Let's Find Out Podcast

04/10/2023

It’s up! In your podcast feed today, it’s How to Make a National Park, recorded live at the Alfred H Savage Centre.

Ever see wardens feeding the animals in Buffalo National Park near Wainwright, or see the pronghorn in Nemiskam and Wawaskey National Parks near Medicine Hat? Probably not because they were all dissolved in the 20th century! Listen in as public historian Lauren Markewicz reveals how national parks have been made and unmade in Alberta.

Then hear Taproot’s Mack Male and Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations’ Miranda Jimmy give us the inside scoop on building a new national urban park here in Edmonton. What are the Confederacy’s hopes and dreams for a potential new park in the river valley? Will you have to pay to get in, and will you be able to pick saskatoon berries?

We dive into all that and more, and questions from listeners like you.

It’s the wrap-up to our big season on parks and natural areas in Edmonton. Listen wherever you download podcasts!

https://letsfindoutpodcast.com/2023/10/04/68-how-to-make-a-national-park/

Did you know that Elk Island National Park used to have a bison abattoir? Have you ever heard of the national parks in Alberta that were dissolved? In this live podcast recording, we explore the wi…

19/09/2023

The reason Let’s Find Out is such a fun podcast to make is because we make it together. Listeners like you give us fascinating, novel, clever questions about our city’s past, and we dive into the research process together.

The ethos of our show is that rigorous research matters, but you don’t have to be a professional to do it, and *meaning* is something we make together.

Thank you to all of the listeners who submitted questions about the history of parks and natural areas for this last season, and to our community of experts who have helped us learn about the answers!

See you Thursday September 21 at our live podcast wrapping things up for the year: How to Make a National Park. Tickets available now 🦬🍂🏞️
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lets-find-out-how-to-make-a-national-park-tickets-706945792897

14/09/2023

One week left until our season-ending live podcast: How to Make a National Park!

Grab tickets now: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lets-find-out-how-to-make-a-national-park-tickets-706945792897

Did you know that Elk Island National Park used to have a bison abattoir? Have you ever heard of the national parks in Alberta that were dissolved? Join us for a live podcast recording exploring the wild history of making national parks in our area, and what it can teach us about the current plans to build a new urban national park in Edmonton's river valley.

The evening will be hosted by Chris Chang-Yen Phillips, with special guests including:

- Lauren Markewicz - a public historian, member of the IUCN Bison Specialist Group, and author of Like Distant Thunder: Canada’s Bison Conservation Story
- Miranda Jimmy - a passionate Edmontonian and member of Thunderchild First Nation, currently managing the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations' role in the development of a new National Urban Park in Edmonton
- Mack Male - co-founder and CEO of Taproot Publishing and co-host of Taproot's weekly municipal affairs podcast, Speaking Municipally

Let's Find Out is an award-winning local history podcast, published by Taproot Edmonton. We take questions from curious Edmontonians about local history, and find out the answers together.

This event caps our season exploring the history of parks and natural areas in Edmonton.

Doors open at 7 PM, event begins at 7:30 PM.

This venue has barrier-free access.

11/09/2023

Excited to introduce our guests for our Sept 21 live podcast, How to Make National Park: Lauren Markewicz, Miranda Jimmy, and Mack Male!

Link for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lets-find-out-how-to-make-a-national-park-tickets-706945792897
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Lauren Markewicz is a public historian specializing in the history of bison conservation in what we now know as Canada. She is a member of the Bison Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and has worked as an interpreter at various historic sites and national parks in Western Canada. She is from St. Albert, Alberta but currently lives in Waskesiu Lake, Saskatchewan. She is also an avid nature nerd and is often spent out on the landscape hiking or camping. Lauren is the author of Like Distant Thunder: Canada’s Bison Conservation Story.

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Miranda Jimmy is a passionate Edmontonian and member of Thunderchild First Nation. She is a community connector and fierce defender of truth. Miranda is committed to the spirit and intent of the Treaty relationship and finds ways each day to demonstrate to others what this looks like. Miranda’s professional life has focused on contributing to her community in a variety of ways. She has training in arts and cultural management, conflict resolution and negotiation, and communications. She has made a career in the arts and heritage sector, working with many different non-profit organizations, Nations, governments, and private businesses. Miranda currently works for the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations managing their role in the development of a new National Urban Park in Edmonton, along with ongoing consulting contracts with the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, the CanAsian Arts Network, and supporting the location and marking of Indigenous burial sites across Treaty Six.

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Mack Male is the co-founder and CEO of Taproot Publishing which helps communities understand themselves better. The company’s flagship digital news outlet is Taproot Edmonton, which among other things publishes a weekday newsletter called The Pulse and a weekly municipal affairs podcast called Speaking Municipally, which Mack co-hosts. Prior to becoming an entrepreneurial journalist, Mack spent more than a decade working in software development.

