River Valley News - Oct 9/25

Photo credit: Dick Dekker at Cooking Lake
Drying Shores, Concerned Communities: Alberta's Vanishing Lakes

If you have frequented some of your go-to nature spots this summer and fall, you may have noticed some stark changes in your favourite shorelines. Recently, the alarm has been raised about popular lakes drying up around Edmonton. While some water loss is natural and to be expected, it can’t be denied that climate change is significantly affecting lake water levels, particularly through rising temperatures that increase evaporation rates.

The lakeside community of Pelican Point, Alberta, experienced an unusual summer due to historically low water levels in Buffalo Lake, forcing the closure of the community marina. This severe drop caused a decrease in summer tourist traffic for Pelican Point and nearby communities like Bashaw. Neighbouring Gull Lake, approximately 90 km west of Pelican Point, faced similar low water level concerns. Pumping from the Blindman River was suspended in 2018 due to the threat of introducing Prussian carp.

Miquelon Lake's decline has been steady as well, with huge sections turning into dry land. The Ministry of Environment notes that water levels have dropped 2.5 meters over the last 20 years. University of Alberta wetland science professor David Olefeldt states that many lakes, like Miquelon, are "prairie potholes" in a "poorly connected landscape," making them vulnerable to drought because they rely solely on small local watersheds. He concludes this is a natural cycle, suggesting there is little to be done but wait for years of wet conditions for the lakes to bounce back.

Once a favourite recreational spot and home to Canada's oldest public airport, Cooking Lake has nearly vanished, shrinking to less than 5% of its former surface area by 2024 due primarily to low precipitation. To restore the lake and the entire watershed, the idea of running a pipeline from the North Saskatchewan River has been floated more than a few times.

In a recent article by Dick Dekker, he writes, “Because of their shallowness, practically all water bodies in south and central Alberta are vulnerable to our cyclic climate during periods of low water. Even if the mean annual precipitation is little more than half a metre below average, the diminishing effect on these lakes can be major, leaving mud flats several hundred metres wide along former shorelines. No more sandy shores and inviting shallows for recreation!

To restore this drying watershed, is it time to reconsider an old idea of bringing in water from the North Saskatchewan River?”


Photo credit: Ian Kucerak /Postmedia
Why "Leaving the Leaves" Matters

Instead of viewing fallen foliage as a nuisance, recognize that leaves, brush piles, logs, and plant stems are vital natural habitats and insulation for wildlife. Particularly, pollinators and invertebrates, which need shelter to survive the winter. Many butterflies, moths, and native bees overwinter within or beneath leaf litter, stems, or wood, meaning that removing all debris likely results in tossing out the very animals you worked hard to attract during the summer.

You can support biodiversity without sacrificing your yard's appearance through simple, thoughtful cleanup practices. Leave the leaves scattered on the lawn (where a thin layer is healthy) or rake them into garden beds, where they suppress weeds, retain moisture, and insulate perennials. Avoid shredding leaves, which destroys hidden eggs and cocoons, and instead let insects break them down naturally. Furthermore, turn fallen branches into brush piles to provide hibernation spots, and limit disturbing the soil to protect the nests of ground-dwelling bees until spring.

Additionally, avoid piling leaves around trees; give trees some space at the base. Leaves can be a great addition to the soil, but it should be done in a way that is healthy for the trees. Piling leaves around tree trunks may harm them as it can suffocate roots, depriving the tree of essential oxygen, which can lead to root/basal rot.


Photo credit: Jesse Rorabaugh/inaturalist.ca
Understanding the Box Elder Bug's Harmless Hibernation Habits

With the return of cooler temperatures, most creatures, big and small, are looking for a warm, safe place to shelter from the bitter Alberta winters. Among those creatures trying to sneak inside your home is the persistent Boxelder bug. They tend to congregate on sunny, south- or west-facing surfaces, such as fences and exterior walls. As temperatures drop, the adults seek shelter and warmth to survive the winter. They do not cause damage to homes, but when crushed, they may release an unpleasant odour.

