In 1929 Fred Bradshaw, the director of the Museum, began giving presentations to the public concerning the protection of wildlife.

 Fred Bradshaw

 Fred Bard with wounded Whooping Crane.

There was cause for concern when, by the end of the 1930s, the Canada Goose population was becoming dangerously low. In 1953, the Museum established the Canada Goose Nesting Project in Regina's Wascana Marsh to help protect the Canada Goose. The successful program helped rebuild the dwindling goose population throughout North America by sending goslings to cities across the continent.

 Fred Bard with geese.

 Robin on a nest.

Because of the concern about decreasing bird populations, the Museum developed and operated the Prairie Nest Record Scheme during the 1950s and 1960s. Initially beginning in Regina, the program quickly spread throughout the Prairies to record information concerning bird nests which was then stored in a common repository. These long-term data sets allowed the Museum to determine trends in population dynamics of birds and climate change.

 White Pelicans

From 1976 to 1991, the Museum conducted a large research program concerning the declining population of White Pelicans. The research provided an accurate assessment of the pelican population by monitoring their nesting areas and by keeping track of the population numbers. The findings showed that the pelican population was indeed declining, and this helped to get legislation passed to protect them. Now, from April 15 to September 15, pelicans must not be disturbed in order to protect them during breeding, nesting and the raising of their young.

Double-crested Cormorants

Studies concerning DDT were done during the 1970s to help protect Colonial nesting birds such as the Double-crested Cormorant. These studies, which analyzed eggshells, demonstrated how DDT makes eggshells thinner, thereby resulting in a decline of the population of many bird species. This is an example of the importance of the Museum's collections; some of the eggshells collected in the early 20th century had never been exposed to DDT, which allowed for a comparison to be made to the eggshells that had been.

The public was made aware of the importance of conserving Saskatchewan's native plants when, in 1994, a group of volunteers began the RSM's Native Plant Garden. They developed a garden space near the doors to the Museum where native prairie plants could be displayed for the public. This space is now maintained by Nature Regina.

These early-blooming Prairie Crocuses are one of many flowering plants found at the RSM Native Prairie Garden.

The RSM received the "Outstanding Governmental Agency Award in Environmental Education" from the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication (EECOM) for the Life Sciences Gallery on August 13, 2002. The Gallery was singled out for dioramas that illustrate the living heritage of Saskatchewan, for a storyline that links the province to distant locations, and for timely displays in The Human Factor about the underlying cause of regional and global issues and the importance of shrinking our ecological "footprints."

"Ours to Conquer" tower in Human Factor Section, Life Sciences Gallery