Prairie Sentinel Bottlewords Owner, Keith Jorgenson (left) and Jordan Ignatiuk with Nature Saskatchewan. (Submitted Photo/ Keith Jorgenson)

By Ronald Quaroni

Crafty Conservation

Rosthern business helping save endangered animals and plants

Dec 13, 2019 | 11:55 AM

The prairie landscape is one of the most altered landscapes in North America and its home to a variety of species that are on the verge on extinction. A Rosthern cidery owner has found a creative way to help.

Prairie Sentinel Bottleworks debuted a labelling campaign this summer which pledged a dollar for every bottle of cider sold would go towards Nature Saskatchewan.

“One of the things I’m passionate about is environmental stewardship. I want to be able to try and give something back to the province I live in,” Owner Keith Jorgenson. “We started fundraising with Nature Saskatchewan in [June, with the first funding donation presented in July]. Since we started doing that, we’ve been raising around $1,000 [during the summer] a month.”

Jorgenson said his business has been up and running for two years, but 2019 was the first year their products hit store shelves.

Not only did the campaign provide some much-needed funding for Nature Saskatchewan, it also doubled the sales of cider.

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“Doing something that is socially or in this case environmentally responsible is always good for business. Consumers are very interested in the notion that their purchase can make the community a better place,” Jorgenson noted. “People like the idea that they can make a socially responsible purchase.”

Jordan Ignatiuk, executive director for Nature Saskatchewan said the partnership has been beneficial.

“It was really out of the blue and something that we were quite thrilled with,” he said.

The money raised for Nature Saskatchewan, an organization that educates people on conservation and natural habitats in province, is going specifically towards the provinces endangered plants and animals.

“Here, we have these number of species that are endangered or threatened… we have to give back to keep them here. When [Keith Jorgenson] made the link for a donation, it was an automatic that we said, ’we’ll put it towards these species at risk programs specifically; bird species at risk and rare plants,’” Ignatiuk said.

Keith Jorgenson noted they will continue the donations for as long they own the cidery.

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Ron.quaroni@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @RonaldQuaroni