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McKell Wascana Conservation Park now open!
Regina, Saskatchewan – September 12, 2009 – Regina’s first park dedicated to conserving and restoring native prairie and wetland habitat is officially open!
The McKell Wascana Conservation Park is located in Wascana View and offers four kilometres of groomed nature trails with interpretive stations and benches, a dock for getting close to the creek for pond dipping and an amphitheater for educational programming. The park is a three-way partnership between the City of Regina, Ducks Unlimited Canada and the Bob McKell family.
“McKell Wascana is a great example of an innovative and creative approach to meeting the City of Regina’s vision for a more sustainable community,” said City Councillor Clipsham. “We know our residents wish to get closer to nature and McKell’s walking trails and opportunities for nature appreciation allow a greater number of park experiences.”
“At Ducks, conserving Canada’s wetlands is what we do; so we couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of a park that is dedicated to conserving and restoring native prairie and wetland,” said Fred Wagman of Ducks Unlimited Canada. “The park also provides an ‘outdoor classroom’ where children and families can learn how wetlands and natural habitats help us by filtering our water, helping reduce the impacts of flooding, and providing homes for wildlife.”
Much of the land where the park now rests has been part of the McKell family farm since the late 1880’s. “To this day, that part of our farm has never been broken,” said Doug McKell, Bob McKell’s son. “As a family, we decided that conserving this parcel in perpetuity was clearly the best way to keep our special place intact for generations to come.”
The McKell Wascana Conservation Park is home to more than 19 types of native prairie grasses and wildlife including leopard frogs and red-winged blackbirds. Its status as a conservation park means the area will not be irrigated or regularly mowed. Intermittent mowing is necessary in the first few years to prevent weed growth as native grasses are re-established.
The project idea was unveiled in 2005 by Prince Philip the Duke of Edinburgh. The City of Regina won a municipal Environmental Stewardship Award for the park in 2009. Ducks Unlimited Canada was awarded the Saskatchewan Watershed Stewardship Award for their work in organizing this project.
For more information, visit regina.ca or add your support to wetland conservation projects like the McKell Wascana Conservation Park by donating to DUC.
For more information, contact:
Lori Gasper,
l_gasper@ducks.ca
Marketing and Communications
Ducks Unlimited Canada
Phone: 306-665-7356
Kaeli Madill
Communications
City of Regina
777-7486
