The Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park will be celebrating Parks Day for the first time July 19, a national celebration that takes place on the 3rd Saturday of July each year.
According to the Canadian Parks Council, it is designed to highlight the important role that parks play in maintaining Canada’s environment and contributing to human health and wellbeing.
“If you’ve been to the park it’s a great way to celebrate it and if you’ve never been to the park it’s a great way to get introduced to it,” said Tara McFadden, community engagement and development officer with the Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Foundation (GRPF).
Glenbow Ranch will be marking the day with their annual Riversong Run at the Ranch in the morning, an event sponsored by the Cochrane Eagle. Both kids and adults are invited to take part and people can register online for the run. McFadden said they already have over 300 runners registered to take part.
The rest of the day will feature musical theatre presented by Alberta Parks called ‘Broadway in the Bushes’ and various program teasers of programs that go on at the park. There will also be pony rides and face painting.
“Parks are a really important part of what Canadians are and it’s a part of what we value,” said McFadden. “We at the Glenbow Park Foundation of course, we were created because we believe in parks and the value they bring to our communities.”
She said that Parks Day is one way of celebrating what the foundation thinks is a real value for Cochrane, Calgary and everyone in the region.
Glenbow Ranch is relatively young compared to other provincial and national parks, officially becoming a provincial park in 2008.
It may be young, but it is a park that is growing up very fast according to McFadden. Part of this growth is found in the research that has been done at Glenbow Ranch.
On June 26, the GRPF received nearly $40,000 from TD Friends of the Environment to fund research and help restore native grasslands in the park.
“It’s really exciting work,” said McFadden. “Getting out on the parks, you’ll be able to see that. You can really see the diversity of life out on the natural grasslands.
On July 7, they announced a $10,000 TriOil Resources Sponsorship that enables the GRPF to provide another season of summer activities at the park, including family programs, special events and golf cart tours.
For more information on parks day and to register for the Riversong Run at the Ranch, visit grpf.ca/parksday.
