Photo credit: City of Edmonton Archives
A Look Back at the Beginnings of Borden Park
The city established East End Park in 1906, carving out 140 acres of swampy land on the edge of the city’s limits. The park got its current name in 1914 after a visit to the city from then Prime Minister Robert Borden. Shortly after the outbreak of the First World War, New Yorker Lynn Welcher, a builder of roller coasters in Canada and the United States, arrived in Edmonton to construct the big wooden roller coaster The Green Rattler. The Old Mill, another popular attraction built by the Lynn Welcher Construction Co., was a wet dark ride. Six-passenger boats were drawn through various tunnels by magnets, earning it the nickname "the Tunnel of Love."
By the 1920s, Borden Park had become a popular recreation spot for Edmontonians, boasting a midway with rides and games. On May 15, 1920, 5 days before the exhibition was opened for the season, the admission charge for children was proposed to be increased from 10 cents to 15 cents, matching the existing 15 cent charge for adults. Borden Park was the site of one of Edmonton’s first outdoor pools and, eventually, the city’s first zoo. On a sunny Sunday in the summer, the park could draw up to 7,000 people.
By the 1930s, visits to Borden Park started to decline. The Old Mill had burnt down years before, and the Great Depression meant families had less money for outings. The Green Rattler closed down in 1935. The Edmonton Zoo fared better, surviving for a couple more decades before being torn down in the late 1950s to make way for an expansion of Northlands, with the current Valley Zoo built as a replacement.
Photo credit: takemeoutside.ca
Take Me Outside Day: A Celebration of Outdoor Learning
Take Me Outside is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to raising awareness and facilitating action on nature connection and outdoor learning in schools across Turtle Island / North America. They believe in a future in which spending time outside playing, exploring and learning is a regular and significant part of every learner’s day.
Take Me Outside Day helps to raise awareness about outdoor learning by encouraging educators to take their learners outside. This free virtual event, running from October 20th to 24th, is an entire week full of activities, speakers, and prizes to encourage folks to head beyond the four walls of a classroom!
With the help of the 100+ outdoor learning partners, there is something for all ages, grades, and subjects under the three central themes of Indigenous Perspectives & Knowledge, Environmental Education & Climate Change, and Health & Wellbeing. For more information, go to Take Me Outside Day: A Celebration of Outdoor Learning.
Photo credit: Global News
The Climate Imperative for Edmonton's Mayor and Council
A recent CBC news article reports that climate change is a top priority for many Edmontonians ahead of the municipal election. Experts stress that it is a "clear and present danger," not just a future threat, citing rising temperatures and worsening air quality. Professors Neal LaMontagne and Sandeep Agrawal identify two key responses for the city council: mitigation (reducing energy impact) and adaptation (managing climate shocks).
City councils can address mitigation primarily through transportation and building design. LaMontagne suggests reducing driving distances via active mobility and better transit, and utilizing large public facilities (like libraries and rec centers) as catalysts to push the local design community toward energy efficiency and green building solutions. Agrawal suggests exploring green options like green roofs and swapping out concrete and asphalt for greener materials.
While the city's existing climate policy is considered fairly robust, experts argue there are still improvements to be made, such as making sure new buildings are "solar ready." Although a city's power is limited by provincial building codes and the private sector, experts encourage the city to use its projects as "catalysts" for more sustainable development to create compelling, positive, and ecologically designed spaces for the community.
Photo credit: Emmanuel Pocsidio
The Herald of Winter (The Dark-eyed Junco)
Dark-eyed Juncos are often called “Snowbirds,” possibly due to the fact that many people believe their return from their northern breeding grounds foretells the return of cold and snowy weather. Another possible source of the nickname may be the white belly plumage and slate-colored back of the junco, which has been described as “leaden skies above, snow below.”
The Dark-eyed Junco is one of North America's most common birds, with an estimated population of over 260 million, and is sighted at more bird feeders than any other species. This small bird is divided into six distinct populations (including Oregon, Slate-colored, and Gray-headed) with 12 additional subspecies. Juncos overwinter in flocks of 6 to 30+ birds, often returning to the same 10-acre area annually. Within the flock, a strict dominance hierarchy exists, with adult males at the top, and females tending to migrate earlier and farther south than males to avoid competition.
Juncos migrate at night at low altitudes and can burrow through snow to find seeds, which make up about three-quarters of their annual diet (including weed seeds like ragweed and chickweed), supplementing heavily with insects during the nesting period. Males return annually to reclaim the same breeding territory, where females build ground nests for 3 to 5 eggs, typically producing two broods per year. Juncos roost repeatedly in evergreens or brush piles but do not huddle, and the longevity record for the species reaches over 11 years.
St Albert Public Art Bus / Linda M. Wright
Travelling on a road near you!
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