Check out Saskatoon's "sweet" nature spots
- EFN Staff | May 21, 2014
Saskatoon may be one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, but what makes it a truly desirable place to live are lush natural and wild spots where people can still commune with nature even in the heart of an urban environment, says a local conservation group.
Leading up to the second annual NatureCity Festival Week May 25-31, an invite went out from Wild About Saskatoon, a collective dedicated to the conservation and enrichment of wild species and wild spaces right here in the city. A range of Saskatonians were asked if they had a favourite natural "sweet spot" where they go with family and friends even on their own to rejuvenate and appreciate the abundant flora and fauna, and drink in the natural spaces still found in our city. Dozens of people responded and their stories are still coming in.
"The rave reviews by so many different people all have the same message," says Wild About Saskatoon member Karin Melberg Schwier. "Every single one demonstrates a love for a city that cares about conserving and maintaining natural areas, ensuring green spaces exist to nurture us and keep us connected to the outdoors. Whether people wrote in about well known places or shared their hidden gems, each one is a celebration of the natural spaces in our city."
It turns out there are "sweet spots" in abundance within city limits, says Melberg Schwier.
"People described vantage points along the riverbank to watch the pelicans arriving in spring or the geese getting ready to head south in the fall, a path through the woods, a patch of prairie grassland, places to hike in, run through, picnic on, photograph, draw or paint, places to sit quietly and listen to the birds. People wrote about a favourite rock, a tree, a bluff, a grassland meadow, the river shoreline, parks, community gardens, even back yards where owners tend gardens, native plants, and beehives."
Sixty plus magical places within city limits resonate with city dwellers.
"It's clear that people appreciate the connection between outdoor natural environments and improved mental and physical health, and emotional wel-being," she says.
Wild About Saskatoon has created an online Google map populated with pins to mark these sweet spots. By clicking on a pin in the map, people can check out the rave reviews and plan their upcoming explorations to take in all these special places.
Wild About Saskatoon was awarded the 2013 Conservation Award from Nature Saskatchewan, and recently City Council declared May 25-31 as NatureCity Festival Week in Saskatoon. Full details of the Festival are available online at Wild about Saskatoon's website.