Adult boxelder bugs are approximately 12mm long, with black bodies and red eyes. Their wings have reddish-orange outlines and veins. Nymphs (juveniles) have bright red abdomens and are wingless. Nymphs and adults feed primarily on sap from leaves, flowers and the seed pods of female Manitoba maples (aka boxelders). Damage from feeding is usually insignificant and has no impact on tree health.

To manage boxelder bugs, focus on prevention and physical removal. Seal up entry points, such as cracks and screens, to keep them out of your home. Also, remove nearby hiding spots, including piles of rocks, boards, and leaves, that are close to houses. You can reduce their numbers by vacuuming them up or dislodging them with a strong stream of water. Note that insecticides are rarely effective and can harm other species.


Feedback on Linden & Rabbits General Inquiry (continued)

I'd like to reply to Mark's question first: is the NSRVCS or indeed anybody controlling the non-native, invasive grass, smooth brome?The answer is no, nobody is. It is a recognized forage grass and no control measures are regulated for it, even though it is an ubiquitous weed which, as Mark says, does huge ecological harm by replacing native species which also have more value for wildlife. Most people do not identify it or recognize it as non-native species, and the consensus among biologists seems to be that it is so pervasive it is now impossible to control, except perhaps in certain restricted areas. 

However, I am not at all certain that brome is chiefly responsible for the hunger of hares. I assume the hares that are eating the lindens are white-tailed jackrabbits as these are the hares in our city. All hares tend to eat tree bark in the winter when grasses of any kind or other food are unavailable or inaccessible. If you go into the bush in winter you will see many prostrated branches which look white because the bark has been completely stripped off, the snowshoe hares of the woodlands using the nutrient-rich cambium below the bark as a source of food. 

If your objective is to protect lindens and other planted trees rather than feed an urban fauna then you should protect the trees to a suitable height with mesh. By restricting their food supply you will restrict the population of hares. On the other hand, you could plant more unprotected saplings, resign yourself to losing some, and enjoy our urban hares!

Patsy


Giant Baseball Bat / Aluminum / GT Metal Products / 2003
Located at the intersection of 97 Street and 118 Avenue

Special note: The Alberta Avenue Business Association is considering removing the iconic 50-foot, 2,500lb aluminum baseball bat and other "Avenue of Champions" fixtures from 97 Street and 118 Avenue as part of a neighbourhood rebrand, believing the old slogan is no longer relevant. While the plan is still under review pending community feedback and clarity on the bat's ownership, the Edmonton Riverhawks baseball team is expressing interest in relocating the massive sculpture to RE/MAX Field.
 

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup

River Valley News - Oct. 2/25

Photo credit: Global News
Remembering Dr. Darren Markland

A respected Edmonton intensive-care physician, Dr. Darren Markland, 54, has died after a mountain biking accident on the Black Mountain trail network near Nordegg, Alta. Dr. Markland, who worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, is being remembered for his significant contributions as a health-care professional and community advocate, particularly for his public insights on the challenges facing the health-care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the morning of September 26th he was remembered at a community coffee memorial by hundreds of friends for his extraordinary energy and vibrancy despite his demanding job. He was a beloved figure in the Edmonton biking community, known for advocating for active transportation and hosting "Coffee Outside" gatherings from his cargo bike at Constable Ezio Faraone Park. Markland was celebrated as a great friend, doctor, and creative spirit, known for memorable moments like riding bikes in T. Rex costumes and entertaining riders with music.

He had even created a unique, two-hour canoe and bike commute down the North Saskatchewan River to avoid traffic and take advantage of Edmonton's natural resources. You may have seen him portaging his canoe behind his bike down a city street, piquing the interest of curious drivers on his way to work. He would state his commute was the "best part of my day," contrasting it with a typical stressful drive. He even biked in −30∘C winter weather, demonstrating that "beauty and adventure" could be found in one's own backyard.


