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The Cypress Hills rise 600 meters out of the surrounding plains. This is the highest rise of land between the Rocky Mountains and Labrador. The Cypress Hills are a part of Saskatchewan untouched by the last period of glaciations, and this accounts for a unique geographic area with plants and animals not usually associate with the Southern Prairies. Over 200 species of bird life have been identified in the Cypress Hills. It is one of the few areas in all of Canada where wild turkeys still survive. It should come as no surprise that so unique an area should also be steeped in human history. Native North Americans have been active in the area for over 7000 years. In the 1860's the Cypress Hills were the centre of a very active and destructive whiskey trade. In 1873 an unfortunate encounter between American and Canadian wolf hunters and a band of Assiniboine Indians left many dead. It was for this reason that the Canadian Government hastened plans to for the North-West Mounted Police. Fort Walsh was built in 1875, deep in the hills, to bring law and order to this part of the Canadian frontier. The five days you will spend in the Cypress Hills will show you some of these areas of interest, but you will want to come back again and again to explore further. This experience will essentially be a photographic tour in some aspects with workshop components interspersed at timely intervals. All levels of photographic experience are welcome from beginner to advanced. Do not be put off because you classify yourself as just starting out, we will accommodate. There will be plenty of opportunity for participants to learn, as well as shoot images in the beautiful surroundings of the Cypress Hills. |