Waders: Prairie Water Stories

Groundwater

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 23:05:13 +0000

Beyond what we can see and feel beneath our feet, groundwater slowly seeps. Our human senses can only reach so far, but science, and even intuitive practices like dowsing, can allow us to listen to the land and take steps towards healing its underground wounds.

Thank you to Alana Bartol, Dr. Grant Ferguson and Greg Metrunec.

Waders is produced by Dominique Ferraton. Assistant producer is Magdalena Nichol. Original music for this episode is by Ian Ross and Be-Sides Family Publishing House. Thank you to SK Arts for financial support. For resources and references, visit waderspodcast.ca

Dry Land: Drought and Adaptation

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 18:36:36 +0000

The driest part of Canada is also a huge producer of cereal crops, lentils and more. Native prairie plants have adapted to frequent droughts, but what do humans do when it just doesn't rain?

Thank you to Dale Hicks at Hickseed Ltd., Chet Neufeld from the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, Dr. David Sauchyn of the Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative and the staff at Grasslands National Park.

Waders is produced by Dominique Ferraton. Assistant producer is Magdalena Nichol. Original music for this episode is by Be-Sides Family Publishing House. Thank you to SK Arts for financial support. For resources and references, visit waderspodcast.ca

The Wood River

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 18:44:52 +0000

A long, meandering stream weaves its way around our prairie town. The Wood River has changed a lot over the years as agricultural production has come to dominate the surrounding land.

Larry and Grace Bekker reminisce about life on the River Farm, Stephan Mihajlovich describes his relationship with the Notukeu Creek, and Trevor Herriot considers how to love the altered and damaged landscapes of the prairies.

Additional thanks to Dan Bowler, Kandra Forbes and Dr. Kerri Finlay.

Lac Pelletier: Métis and community care

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 19:05:44 +0000

Swimming lessons, motorboats, ice cream and paddle boards. Lac Pelletier is popular: it's one of the rare spring-fed lakes in the area. For generations, it was the homeland of the Métis. Now it's under increasing pressure from recreation, development and agricultural activity, but Métis elders and Lac Pelletier residents are making sure the impacts on the lake are minimal.

Thank you to Cecile Blanke, Dan Kane, and the swimmers and campers at Lac Pelletier Regional Park.

Searching for Shorebirds

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 03:34:02 +0000

In the spring, the water comes back to southern Saskatchewan. And so do the birds. Expert birder Lori Wilson takes us on a road trip to the prairie pothole region and to the saline lakes of the Old Wives Watershed. In grassy ponds and salty mudflats, we meet long-legged plovers, sandpipers, dowichers, and many more migrating and resident shorebirds.

Thank you to our trip leader Jared Clarke and to fellow birders Dale, Gary, Hiro, Ingrid and Paule.

Trailer

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 18:00:12 +0000

"In a dry landscape water is just so incredibly precious."

A six-part audio series on the caretakers, the beauty, and the wounds of prairie-born water in Southwestern Saskatchewan.