not explicable solely by factors associated with racial identity or ethnicity.