Film, Fossils, and the Future: Upcoming Edmonton Events

On Friday, October 3rd, the Climate Change & Health Hub invites you to join them for Climate Health Action Talks: Film Screening of THE MAGNITUDE OF ALL THINGS. The film weaves together personal, environmental, and collective stories of ecological grief. Drawing parallels between the film maker’s personal experience grappling with her sister’s cancer diagnosis, and accelerating environmental loss, the film explores how facing grief can also reveal love, courage, and the drive to act. For more information visit The Magnitude of All Things - Metro Cinema 

On Saturday, October 4, it is the 32nd APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic. The clinic serves as an introduction to geoscience and what a career in geoscience could be like. It is an engaging event for families and communities to explore the wonders of geoscience, unearth history, and learn from professional geoscientists and individuals with a geoscience background. For more information visit APEGA Rock & Fossil Clinic

On Thursday, October 9th, the Edmonton Public Library and Taproot Edmonton are hosting an engaging and nonpartisan forum featuring candidates for the 2025 Edmonton mayoral race. The panel discussion will be moderated by journalist Stacey Brotzel, giving citizens a chance to hear the candidates' visions for the city's future and participate in a meaningful civic conversation, either in person or online.For more information visit Edmonton Mayoral Candidates Forum.


Photo credit: Taproot website
Find Your Candidate: Take the Taproot 2025 Edmonton Election Survey

The 2025 Edmonton municipal election will be held on October 20, 2025, to elect a mayor, twelve councillors to the Edmonton City Council, nine trustees to the Edmonton Public Schools board of trustees, and seven trustees to the Edmonton Catholic Schools. Each of these are to be elected using the first-past-the-post voting election system.

Taproot Edmonton has developed a survey to help you match with candidates based on your views!

Taproot invited Edmontonians to share what issues they care about most heading into the 2025 municipal election. From the hundreds of responses they received, as well as further insights gathered at listening sessions, input from dozens of community partners, and their own observations of what the next city council will face, they distilled 30 multiple-choice questions and asked each candidate to answer them.

Now you have the opportunity to answer the same questions to find out which candidates you are most aligned with. You can answer all 30 questions or just the ones that interest you. The entire survey should only take about 10 minutes to complete and can be found at Take the Taproot Survey - 2025 Edmonton Municipal Election


Photo credit: RETROactive website
The Beaver's Tale: A History of Human and Castor canadensis in Alberta

There are few animals in the north whose history is so intricately interwoven with people than the beaver. From the early fur trade to modern environmentalism, the beaver has chewed its way into numerous facets of life in Alberta. Paleontology, archaeology, history, and modern politics combine to tell an amazing story of human-beaver relationships in the province.

The earliest beavers lumbered into the province over five million years ago. By two million years ago, the modern beaver (Castor canadensis) was living alongside a colossal cousin that was five to six times larger. The giant beaver (C. ohioensis) weighed up to 160 kilograms and was just under 3 metres long! It went extinct around 10 000 years ago.

First Nations’ stories tell of the beaver’s role in creating the world by molding the primordial mud into an island fit for humans. To Alberta’s first people, beavers also furnished important materials for tools, clothing, and food. Archaeology sites across the province have yielded beaver bones where very few other animal remains were found. This indicates that beavers were crucial to human diet, particularly during winter. Beavers were captured with willow bark nets, stone-tipped spears, and sinew snares set along beaver trails and canals.


Feedback on General Inquiry (Linden tree & rabbits)

I was sad to hear that hares have been left so hungry that they are eating linden trees. According to biologist Myrna Pearman (who recommends a deterrent of Cayenne Pepper and Garlic Powder) hares prefer soft food, like berries and grasses. Many of our native berries and grasses are being lost to the spread of Smooth Brome. This horrible forage crop chokes out smaller berries and, because it is highly allelopathic, prevents germination of our woody berry producing species.