09/09/2023

Bonus historic playground content: Westbrook Elementary School! Our host Chris’ mom Denise worked on the design committee for this rebuild when he was a kid. A definite contender for best playground in town. (Photos: Kathryn Lennon)

08/09/2023

Bison in the now-dissolved Buffalo National Park near Wainwright in 1910. After the near complete extermination of wild bison herds across the prairies by the 1880s, small herds like this were established at a few national parks in Alberta. “Buffalo National Park,” writes public historian Lauren Markewicz, “was plagued by problems with disease, overgrazing, and lack of federal funding and interest.”

The park was shut down in 1947 and converted into the Canadian Forces Base Wainwright.

Come learn about all this and much more at our live podcast on Thursday September 21: How to Make a National Park.

Lauren Markewicz is the author of Like Distant Thunder: Canada’s Bison Conservation Story, and will be part of a panel of live guests talking about the strange and complicated past and present of how national parks are made.

Tickets available now on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lets-find-out-how-to-make-a-national-park-tickets-706945792897

Image: Bell Photo, Peel’s Prairie Provinces postcard collection, PC005127

07/09/2023

This is your semi- regular reminder that according to the City of Edmonton, this triangle of concrete in front of the Westin is the smallest park in town: Post Office Clock Tower Park. The clock is a remnant of the old post office that used to be on this site. In our opinion this park is lacking some… key features (trees, greenery, literally anywhere to sit and linger).

Learn more in Let’s Find Out episode 59: The Smallest Park.

06/09/2023

New episode out now! Kathryn Gwun-Yeen 君妍 Lennon asks: what is the best playground in Edmonton? We crawl and swing through the past and present of playgrounds in our city to help her and her toddler on their quest.

Kathryn at Inglewood Rocketship Park Playground Kathryn Gwun-Yeen 君妍 Lennon asks: what is the best playground in Edmonton? We crawl and swing through the past and present of playgrounds in our city…

04/09/2023

Just thinking again about this protest poodle we encountered in the about MacKinnon Ravine. It takes a village (to stop a freeway).

29/08/2023

Thank you for the shout-out, friends at Network in Canadian History & Environment - NICHE!

Listeners, grab your tickets now!

Join for a live recording in Edmonton, Alberta on September 21st!
🔹
“How to Make a National Park”
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The evening will be hosted by , with special guests including – a public historian, member of the IUCN Bison Specialist Group, and author of Like Distant Thunder: Canada’s Bison Conservation Story.
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Find more information and the link to purchase tickets on our website. Link in Bio!
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https://niche-canada.org/2023/08/29/live-podcast-recording-event-how-to-make-a-national-park/
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25/08/2023

Did you know that Elk Island National Park used to have a bison abattoir? Have you ever heard of the national parks in Alberta that were dissolved? Join us for a live podcast recording exploring the wild history of making national parks in our area, and what it can teach us about the current plans to build a new urban national park in Edmonton’s river valley.

The evening will be hosted by Chris Chang-Yen Phillips, with special guests including Lauren Markewicz – a public historian, member of the IUCN Bison Specialist Group, and author of Like Distant Thunder: Canada’s Bison Conservation Story.

Let’s Find Out is an award-winning local history podcast, published by Taproot Edmonton. We take questions from curious Edmontonians about local history, and find out the answers together.

This event caps our season exploring the history of parks and natural areas in Edmonton.

Doors open at 7 PM, event begins at 7:30 PM.

Tickets are $17 in advance, $20 at the door, or free for Taproot Members with a discount code (check your Taproot newsletter soon!). Tickets available here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/lets-find-out-how-to-make-a-national-park-tickets-706945792897

This venue has barrier-free access.

17/08/2023

Longtime listeners and U of A students may remember Henry Glyde's now controversial mural, Alberta History, in the reading room of the Rutherford South library. It paints a picture of Alberta history dominated by two white Christian figures: the Catholic Father Lacombe and the Anglican Reverend MacDougall. Each stands around a cluster of Indigenous people, mostly bowing their heads. Fort Edmonton is in the background, along with churches and a smattering of tipis.

A few years back, we interviewed one Indigenous student who wrote a manifesto about the piece, calling other students to recognize colonialism in the painting and its presence on campus. We also spoke to University of Regina artist and professor David Garneau, who saw the mural as also depicting the birth of Métis nationhood.

https://letsfindoutpodcast.com/2018/04/25/episode-22-the-glyde-mural/

The U of A is now to inviting folks to attend consultation sessions on the future of the mural. It looks like they are seriously considering removing the mural altogether.

https://www.ualberta.ca/the-quad/2023/08/final-consultation-sessions-for-alberta-history-mural-project.html

There's an online discussion today at 11 AM and an in-person one on September 13.

02/08/2023

We're taking a summer break this month, but we have some updates:

Our next episode will be a search for Edmonton's best ever playground. Tell us which one is your favourite! You can send us a message or an audio clip on Instagram, Facebook, or to [email protected]

We are planning a live show to wrap up our season on the history of parks and natural areas in Edmonton. It'll be September 21 at the Alfred H. Savage Centre in Whitemud Creek Ravine. We'll explore what past national park experiences could teach us about building a national urban park here in the river valley.

