WEES recognises that the land named The Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary, has been stewarded by the Cree and Blackfoot people since time immemorial. We also recognise this land as part of the traditional home for Central Alberta’s Métis people. The staff at the Kerry Wood Nature Centre acknowledge that we are telling a colonial story, and recognising an act by colonial people. The sharing of this story is not meant to detract from Indigenous ownership and stewardship of the land in any way.
On June 27, 1924 something remarkable happened. Catherine Gaetz, her son John Jost (Jack), and his wife Grace, gave a significant portion of their land to the Federal Government. This wasn’t a taxation scheme, or a simple gift. It wasn’t because they owed anything to the government. This was an act of generosity that would eventually see the conservation of 300 acres (118.3 hectares) of land in what would become the centre of Red Deer. The Gaetz family deeded their land so that it could become Alberta’s first Dominion Bird Sanctuary: the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary. All hunting, tree harvesting, and disturbances to wildlife and water were now prohibited.
People of the day wouldn’t have been surprised by this act. For decades the Gaetz family had been allowing people to explore the lakes and forests below the escarpment, adjacent to the Red Deer River. People had been skating on the lakes, picnicking in the fields, and quietly observing nature for years.
The fact that the land was even available to be deeded was remarkable in itself. The Reverend Leonard Gaetz was on the board of the Saskatchewan Land and Holding Company, the organization granting land parcels in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Using his name he ensured a prime piece of land for his sister and her son. Catherine, Jack, and Grace’s land included an east parcel on top of the escarpment, and a west parcel in the valley.
By all rights, these parcels should have been developed. This was the era of expansion. It was expected that this “free” land would be converted to farms, towns, housing, schools, and all manner of civilization.
From its inception, the Sanctuary had a champion. A young man, only 14-years-old at the time, was made an honourary Canadian Wildlife Officer. Young Kerry Wood would spend his entire life exploring, protecting, and writing about the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary.
It was in the Sanctuary that Kerry Wood would create a record of the cycles of meadow mice, rabbits, and grouse, so thorough that he would be offered an Honourary Degree by a California university. He inevitably declined it as he lacked the funds to travel.
The Sanctuary provided a classroom for Kerry Wood to learn from local Indigenous people. In the forests and fields of the Sanctuary he would heed the advice from First Nations youth and elders alike. He repaid this kindness by crafting some of the finest archery tackle in the area, and gifting it to the Cree youth with whom he shared his love of the land.
Over the years, the Sanctuary would trade hands, first from the federal government to the Province of Alberta in 1950 when it was designated a Provincial Wildlife Park, then in 1983 it was sold to The City of Red Deer for $1. Under the terms of that agreement, the Sanctuary would be protected by a master plan—the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary Management Plan—and overseen by a committee that reported to City Council. Today, the Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary Committee is still kept apprised of the Sanctuary’s health and challenges. They issue permissions for work and set the parameters for that work.
The Gaetz Lakes Sanctuary is an important space along the ecological backbone of the Red Deer River valley. At one point in its history, over a thousand years ago, the Sanctuary was in the Red Deer River. The lakes and steep escarpment wall are reminders of a bend in the river that cut itself off through erosion and deposition.
Every year, thousands of songbirds, waterfowl, and birds of prey return to the Sanctuary to breed, rear their chicks, and refuel for the fall migration. Moose, and mule and whitetail deer browse the cattails and dogwoods that are thick through the land. Tall grasses provide fertile hunting ground for red foxes and coyotes on the prowl for ground squirrels, voles, shrews, and newborn deer.
Through it all, the sounds of families exploring, preschool and school-aged children learning, remind us of how fortunate we are to have a space where the well-being of nature is given priority. We want you to visit. We want you to look and to touch—with care. We want you to close your eyes and listen to the wind in the leaves, and the sound of squirrels chittering and coots squawking. We want you to smell the sweet wild roses and the pungent wolf willow. Most of all, we want you to love this place as much as we do.
At this auspicious time, marking 100 years of environmental protection within an urban environment, reflect on the Indigenous people who were here first, who lost their land; the people who had the foresight to gift and protect the land; and the remarkable stories the land has told and still has to tell.
Share your own Sanctuary Story at https://forms.gle/R9o7VagejMKfYzWC8.
Keep on top of our Sanctuary 100th Birthday events at https://www.waskasoopark.ca/whats-new.
Watch for Beers for Birds, our 100th birthday craft beer-tasting fundraiser for adults only, on June 7. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/beers-for-birds-tickets-857167841087?aff=oddtdtcreator.
Details for our June 27 community birthday party will be announced on our website, and across our social media channels.
