Progress Towards the Implementation of the Management Plan for the Mormon Metalmark, Prairie population (2021-2025)

2026

Species at Risk Act
Management Plan Report

On this page

• Preface
• Introduction
• Progress Towards Meeting Objectives
• Implementation of the Management Plan
• Conclusion

Preface

The Species at Risk Act (S.C. 2002, c.29) (SARA) requires the competent minister(s) to report on the implementation of recovery documents (recovery strategies, action plans, and management plans) for species at risk and progress towards meeting their objectives (s.46, 55, and 72).

Under SARA, the minister responsible for the Parks Canada Agency is the competent minister for individuals occurring in Parks Canada administered places and therefore has prepared this progress report.

Reporting on the progress towards the implementation of recovery documents includes reporting on the collective efforts of the competent minister(s), Indigenous partners, provincial and territorial governments, and all other parties involved in carrying out activities that contribute to the species' conservation and recovery.

As stated in the preamble to SARA, success in the conservation and recovery of species at risk depends on the commitment and cooperation of many contributors and will not be achieved by Parks Canada or any other jurisdiction alone. All members of the public are invited to join in supporting implementation of this recovery document for the benefit of the species and of society.

Introduction

The Mormon Metalmark Prairie population was listed as special concern in Schedule 1 of SARA in 2018. The species occurs mainly in Grasslands National Park. Parks Canada published the final Management Plan in 2021. This report addresses progress made in implementing the document between 2021 and 2025.

This progress report is part of a series of documents for this species that should be taken into consideration together, including the management plan, the Multi-species Action Plan for Grasslands National Park, the Action Plan for Multiple Species at Risk in Southwestern Saskatchewan: South of the Divide, and associated progress reports. Refer to the Mormon Metalmark on the Species at Risk Public Registry for more information and related documents.

Progress Towards Meeting Objectives

The management plan identified one objective for the conservation of the species. An update on the progress made towards meeting the objective is provided below.

Progress towards meeting recovery document objectives is categorized based on methods used to report on species at risk population trends for the Canadian Environmental Sustainability Indicators (CESI) program. CESI species at risk population trend indicators show whether the population and distribution trends of species at risk are consistent with the objectives set out in recovery strategies or management plans. Results should be interpreted with caution because it can take many years to show progress towards meeting population and distribution objectives, for example, due to the time needed for species to respond to conservation measures and for the collection and assessment of population and distribution information.

A category is not assigned to objectives that are not measurable or that do not target either the population or distribution of the species, for example, objectives focusing on survival, long-term viability, maintaining or protecting habitat, confirming presence etc.

To ensure the long-term persistence of the Mormon Metalmark in Canada by maintaining, and potentially increasing, its population distribution and abundance.

Status: Insufficient information

Grasslands National Park did not conduct standardized monitoring for the Mormon Metalmark due to resource constraints, and therefore lacks sufficient information to assess population trends, distribution, or abundance. However, the species is regularly observed during monitoring activities for the Greater Short-horned Lizard in Grasslands National Park, which shares breeding habitat with the Mormon Metalmark. Threats to the species within the park remain minimal and have not changed significantly since 2021. As a result, there is no evidence to suggest changes in the population status or distribution of the Mormon Metalmark.

Implementation of the Management Plan

The management plan identified three broad approaches for the conservation of the species. An update on the status of each approach (complete, in progress, not started, or cancelled^{Footnote 1}) and activities undertaken during the reporting period is provided below.

Monitoring of metalmark populations and habitat

Status: Not started

Grasslands National Park does not currently conduct standardized monitoring for the Mormon Metalmark due to resource constraints, and no additional work has been undertaken in the past five years beyond surveys completed prior to 2021 that established baseline population and habitat knowledge. However, the species is documented opportunistically during fieldwork undertaken for other monitoring programs. Most observations consist of breeding adult Mormon Metalmarks recorded during surveys for the Greater Short-horned Lizard, a species that occupies overlapping habitat within the park. Incidental observations may be pulled into Biotics by the province of Saskatchewan to inform progress on meeting the management objective.

Mitigating and preventing habitat loss and degradation

Status: In progress

Grasslands National Park protects approximately 730 km² of mixed-grass prairie, including an estimated 36 km² of habitat supporting Mormon Metalmark colonies which are primarily associated with clay soils and eroded hills within the Frenchman River Valley in the West Block and badlands on the eastern side of the East Block. Active management practices, including grazing, prescribed fire, and invasive alien plant control, are used to maintain the ecological integrity of native prairie ecosystems and support species at risk habitat within the park. Invasive alien plant species are managed at priority sites to prevent their spread into species at risk habitat, including Mormon Metalmark habitat. Projects and activities that may have negative effects on metalmarks are reviewed using Parks Canada's Impact Assessment Framework. Where proposed projects or activities overlap with known important habitat for the Mormon Metalmark, mitigations are assigned to avoid disturbing the host plants or the ground beneath the plants where caterpillars overwinter. Known occurrences of Mormon Metalmark outside of Grasslands National Park are added to HABISask for project screening and mitigation planning by Industry.

Information and Outreach

Status: Complete

Grasslands National Park delivers public education and outreach programming annually, providing general information on the multiple species at risk present within the park. Programs include, but are not limited to, guided interpretive hikes and school-based education initiatives. In addition, permanent educational signage featuring information on the Mormon Metalmark and its habitat requirements is installed along two of the park's most frequently used hiking trails and at a popular lookout location. As of 2025, the park receives more than 20,000 visitors annually, offering ongoing opportunities to increase public awareness and understanding of species at risk and their conservation.

Conclusion

Since the publication of the management plan, suitable habitat for the species within Grasslands National Park has been protected and maintained, and education and outreach efforts have continued. While standardized population monitoring of Mormon Metalmark has not been implemented in Saskatchewan, the species is regularly observed during surveys for other species at risk with overlapping habitat and there is no evidence to suggest changes in threats, distribution, or abundance during the reporting period.

Broadly, on-going park management activities including grazing, prescribed fire, and invasive alien plant control continue to support the ecological integrity of mixed-grass prairie and associated species at risk habitat in Grasslands National Park. Routine environmental impact assessments further ensure that potential adverse effects of management and operational activities are identified and mitigated, contributing to the long-term persistence of species at risk, including Mormon Metalmark.

Grasslands National Park will continue to implement habitat stewardship and public outreach initiatives and, as resources allow, will explore opportunities to establish a standardized Mormon Metalmark monitoring program to better assess abundance, distribution, and trends, and inform future conservation priorities.

Date modified :

2026-07-10