Season Six - Episode Nine - Kelton Braun

YXE Underground

Welcome to Beaver Creek Conservation Area.

This area, which is about 15 minutes south of Saskatoon, is home to beautiful prairie landscapes, rare and threatened species at risk, and it’s where you’ll find Saskatoon’s Kelton Braun most days.

Since 2020, Kelton has been an Environmental Educator for the Meewasin Valley Authority out at Beaver Creek. He does incredible work with Saskatoon students teaching them about this beautiful and fragile ecosystem. Kelton also teaches the general public about the plants, wildlife and especially pollinators that call Beaver Creek home through specially designed hikes called Wildflower Walks.

I met Kelton for the first time last summer when I signed up for one of these walks. His passion for nature and ability to connect people to the outside world is worth celebrating, and after spending a few hours with him last year hiking around Beaver Creek, it was clear he needed to be on the podcast.

We met a few Fridays ago at Beaver Creek to learn more about the work he does teaching people about conservation and our prairie surroundings. I also wanted to discover where Kelton’s passion for nature comes from.

We also talk about what those of us living in Saskatoon can do to protect our prairie plants and the pollinators who have called our community homes for many years.

It’s so much fun hiking with him because he sees things that most of us would never pay attention to and then he’s able to tell you all about those things in a way that will stick in your head.

Myself, Kelton and photographer Chelsea Klette hit the Red Trail at Beaver Creek shortly after 9am. It was a bit windy and the air was crisp, but the sun was shining and Kelton was eager to hit the trail.

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Cheers...Eric

• Host, Producer, Editor: Eric Anderson
• Theme Music: Andrew Dickson
• Website: https://www.yxeunderground.com
• Recorded: On Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homeland of the Metis