Saskatchewanderer wanders into Yorkton

Caitlin Taylor is having the best summer vacation ever. The 20-year-old University of Saskatchewan student is travelling throughout Saskatchewan going to festivals, camping, boating and generally exploring the diversity of her home province.

Only it's not a summer vacation, exactly, it's her job.

Taylor is this year's Saskatchewanderer, a summer position in the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sports. The job was created in 2011 to amp up Saskatchewan's tourism presence on social media.

Taylor was perfectly suited for the job. After high school, the Saskatoon native moved to BC to be the social media coordinator for a small horsemanship business. That experience, combined with an application video, landed her an interview and ultimately the job.

"Through her enthusiasm and social media experience, Caitlin will help the world experience Saskatchewan during her summer-long road trip," said Kevin Doherty, parks minister.

"This is exactly me," Caitlin told Yorkton This Week during a visit last week to the local branch of the Western Development Museum.

"It's like a combination of everything I love. I love the social media side, I love taking the photos, I love meeting the people, I love the exploring. It's like all those things rolled into one and it's about Saskatchewan, which is my home, so I couldn't be happier doing it."

Before taking what is billed as "the best summer job ever," Caitlin had seen some of the province, but, just a few weeks into the job she said her biggest surprise is "how diverse and unique Saskatchewan is."

"People say there's nothing to do in Saskatchewan, but that's not true at all," she said. "I've been having issues with deciding what to do and what not to do because there's so many things happening at once."

That is precisely the challenge facing Tourism Saskatchewan according to Pat Fiacco, who became CEO of the crown corporation in November 2012. At a Chamber of Commerce luncheon two weeks ago, the former Regina mayor told Yorkton business leaders tourism promoters in the province need to overcome the perception that Saskatchewan is merely a flatland of wheat farms and potash mines.

The social media efforts of Saskatchewanderers past and present, is drawing some attention. Videos placed on Youtube have garnered more than 60,000 views. The Saskatchewanderer Facebook page has more than 2,100 fans and @skwanderer has nearly 1,900 followers on Twitter.

Taylor also echoes Fiacco's message that its not just people outside the province who have misconceptions about the province. She cited her trip to Grasslands National Park as an example.

"It's just such a cool experience," she said. "I think lots of people don't realize that just because there's no trees, doesn't mean it's not awesome and there's not anything to look at. There's so much wildlife there, and vegetation and stuff, you can learn so much, and I don't think people realize that."

So far, the highlight of Taylor's summer adventure has been seeing her hometown from a hot air balloon.

"That was the coolest thing ever," she said. "I've been wanting to do that ever since I was little. It was everything I hoped it would be."

What she is really looking forward to, however, is a trip to Athabasca Sand Dunes Provincial Park. Access to the dunes is heavily regulated and for good reason. The 100-kilometre stretch of dune fields on the southern shore of Lake Athabasca is the largest active sand surface in Canada, a fragile and unique ecosystem rife with myriad plant species found only there.

There are no communities, permanent residents, services, facilities or roads anywhere in or near the park. The only way in or out is by canoe or float plane.

"Independent visitors must be fully equipped for self-contained wilderness travel and be aware of the potential hazards as well as their responsibilities in protecting this fragile environment," the Government of Saskatchewan website reads. "This area is recommended for experienced wilderness users only."

The two previous Saskatchewanderers had both wanted to visit the park, but logistics prevented them from executing the plan. Taylor doesn't see that happening to her.

"The fact that I'm actually going to do it this year is going to be a big accomplishment of mine and something I'll be proud of, to showcase that part of Saskatchewan."