Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area Interpretive Pavilion Displays and Interactive Exhibits

BACKGROUND:

For more than a century, Last Mountain Lake (LML) National Wildlife Area (NWA) has been officially recognized as a special place for wildlife. This area was first protected in 1887, when 1025 hectares (ha) of land at the north end of LML were set aside as breeding grounds for wild fowl, becoming the first federal bird sanctuary in North America. Two main factors contribute to attracting such a wealth of birdlife to the area: its good habitats, as one of the most productive lakes in southern Saskatchewan; and its strategic location in the heart of the central flyway of North America. Spectacular populations of migrating ducks, geese, Sandhill Cranes and other birds use the area as they travel across the Great Plains, between their northern breeding grounds and southern wintering grounds.

Over 301 species of birds have been recorded at LML NWA during migration. Up to 50,000 cranes, 450,000 geese and several hundred thousand ducks can be observed when migration peaks. Although less conspicuous, scores of songbirds, shorebirds and birds of prey spend from a few days to a few weeks every year in the area. Birds travelling through at least 25 different countries, from arctic Canada to Argentina, use LML’s rich habitats. The NWA is also an important breeding ground for at least 100 species of birds, many of which are unique to the prairie region. More than 9 species of shorebirds, 43 species of songbirds and 13 species of ducks nest within the limits of the NWA. Colonial nesters are also particularly dependent upon the statutory protection afforded by the NWA. These birds nest in mixed colonies on several islands on the lake or on floating platforms in the marsh and are very sensitive to disturbance during the breeding season.

In 2016, ten (10) NWAs were selected by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) for investment to “connect Canadians to nature”. Because of its status as a flagship NWA and proximity to urban centers in Saskatchewan, LML NWA is one of those ten (10) selected NWAs. An interpretive site plan was developed for LML NWA and (Migratory Bird Sanctuary) MBS in 2016, and built components of that plan were designed in 2017. Construction began in 2019, and is nearly completed for the Pavilion, a Picnic/Event Hub, and a new Observation Tower at the headquarters node. 

LML NWA is located 150km north of Regina, and 175km southeast of Saskatoon. The pavilion will be open to the public year-round, during daylight hours. Prior to this construction, the site has received 500 to 1,000 signed-in visitors annually at the headquarters, and more that do not sign in. Local towns of Imperial, Watrous, Nokomis and Raymore have elementary and high schools which use our site to enrich their science curriculum with field trips. The resort communities of Last Mountain Regional Park and Etter’s Beach are the closest communities with high visitation in the summer. While ECCC wishes to attract more people to LML NWA, of more importance is a high-quality experience that facilitates learning, enjoyment, and a long-lasting relationship with nature both at LML NWA in particular, and with nature in general. ECCC wishes to accomplish this through unique events, captivating programming and engaging visitor services.

Pavilion and Exhibits Overview

ECCC wants its visitors’ experiences to be memorable and engaging. Instead of providing static display panels full of text, it is critical that these new exhibits meaningfully engage visitors by forging emotional and intellectual connections between their interests and the stories of history of the area, ecosystem management and conservation. The exhibits should be interactive, fun, engaging, meaningful, and profound. The landscape around the pavilion and the interpretive materials within the landscape should be interactive, touchable, appropriate to changing seasons, and enticing to visitors.

It is very important that the new exhibits be low maintenance and require a low level of expertise to operate them.

OBJECTIVE:

The intent of this project is to develop interpretive content for the newly completed and vacant interpretive pavilion (“Pavilion”) at the LML NWA and Migratory Bird Sanctuary (MBS). The objective is to obtain a concept design and a detail design package (including graphic work and working drawings) for the exhibits, a plan for soft landscaping of the area around the Pavilion, and supervision of implementation of that plan through the spring and summer of 2021.