Dawson Trail Dispatch, written by Norm Gregoire, March 2026
Page 12 https://issuu.com/dispatch222/docs/dawson_trail_dispatch_march_2026
March 20th is the spring equinox, which officially means we can welcome back spring to the tall-grass prairie! It is on this date that in the Northern Hemisphere we have equal parts daylight and darkness, and going forward, daylight increases.
Community members are in a more cheerful mood as we move into longer days, which are also slowly getting warmer. We look forward to beginning all the spring chores, followed by summer vacations. If we consider the wildlife members of our community, this time of year poses many changes and challenges for them to overcome. Depending on how Mother Nature acts, spring can be a reprieve from winter or a final obstacle that is too hard to get through.
I don’t have any official numbers in front of me, but in my opinion this winter has been erratic. We have had weeks of -40 degrees Celsius followed by above 0 degrees Celsius. Warmer temperatures brought multiple days when we had winter rain! Rain in December and January is not something I remember much of as a kid. Compared to the last few years, we have also received a fair amount of snow as well.
This type of weather can negatively impact grazing animals, as rain or warm-weather melt can create a layer of ice that makes it very hard to get to food sources underneath. This is one of the reasons species like white-tailed deer switch from being grazers in the summer to browsers in the winter, focusing on the easier-to-reach woody browse such as buds, twigs, and bark. This woody forage is hard to digest and not as nutritious compared to what they would be focusing on in the summer, so they will slowly lose weight. Simply walking in this terrain can be exhausting as well; crunching through that ice layer while still having to punch through a deep layer of snow will burn calories that wouldn’t be an issue in better terrain.
On the other hand, a hard winter can benefit certain species. For example, the white-tailed deer, who are becoming weaker with each passing day, become an easier target for predators like coyotes or wolves. Winter-killed wildlife also means scavengers like ravens will have an easier time finding a meal. Nature has a way of balancing out, and different species have adapted to make the best of others’ misfortune.
Spring weather has a huge impact on how the rest of the year will shape up for many of our tall-grass prairie species. Warm, sunny weather will help with a quick “green up,” which will benefit a lot of the struggling herbivores; however, if we get a cold, snowy March, this could be the tipping point on whether certain animals make it or not. With spring migration, birthing season, and just a general increase in wildlife activity, I would urge everyone to give wildlife the space it needs to get through this time of the year so they can enjoy the beautiful tall-grass prairie summer ahead of us.
Adventures with Nature Norm
If you are looking to welcome back spring, please join me on the next Adventures with Nature Norm, March 28th, 10am-12pm at the Weston Family Tallgrass Prairie Interpretive Centre. We’ll be on the lookout for the first signs of spring and saying goodbye to the past winter. For more information, please contact info@sharedlegacymb.ca. I hope to see you there!