Two years ago, I drove out to Wadena to see the wetlands which were marked as an international area of interest for birds.  About a kilometer from the trailhead, 2 meters of the road had been washed out and I couldn’t go  any further.  Very disappointing considering that it was a 2-hour drive to get to that point!

I really wanted to see the area though so this year, my mom and I drove down there thinking that they would have fixed the road by now.  What we saw was appalling!  Things had gotten worse!  The road this time was completely washed out and everything stank like death and chemicals.  Blue sediment was all over what was left and bird carcasses were strewn everywhere.

When we stopped in town for food and a WC break, we discovered that the power was out and had been for some time.  Luckily, one place let us use the washroom, but I was utterly appalled at the indifference of the town folk.  As I said, this area is internationally recognized as a birding area and yet the townies acted like, ‘Who cares?’  Sure, there’s been a lot of flooding, but if things were beginning to erode 2 years ago, why was nothing done earlier to stop the damage to this park?  Shame, shame, shame is all I can say.  This is not how we should be taking care of things!

Still wanting some adventure though, we stopped at the Kloppenberg Wildlife Reserve just outside Humboldt on the way home.  This appears to be nothing but a swath of land fenced in yet open to the public.  There are a couple signs, but no real trails or anything.  Once again, very disappointed.  Sure, it’s probably a small chunk of land, but still, if it was entrusted to the people of Saskatchewan to preserve a bit of the prairies, can we not do more to encourage people to come?

(All photos unedited)