Survey of Manitoba & SE Saskatchewan completed – looks good

Doug Benning and I have completed the survey of southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. Conditions across the survey area have significantly improved over 2008. The flooding has receded in stratum 38 and the area is looking good. Overall, the entire survey area looks good. Southeastern Saskatchewan throughout the Regina Plains is the driest part of the survey area, but even there, many basins have significant water. Southern Manitoba, from the US border to Dauphin looks very good, with many areas rated as excellent. It dried out a little as we proceeded north to The Pas; however, conditions are still greatly improved over last year. With the slightly cooler than normal spring and the higher than normal precipitation levels over the winter and into the spring, conditions should remain good throughout the nesting and brooding season. There was still a fair amount of ice in the northern section of the survey area, particularly on the larger water bodies, but nearly all of the smaller water was thawed, providing good conditions. Spring was certainly late and the farther north we got, the more evidence we saw of a late spring. Overall, I would rate the entire survey area as good and conditions vastly improved over the last several years.