The City of St. Albert has received a national award for park conservation efforts related to the renovation and re-opening of Grey Nuns White Spruce Park last year.
The award, presented to the city by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) today, doesn't come with a monetary or material prize, however the city will receive an official plaque.
Grey Nuns White Spruce Park recently received a $3.1 million renovation and re-opened last November after being closed to the public for more than a year.
“This project recognized the importance of the Park, which provides habitat to wildlife along the Sturgeon River corridor as the only large extant White Spruce forest in an urban setting in Western Canada,” reads a May 31 CAMA news release.
“The Grey Nuns White Spruce Park development was a collaborative effort led by the City alongside the St. Albert-Sturgeon County Métis Local #1904, valued community members, and contractors.”
The renovation included about four kilometres of new trails, an outdoor classroom, a picnic shelter, and more.
“This project serves as a shining example of how municipalities can balance citizen use, conservation values, Indigenous knowledge, and public art in a single, successful project,” CAMA's president, Bev Hendry, is quoted as saying in the release. “CAMA is pleased to recognize St. Albert for the municipal excellence demonstrated by the development of Grey Nuns White Spruce Park.”
In the release, Mayor Cathy Heron said sustainability and forest protection is an ongoing commitment for the city.
“The goal was to create opportunities for our community to gather together, explore the forest and continue to practice environmental stewardship in the space,” she said.
Also receiving an environmental leadership and sustainability award from CAMA this year is the City of Calgary for their work to determine the value of natural assets within city limits.
