WHO KNEW?

Hooray, we have another question to challenge our crack Who Knew? investigative team. This one came from a friend of On Campus News but you're welcome to send your quirky, comic or complex question to: whoknew@usask.ca If we decide to use it, we'll ferret out the answer right here on campus because we're sure there's someone who knows something about everything here somewhere.

Q: How much land does the University of Saskatchewan own and what is it used for?
- Awaiting Answers in Admin

A: Big question! After pursuing various sources (and getting all kinds of different numbers), we finally turned to Kirk Blomquist, manager of field operations for the Department of Plant Sciences, and Judy Yungwirth, director of Corporate Administration, for the numbers, and here's how they add up.

Starting here at Kirk Hall and working outward, it seems the campus proper comprises 363 acres with an additional 78 acres of land that are leased to Innovation Place. The U of S owns another 1,776 acres within Saskatoon city limits which are used for animal and plant research.

Outside the city, University holdings total a whopping 11,764.2 acres spread around the province. Use of the land is shared by Agriculture, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Biology, Physics, Geological Sciences, the Western Beef Development Centre, the Prairie Swine Centre, Extension Division and Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization.

It's interesting to note that among these land holdings are about 6,000 acres that came to the University as a result of bequests. This estate land is leased out and the income used to support University programs and activities as per the wishes of the gift giver. The University has also received bequests of mineral rights on an additional 3,336 acres. These proceeds too are used as directed by the donor.

And as if it doesn't have enough of its own, the University also leases an additional 2,680.1 acres of land for Agriculture, the Extension Division and the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies. (The .1 acres is Fairy Island, just off shore from the Kenderdine Campus at Emma Lake.)

So, with some 20,000 acres on the books, who says there's no place to park at the U of S?