Northeast Swale no place for joyride: ecosystem advocate

An apparent joyride by a pickup truck in the Northeast Swale has advocates reminding people of the environmentally protected area’s significance and sensitivity.

A video was captured on Sunday evening by an Aspen Ridge resident of a truck driving at a low speed in the grassland located in the northeast corner of Saskatoon.

Louise Jones, chair of the Northeast Swale Watchers, said she was “shocked” when she saw the video.

“To see someone joyriding in (the Swale) was not very pleasing to me,” she told 650 CKOM on Thursday.

She noted a Meewasin Valley Authority (MVA) check of the area where the truck was witnessed showed little damage – at least to the flora and fauna.

“The truck seemed to have scraped a bunch of rocks and he found some wiring, so there might’ve been some damage to the truck,” she said.

Jones expressed disappointment that someone would drive off-road through the Northeast Swale, given the Watchers’ efforts to educate people on the sensitivity of the area.

The swale is one of the largest remaining areas of native prairie grassland in North America.

According to the MVA, if it were lost it would eliminate thousands of years of natural and cultural history.

Jones said if the truck had gone through just a couple of weeks later, it could have crushed nesting birds or killed rare plants in the area.

“This is not a place to drive your truck around to go offroading,” she said.

She applauded several residents who live on the border of the swale for calling the police to report the truck, saying it shows most people know the significance of the natural region.

MVA trucks can be seen in the swale at some points doing conservation work, though Jones said those vehicles are travelling along previously-established paths through the prairie and wetland areas.