A relatively new and upcoming development in Saskatchewan over the past few years has been the Preserving our Heritage by Creating a Sense of Place growth of Eco-Museums. Few communities in our province have established an ecomuseum in their area, but the ones that have are certainly seeing the benefits of doing so. More communities have joined the push for eco-museums, as they create the potential for benefits such as enhanced tourism, conservation of community heritage, environmental action, and community awareness.
So what is an ecomuseum?
There are many different ways to define an ecomuseum and identify what it can do for a community. Glen Sutter, curator of human ecology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, has been instrumental in the Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Initiative and has identified ecomuseums in the following ways:
- A community’s intention to take care of a place
- A locally-driven organization that encourages sustainable community development based on heritage, conservation, and interpretation
- A museum without walls (communities decide what is valuable and preserve it)
The topic of ecomuseums is still quite new to our province and the definition leads to an opportunity for a wide variation in types of ecomuseums.
Some examples of ecomuseums in Saskatchewan include:
- Prairie Winds and Silver Sage- Val Marie
- Torch River Forest- Nipawin
- North Central Regina
For more information visit:
The Heritage Saskatchewan Ecomuseums Page
The Royal Saskatchewan Ecomuseums Page
Glen Sutter's Community Engagement Presenation