The Stitcher podcast app is being discontinued. Please follow us on other platforms! We're on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all your other favourite apps.

05/07/2023

We build plenty of parks for people and dogs in Edmonton, and we even build bird sanctuaries. On this month's podcast, Kyla Tichkowsky asks: could we have a park for lichen?

Come investigate with us in Edmonton and Area Land Trust's Larch Sanctuary with Diane Haughland and Meghan Jacklin!

Available now to stream wherever you download pods, and on our website:

You may be tired of parks named after dead white men. Kyla Tichkowsky? She’s railing against a different kind of tyranny. We have parks named for: Elk. Wood Buffalo. Aspen Beach. Cypress Hill…

25/05/2023

Notice anything about how this 1883 map of Edmonton’s riverlots intersects with today’s city parks? On our upcoming episode of the podcast, Zulima Acuña sparked our investigation into that question! Coming out in June 🗺️🍃

03/05/2023

New episode! After two decades, the Snow Goose Festival has returned, celebrating spring migration in the town of Tofield. How on earth is it back after so long? What does this mean for Beaverhill Lake, which used to be the centre of the festival before drying up in the mid-2000's? Chris grabs his binoculars and hops on a tour bus to investigate.

Back in 2016, the very first episode of Let’s Find Out was about a festival in Tofield, a town about 45 minutes southeast of Edmonton: The Snow Goose Festival. In that episode, we set out to find o…

24/04/2023

An inspiring fellow history/nature sleuth (hat tip to Kristy Harcourt for sharing):

Amigo Bob Cantisano and his team are on the hunt for "green gold."

14/04/2023

What does it take to make an Edmonton park work for visitors all year long? Warehouse Park downtown is our chance to get that right. Today Taproot Edmonton has a story expanding on what we found in the latest episode of Let’s Find Out!

You’ll see stories like this every month now that we’re a Taproot publication. ✏️

Warehouse Park offers Edmonton an opportunity to learn from the mistakes of the past when it comes to designing for winter, says an industrial designer who is studying how to make it inviting year-round.

05/04/2023

We're pumped to announce that Let's Find Out is becoming a publication of Taproot Edmonton, a local journalism initiative that is doing some of the most interesting, curiosity-driven, thoughtful reporting in our city.

Now that we’re a partner, they’ll be supporting the costs of producing this show and helping us spread our stories even farther. As a listener, you shouldn’t notice anything different in the sound of the show or how it gets to you. But if you sign up for Taproot’s newsletters – especially their daily newsletter, The Pulse – you’ll see an extra story once a month expanding on our work on Let’s Find Out.

You can become a Taproot Reader for free at https://edmonton.taproot.news/join

Because of this, we’re going to wind down the Patreon. Thank you to all of you who have signed up for that, it’s been really heartening. All of our existing Patreon subscribers are getting a year free of Taproot membership as we transition over.

If you want to financially support Let’s Find Out, we encourage you to become a Taproot Member instead. For just $10 a month or $100 a year, you can help ensure everyone continues to have free access to Let's Find Out, as well as Speaking Municipally and other podcasts, plus the rest of Taproot's coverage of city council, food, arts, tech, and so on.

You can learn more about that at https://edmonton.taproot.news/join

31/03/2023

Some sad news: the Alberta Podcast Network is winding down.

We are extremely grateful to Karen Unland, Fawnda Mithrush, and all of our sponsors over the years who helped support local podcasting through the network. It has been a really important platform for supporting the work of fellow podcasters throughout the province and we'll miss it a lot!

Don't worry about us, though. We have new plans brewing for Let's Find Out and we look forward to announcing them soon. Thank you for listening, and send some love to the Alberta Podcast Network folks for a job well done over many years.

After much thought and a few tears, we have decided to wind down the network. We didn’t want to podfade, so to speak, so this end is deliberate and planned with care. We leave with our bills paid and our heads held high, if a little rueful that we couldn’t keep it going longer. Over the course o...

10/03/2023

For folks who want to have a say in the idea of a national urban park in Edmonton, have a look at this session on Tuesday, March 14:

Connect with the City of Edmonton on the potential establishment of a National Urban Park in our city

09/02/2023

Thanks so much for the shout-out, Network in Canadian History & Environment - NICHE!

Find urban parks, national parks, and Victorian zoos in the latest list of environmental history worth reading from Jessica DeWitt.

04/01/2023

Karen Unland asks: When did we stop dumping garbage into river valley spaces and start turning them into parks?

In this episode, former historian laureate Shirley Lowe walks us through three stories: how the Grierson Hill dump became Louise McKinney Park, how the Strathcona dump and gravel mine became Hawrelak (aka Mayfair) Park, and how the Beverly Dump became Rundle Park.

Karen Unland asks: When did we stop dumping garbage into river valley spaces and start turning them into parks? In this episode, former historian laureate Shirley Lowe walks us through three storie…

12/12/2022

🤓 Let’s Find Out listeners can guess how this little pandemic Lego project Chris worked on is connected to Edmonton’s smallest park.