Is the NSRVCS working to limit the spread of this invasive, foreign species, and what can I do to prompt the City and Province to eliminate it from our natural areas so the hares have plenty to eat and leave our ornamental and fruit trees alone?

https://naturealberta.ca/rabbits-and-hares/

Thanks,

Mark Stumpf-Allen


The Art of Caring / Mural by Lewis Lavoie / Royal Alexandra Hospital front entrance
 

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup


River Valley News - Sept 30/25

Photo credit:Canada.ca website
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
For Indigenous people September 30 is a day of mourning intended to honour stolen children and the survivors of residential schools, which operated until 1996 in Canada. Students were neglected, malnourished, and experienced physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse. This day is a reminder of the legacy of residential schools and the trauma that lives within every Indigenous person you meet.

It is a truth held in many communities that if you want to break a people, you take their children from them. Many people are still finding their way home and many will never get the chance to.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation gives us the chance to set aside special time in our day-to-day lives to honour, reflect, and learn. It opens up the opportunities for education and awareness as well as discussions for effective change that requires Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples to work together to create an environment free from racism and discrimination in which all people feel safe and respected. To learn more visit National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Edmonton Public Library


Photo credit: Otipemisiwak Metis Government website
Cultural Genocide: The History of Canada's Residential Schools
In 1831, the first church-run residential school opened in Canada. By the 1880s, the federal government created the official policy and funded residential schools across Canada. These schools were created not with the intent of educating youth but of separating Indigenous children from their families. In 1920, the Indian Act made attendance at residential schools mandatory for Indigenous children aged 7–15 years old.

The Canadian Residential School System was a policy of cultural genocide spanning over 150 years, founded on the intent to assimilate Indigenous children—including First Nations, Inuit, and often overlooked Métis youth—by separating them from their families and cultures. 

The system, which involved 25 registered schools in Alberta alone, forced children into environments rife with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, poor health conditions, and disease. Due to the deliberate failure to keep accurate records—often mislabeling Métis children to maintain funding—the true number of children who attended and died while in these schools remains unknown.

The last residential school in Canada was the Gordon Residential School in Punnichy, Saskatchewan and it closed in 1996.


Photo credit: Orange Shirt Society
Every Child Matters: The Origin of Orange Shirt Day
On September 30th many people across Canada (Turtle Island), wear bright orange t-shirts to honour and raise awareness of the thousands of Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools.

Have you ever wondered what the colour orange represents? Here are some facts about Orange Shirt Day and its origin:

When Phyllis Webstad was a little girl, she was forced to attend a residential school in Williams Lake, British Columbia. On the first day of school, she proudly wore an orange shirt her grandmother had given her. The residential school staff stripped her of her belongings, cut her hair, and took away her clothes, including her orange shirt.

“When I got to the Mission, they stripped me, and took away my clothes, including the orange shirt! I never wore it again. I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t give it back to me, it was mine! The color orange has always reminded me of that and how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared and how I felt like I was worth nothing. All of us little children were crying and no one cared.”
– Phyllis Webstad


Photo credit: Manitou Stone Centre website 
A Gift from the Cosmos, The Manitou Stone
Thousands of years ago, in the Iron Creek area of Alberta one of Canada's largest meteorites came to earth as a gift from the cosmos, inspiring unity among the plains tribes.

Manitou Asinîy is a 145kg iron meteorite that fell from the sky on an unknown date many years ago.
Over the centuries the meteorite became deeply embedded in Indigenous spirituality and was venerated by the First Nations people. The Manitou Stone is associated with the buffalo which represents prosperity among the Plains Buffalo Tribes.

This all changed in 1866 when Manitou Asinîy was stolen from the land by Methodist missionary Reverend George McDougall. Alarmed at this act, Indigenous spiritual leaders prophesied that war, plague, and famine would soon devastate their people.

The Manitou Asinîy-Iniskim-Tsa Xani Centre (MAITX) is a not-for-profit, First Nations led organization, formed to rematriate the Manitou Stone, a sacred meteorite that the Plains Tribes see as the living embodiment of the Creator.


ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ (Edmonton's Indigenous Art Park) / Queen Elizabeth Park in Edmonton’s North Saskatchewan River Valley.


Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com.

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup