The Sutherland Bird Sanctuary includes a park and zoo, known locally as the Forestry Farm Park, and a Canada Agriculture Research Station within the City limits of Saskatoon. Minimal natural vegetation exists within the Sanctuary. Except for about 7 ha of native grassland with scattered clumps of aspen poplar and associated shrubs, most of the Forestry, Farm Park landscape consists of large expanses of lawn with exotic trees and shrubs. Two artificial ponds are maintained in the zoo portion of the park. Islands within the ponds are vegetated with grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees. Recreational facilities in the park include picnic tables and ball diamonds. The Agriculture Research Station is largely cultivated land with numerous field shelterbelts and trees along the perimeter of the area and the main buildings

Public Use

The Sutherland Bird Sanctuary receives high public use because of the park and zoo.

Importance to the Resource

A variety of captive native and exotic species of ducks, geese and swans use the zoo ponds. Few wild species of waterfowl use the Sanctuary.

Other birds observed in the Sanctuary and vicinity include shorebirds, gulls, sparrows, swallows, kingbirds, warblers, blackbirds, woodpeckers, chickadees, grosbeaks, hawks and owls.

Historical Notes and Land-Use Conflicts

The Sutherland Bird Sanctuary was established on May 5, 1924 by Order-In-Council P.C. 1924-732. Between 1948 and 1950, federal sanctuaries were inspected on two occasions to determine if they were still of value to migratory waterfowl during periods of drought, and to revise the sanctuary boundaries to include only the water area. Apparently, these inspections were not carried out at the Sutherland Bird Sanctuary; the Sanctuary had limited value for waterfowl and the land area, the major part of the Sanctuary, was not deleted from the protected area.

Evaluations of the Sanctuary were carried out by the Canadian Wildlife Service in 1957, 1971, and 1972. All three investigations recommended the delisting of the Sanctuary because of its minimal value to migratory birds.

Protective Status and Enforcement

Migratory Bird Sanctuary Regulations under the Migratory Birds Convention Act (P.C. 1954-1804, November 23, 1954; P.C. 1974-1989, September 10, 1974; P.C. 1980-2435, September 12, 1980).

The area is regularly patrolled by the Saskatoon Police Department.

This text is an excerpt from "A Summary of Background Information on National Wildlife Areas in the Western and Northern Region", Canadian Wildlife Service, Western and Northern Region, November 1983.