A milestone for native plants which has had a major impact on the industry was the formation of the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan. A meeting to assess the interest in such an organization was held in September 1994 and the first annual meeting of the Society took place in January 1996. The Society, along with the Northwest Saskatchewan Grasslands Association commissioned a study which resulted in the publication in January 1997 of the “Market Assessment of Native Plant Materials in Saskatchewan".
One new venture which will affect the industry in Saskatchewan is the development of the Native Plant Society web site and an associated listing service. The web site (www.npss.sk.ca) is due to be launched next month. The listing service will soon follow including buyers, sellers, experts and many sources of information.. In the last few years many books and even. some videos relating to reclamation. have come on the market. These include how-to manuals and plant identification books. Having these sources identified should make it easier for those getting started using native plants to gain the knowledge they need. It is hoped. that having seed data - amounts of various species available from different growers or harvesters, lab tests if any, maybe even price - accessible on the net may reduce the secrecy identified earlier in the industry It should
also make it much easier to link buyers and sellers. At the moment, it is difficult to determine how many producers exist in the province. Only twenty nine were identified in the market assessment published in 1997 but a successful listing service should bring forward many more. it is anticipated that at least in the early stages, the service will be free to members of the Native Plant Society.