If a motion from the City moves forward, dogs would be limited to a four-acre, fenced in area in the middle of the site to run around in.

Manager of Parks Randy Taves said over the last six months especially, they’ve seen major degradation and damage relating to the land.

“We’re seeing lots of native grasses being exposed right down to the dirt,” said Taves. “We’re seeing shoreline erosion, which is causing problems with our water quality for the South East Alberta Watershed Alliance group.”

Reaction to the proposal has been met with negative criticism from dog owners, with an online petition garnering over 1,800 signatures in opposition of the plan within less than a week.

Sybil Stav has been using the off-leash park for close to a decade and said the news came as a complete surprise to both her and fellow dog owners.

“Definitely shock, I think most people are not aware that there was any reason or intent to be changing the dog park,” said Stav. “It just seems like it’s a part of our community and a privilege for us to be using it. And having said that, I also believe that people really do try to take care of it.”

Fencing, updated signage of the coulee’s history, and updated trails will come at a cost of around $100,000 to come from the existing parks and recreation department budget.

Taves said while it would be a much smaller off-leash area, dogs would still get access to Seven Persons Creek.

“We appreciate the fact that people like that area,” he said. “So, we want to create a fenced, off-leash dog area where the dogs can still run at large. And, that’s also going to include a portion of the land that has access to water, which we know is very important to people as well.”

Stav argued she finds it hard to believe that dogs are the only cause of the land degradation, especially with the abundance of wildlife in the area.

“There’s a multitude of different animals here,” she said. “I mean, there’s holes, pits, and fissures through the land. So, to say that having it as a dog park is what’s detrimental to the land, I struggle to agree with that.”

Medicine Hat and the Alberta government made the Saamis Archaeological Site a provincial historic resource in 1984, which requires the City to ‘prevent the disturbance, destruction, or altering of any historic resource.’

Numerous artifacts have been found in the coulee dating back to a number of archaeological digs in the 1970s, including tools, cooking vessels, and bone fragments.

Many of these artifacts have historical significance as well, with some findings dating back to as early as 3000 B.C.

Taves said it’s the City’s responsibility to prevent further damage, which unfortunately comes at the expense of one of the user groups.

“Our main focus is we’re obligated by the province to preserve and protect a very significant archaeological site in southeastern Alberta,” he said. “That’s first and foremost.”

Stav added she’s in favour of preserving history, but believes it’s too drastic of a step off the bat.

“If there are some things that definitely need to be altered, hey I think we’d be supportive of it to a degree,” she said. “But, maybe [it’s] just simply taking care of and maintaining the places where we already walk.”

If passed, the City would also look at expanding the Saratoga Dog Park off Carry Drive to make up for the lost space.

The motion will go to City Council for information, which will meet again on August 20.