Urban native grassland and riparian areas provide beautiful and panoramic scenic views. In addition, these views provide a diversity of uses, values and benefits to the City of Medicine Hat including: economic, environmental, and social. Of importance to Medicine Hat is these views are protected and managed for present and future generations.

To achieve this positive outcome the recreation user (citizens and tourists) must become aware that the protection and sustainability of these scenic view values and benefits will require our collective understanding and stewardship.

Human caused damage to these areas such as littering, off-trail use, establishment and spread of invasive species contributes to negative and cumulative effects including soil erosion, loss of biodiversity, beauty, and increased costs.

The Scenic Views of Medicine Hat project is a Grasslands Naturalists partnership project with the Alberta Ecotrust Foundation, Tourism Medicine Hat, and the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.

This project’s goal is to provide increased awareness and education to an estimated 53,600 recreation users and tourists in the City of Medicine Hat.

The target audience for the project are the people who benefit and use the City’s green spaces for a diversity of recreation uses such as walking, birding, biking, photography, water craft, nature interpretive programs, exercise, picnicking, recreation businesses, and many other recreational purposes.

The Scenic View partnership will accomplish this goal in 2021/2022 through the building of a new public accessible and digital Grasslands Naturalists website product, information signage at the selected scenic views, and integrating this product into Tourism Medicine Hat such as their Experience Guide and Visitor Information Centre.