Day 1

As an urban green space, Wascana Centre is a bright shining light for a Great Plains settlement the size of Regina. Wascana Centre is not only one of North America's largest urban parks; it is also a critical living space for humans and animals. It encompasses a network of six parks with various purposes. Among them is Wascana Waterfowl Park, a 223-hectare thriving marshland within Regina.

The wetlands of the northern Great Plains are one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. However, through indiscriminate drainage of the land for agricultural use, a substantial portion of Saskatchewan's original prairie has been lost over the years. Loss of habitat led to loss of much of the wildlife, which depends on wetlands for survival. As drainage of lands continues on the prairie, it is especially rewarding to see the great number of waterfowl, other birds and mammals that continue to use this space as nesting and breeding area. Fortunately, more and more efforts to create new habitat are undertaken around our city, as the need to preserve wetlands gets increasing recognition.

The City of Regina nested itself on the edge of Wascana Creek, a typical northern plains stream. It was dredged up for recreational purposes during the 1930's as a Depression era make-work project to employ 2100 men. It was dredged-up again just recently, at considerably higher cost.

When all the efforts invested to enhance the riparian habitat for humans and animals along Wascana Creek are tabulated, you will understand how much the city’s inhabitants have invested emotionally; the importance of the role Wascana Centre plays in how the population envisions its urban settlement now that railway activities contribute less significantly to the way Reginans use space.