48 parcels of Crown land up for auction

Some land in the untouched, remote corners of Saskatchewan are going up for sale.

The Saskatchewan government is preparing for an online auction in which 48 parcels of Crown land will go to the highest bidder.

Natural forests, natural prairie grasslands and natural wetlands are some of the parcels that will be sold off.

Environmentalists say they worry the land might be converted by the new owners into plowed fields, more profitable for the owners, but not suitable for natural wildlife to live in.

Provincial staff say they have assessed the parcels and determined they are somewhat less environmentally sensitive than some others.

This past spring, the province put 80 parcels of farmland up for sale on an online auction for the first time.

The auction is set to begin in less than two weeks. Bidding will close the first week of November.