IN BRIEF Student exhibits passion for bison in project

By Miranda Leybourne, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter (Brandon Sun)

A land and water management student at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon is raising awareness around the important role bison play in prairie ecology.

Growing up in Brandon, Carter Baranyk has fond memories of visiting the Minnedosa Bison Park, located 52 kilometres north of the Wheat City. Watching the majestic creatures, who once roamed the Prairies in plentiful herds, ignited an interest in the large animals that stayed with him after he became an adult and began his studies.

Visiting the Museum of Man and Nature in Winnipeg (now known as the Manitoba Museum) with his grandfather, Baranyk also had the chance to learn more about the history of bison and how important they were for people who lived in Manitoba in the past.

“I remember when you walked through the exhibit, you saw a bunch of bison running and being chased by Métis hunters, and I always thought they were a great symbol of the West,” Baranyk said.

As part of his studies at Assiniboine, Baranyk and his fellow students must complete a cap- stone project, worth onefifth of their final grades. Students choose topics that interest them that are related to land and water management, and for Baranyk, the topic of bison was an obvious choice.

His two-part project includes a general information booklet to educate the public about the history of bison and their ecological role on grasslands and the state of the bison sector, and another publication that will focus on the animal’s role in agriculture.

Before colonization, tens of millions of bison roamed many parts of North America, Parks Canada’s website says. By the late 1800s, however, bison — the largest land mammals on the continent — were reduced to near extinction caused by overhunting.

Bison perform many different ecological functions to help native prairie ecosystems, Baranyk said.

“They’ll take a dust bath, just roll around and they’ll carve depressions into the ground, which will hold water there instead of running off. And because water is held there, it helps protect the prairie against drought.”

Also, Bison waste incubates insect eggs and larvae, and many endangered prairie bird species eat insects and use fallen bison fur for their nests.

Baranyk presented his booklet to the Manitoba Bison Association, a group that raises awareness about the animal for producers, ranchers and consumers. The association didn’t respond to requests for comment by press time.

When Baranyk graduates from ACC in June, he plans to attend Brandon University, where he will study geography. Before that, however, he hopes to create a grazing guide that will encourage pro- ducers to choose to raise bison. Doing his capstone project on the animals has served to deepen Baranyk’s interest in, and awe of, bison, he said. “I learned a lot, and actually, I have more appreciation for them with all that I’ve learned about them.”

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Legacy Co-operative Association Limited

Notice Of Annual General Meeting

Wednesday, 24 May 2023 | 7:00pm Gallagher Centre,Yorkton, Sk.

Agenda:

All business to come before an Annual General Meeting including:

• Call to Order

• Board of Director’s Report

• General Manager’s Report Auditor’s Report and Financial Statement

• Election of Directors

• Appointment of Auditors

• New Business

• Adjournment

The Nomination’s Committee would like to bring forward the following names for election to the Board of Directors of Legacy Co-operative Association Limited:

Doug Barber, Retired

• Ken Chyz, Business Owner

• Bruce Hansen, Retired

Dwayne Reeve, Retired