Parks and Recreation: Tales from the park-keeper
By Keziah Lesko-Gosselin on February 3, 2020.
By nature, humans are social creatures. Our shared feelings, experiences, and ancestries create a sense of familiarity between us. While the origins of our harmonies may differ, what often brings us together is storytelling: an art that can turn a group of individuals into a community. Frequently, inspiration for intimate and effective storytelling can be drawn from nature. Outdoor areas like parks help connect people, and in a way, are as storytellers themselves. Parks are vessels carrying the histories of everything that has traversed their lands, from soil microbe to little league team. Environmental Reserves are some of the most natural areas in Medicine Hat. By studying pockets of native vegetation and undisturbed soils, we can learn about the ecological origins of our city. This should be impetus to prioritize conservation – without sections of natural landscape, it is difficult to learn about the nature of the place we live in, and make decisions that incorporate its ecological health. Designated historical areas within the city, like the Saamis Archaeological Site, are physical manifestations of history books. Today, evidence of Indigenous activity spanning thousands of years is documented on site. Similarly, Saratoga Park is a wealth of Metis history in Medicine Hat. Individuals who lived there are storytellers of Indigenous culture. Viewing conservation from a social as well as ecological perspective is essential to preserving Medicine Hat’s culture, and maintaining our ability to tell the stories of our ancestors. Parks are abundant with history in both the artifacts they contain, and the stories they tell. Their preservation is key to maintaining connections with the past. Some of the most notable services Parks and Recreation provides are sport and recreation opportunities. At first these may not seem like keepers of time, but for every Stanley Cup win dreamed of, every skinned knee from a lacrosse game, and every personal record broken, individual histories and memories are made. Balancing community desires with conservation is an important component of maintenance and planning. While parks and recreation services help us connect with the past, they must also support the citizens of today and tomorrow. How people use these services influences their design, in turn affecting how history will be made in the future. While parks help us interpret the past, they will also be vital to the histories of generations to come. Keziah Lesko-Gosselin works with the City’s Parks and Recreation department, leading research initiatives and providing technical support for parks projects and operations. 8-7
