THE GOOD PLACE
Bridging the Gap
How Prairie Wind & Silver Sage is creating a connection between visitors and Saskatchewan’s wild prairie.
By Sarah Laing
Originally built in 1927, the brick schoolhouse which now houses PWSS was declared a Municipal Heritage Site by the Village of Val Marie in 2007. | PHOTO: COURTESY OF PRAIRIE WIND & SILVER SAGE
IT WAS NEARLY A HUNDRED YEARS AGO when a little red brick schoolhouse was built to educate the children of Val Marie, a tiny village in southwest Saskatchewan, on the edge of the vast expanse of wild prairie now known as Grasslands National Park. Decommissioned in 1985, the structure was derelict by 1997. Cue in a dedicated team of volunteers who came together to rescue this heritage building under the banner of Prairie Wind & Silver Sage (PWSS).
Now an art gallery, museum and gift shop, the charming former schoolhouse welcomes visitors to this dynamic site, described locally as “just a heartbeat” from one of Canada’s most epic natural treasures. A long brick path leading to the front door urges a leisurely stroll through a lovely garden of indigenous grasses and flowers.
“The prairie garden is always changing with the seasons,” says Norine Leibel, PWSS’s executive director. “The [plant] species are representative of what you will see in the native prairie landscape and in Grasslands National Park.” Leibel’s personal favourite spot on the property is the gift shop, with its curated selection of books by regional Saskatchewan authors.
“It has beautiful light streaming in through big windows. You can imagine being a kid [here], looking out those windows and seeing the beautiful prairie sky and the wide open spaces.”
“[We measure our impact] by the quality of the visitors’ experiences, the smiles on their faces, the wonderful conversations we have with them.”
Then there’s the art gallery, which showcases Saskatchewan artists, plus heritage walking tours and a feeding program for burrowing owls, an endangered local bird species.
PWSS provides “a physical space to share and support prairie conservation [and] a welcoming space for visitors and locals alike,” says Leibel. As well, it “serves as a bridge between the community and Grasslands National Park.”
Creating that connection between humans and nature is PWSS’s biggest metric for success. According to Leibel, they measure their impact by “the quality of the visitors’ experiences, the smiles on their faces, the wonderful conversations we have with them about local landmarks, weather, books, hiking trails, the park — all those things.”
The best part of her job is welcoming visitors, whether they’re from Canada or other parts of the world — anyone excited to experience the grasslands. “For some, it’s their first trip; for others, it’s their second, third or fourth time back.” CAA
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