Under the big skies of the Canadian prairie land in southern Saskatchewan, a heritage park on property previously owned by a curmudgeonly cattle rancher has a giant ambition: to join the 1199 sites on the Unesco World Heritage list. It is in the throes of preparing a submission, to be tabled next year.

To the unenlightened, it might seem at first like the grasslands site of Wanuskewin, outside the city of Saskatoon, is batting out of its league.