Big plans are in the works for Wanuskewin Heritage Park with its "Thundering Ahead" campaign.
The park shared renovation and expansion plans Thursday and issued an appeal to the public for help reaching its $40-million fundraising goal.
Future plans include a more interactive education centre, meeting rooms and an event centre, along with acquiring more land. Fifty bison will also be added to the park, which has to be converted back to native prairie from farm land.
Wanuskewin has also applied to gain designation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The park has already reached two-thirds of its fundraising goal, thanks to local and national sponsors, but organizers are still hoping the public can help raise the remainder of the $40 million.
"This is a legacy for Saskatoon. It's a legacy for Saskatchewan,” said Dana Soonia, CEO of Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
“We're all here. We all live here.... This is a history that we can share with everyone. And everyone coming here should be able to see a piece of themselves, their family, their history, because, if you go back 200, 300 years, 400 years, 500 years, everyone that settled in Canada is part of this story.”
Park officials are hoping to see construction start in two years.
