NSRVCS News - March 6, 2020

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June 4, 2020

Frederick Todd – river valley park pioneer
The June 1915 flood changed Edmonton. The rising North Saskatchewan River swelled an astonishing 13 metres. It submerged businesses. Homes vanished. It was nothing short of catastrophic.

Before the flood, we used the river for industry and manufacturing. It wasn’t close to the recreation space you see today. During that time, the City hired Frederick Gage Todd to create a report on providing park space for the future needs of its citizens. Todd saw the importance of preserving and enhancing the natural state of the river so that all may enjoy it for generations to come.

The flood was the wake-up call we needed. Soon the Government of Alberta embraced Todd’s plan whole-heartedly and because of it Edmonton introduced the River Valley Park System. At 22 times the size of New York’s Central Park, our Ribbon of Green is one of the biggest in the world. Learn more at https://www.edmontoncommonwealthwalkway.com/storyline/river/25

Notes from a backyard beekeeper
Local backyard beekeeper Donald Aitken reported on February 27 of his first sightings of the hive coming to life. “I too have had bees flying in late February. In my notes I recorded strong flight activity on February 21. I took the attached pictures on February 27 about 3 pm. There is normally flight activity between 1 pm and 3 pm on warm days at this time.

I am using a hive cosy on a hive with no top entrance but a 1” diameter hole in the bottom brood chamber an inch or two below the handhold. The cosy is held away from the front of the hive with a vertical piece of 2” x 2” about 16 “ long. The bees exit the 1” hole and can go either up or down to get out – you can see them at the top in the first photo.

The bees clearly were desperate to poop outside (see second picture).” Read the February 2020 newsletter of the United Beekeepers of Alberta at https://unitedbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Newsletter-February-2020-United-Beekeepers-of-Alberta-Council-.pdf

How a bird native to the Middle East landed in Mill Woods
Keegan Van Rooyen was intrigued when she spotted a curious creature loitering in the parking lot of a Mill Woods strip mall: a plump bird with black and white stripes and a remarkably bright orange beak.

It turns out that others had seen the same strange fowl, too. It's called a chukar, a game bird native to the Middle East and the national bird of Pakistan. But this eye-pleasing partridge wasn't making a one-time appearance on the Prairies, the bird has had a presence in North America since the 1800s.

"It was established as a game bird to be hunted," said Dale Gienow, executive director of Wild North, a wildlife rescue organization for northern Alberta. “But they do very well in our environment. People shouldn't be worried about their health; they thrive here.” Read more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-a-bird-native-to-the-middle-east-landed-in-a-mill-woods-parking-lot-1.5474416

Share river valley event, job posting, or news
If you have a river valley event, job posting, or news that you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send the info to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/NSRVCS/
http://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/

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June 4, 2020

NSRVCS News - Feb. 27, 2020

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June 4, 2020

Gold Bar creek named after treasure at its mouth
This creek lies east of the Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant, with the City of Edmonton owning land on the west side and Imperial Oil owning the land on the other side. The creek itself falls under provincial administration and flows into the North Saskatchewan River.

The creek received its name for the gravel bars at the mouth where early miners used to pan for gold. Today one can still find prospectors on weekends panning for gold and teaching others the secrets of prospecting down at Gold Bar Creek. Doug Winkleman is one of these folks.

Gold isn’t the only treasure you’ll find along the river. Garnets, rubies and opals can turn up in your pan. Winkleman has also found petrified coral, small dinosaur bones and ancient arrowheads. One of the neatest things he has seen was a huge piece of petrified wood a student found. “In the centre was a piece of amber. He had it appraised and it’s worth $1,000.” Read more at https://www.avenueedmonton.com/avenue-edmonton-june-2014/golden-eyes/

Voles your underground friend or pest
A lot goes on under the winter snow. If you’ve noticed long, meandering lines that look like giant worms have crawled and chewed their way across your lawn, it’s a good bet that voles have been having a party down there.

Voles are compact and stocky with short legs and a short tail. They’re the darkest coloured varmint and more closely related to muskrats than mice. Short-lived, monogamous and surprisingly prolific under their thick snowy blankets, voles inflict their damage at ground level or below. They construct elaborate tunnel systems, chewing their way through roots as they go.

Voles are also a benefit to our environment. Their nutrient rich fecal pellets are widely dispersed through their habitats to the great benefit of new and growing vegetation. They also accelerate the dispersal of vital mycorrhizal fungi and thus influence the survival and growth rates of many important species of trees

If they are a pest in your yard, note that like all rodents they hate capsicum, the ingredient in hot peppers that gives them spice. Blend some of the hottest peppers you can find with some onions and drip the mixture into every vole hole you can find. Learn more at Voles 101 https://www.salisburygreenhouse.com/voles-101/

Edmonton’s first organized sport becoming popular again
Next to Victoria Golf Course, you’ll find the Victoria Cricket Club. Cricket was Edmonton’s first officially organized sport after the founding of Fort Edmonton. The original cricket ground was near Jasper Avenue and 103 Street. That’s where the Edmonton Cricket Club formed in 1882.

The Edmonton and Strathcona cricket clubs have been in operation since the 1880s. The Edmonton and District Cricket League traces its founding to 1901. And the Hudson’s Bay Company river flats were host to games as early as 1912. The walls of the Victoria clubhouse proudly display the history of cricket in Edmonton.

But the story isn’t over. Cricket’s popularity has surged in recent years as Edmontonians with origins from Pakistan, India, South Africa and the Caribbean share their love of the sport. The ancient sport has become one of Edmonton’s newest passions once again. Learn more at https://www.edmontoncommonwealthwalkway.com/storyline/history/61

Listening to birdsong may help scientists conserve at-risk species
New research from an Edmonton-based wildlife biologist suggests much can be learned about at-risk songbirds by listening to the rate of their songs. Birds' song rates, or the number of songs they sing in a given time period, change throughout their breeding season and researchers from the University of Alberta found they could predict breeding status by analyzing those song rates.

Their findings offer a new way to monitor at-risk birds that could potentially aid future conservation efforts. Determining breeding status by monitoring nests is expensive and challenging, like finding a needle in a haystack, according to wildlife biologist and lead author Emily Upham-Mills.

"If we can just listen to a bird and determine its status, then we can take that information and expand across the landscape and look at habitats where there are lots of birds that are successful at breeding," she said. Learn more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-listening-to-birdsong-may-help-scientists-conserve-at-risk-species-1.5472046

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June 4, 2020

NSRVCS News - Feb. 20, 2020

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June 4, 2020

Larch Sanctuary loop a taste of alpine walks inside the city
Nestled in the middle of Edmonton lies Larch Sanctuary, a tranquil section of the Whitemud Nature Reserve. The combination of wooded areas, along with the riparian areas lining the creek and oxbow lake, retain remarkable biodiversity, providing habitat for dozens of species of mammals, birds, and amphibians.

If you’re looking to get a taste of alpine walks inside the city before heading to the mountains, this is a great place to train as the trail is narrow, overgrown at parts and uneven terrain such as exposed tree roots and slippery clay slopes can make this walk a challenge.

Edmonton and Area Land trust has put together a self guided tour pamphlet you can reference on your walk to learn more about what you’re seeing https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569ec99b841abaccb7c7e74c/t/5c38cb3a0ebbe8436806f67e/1547225921381/Larch+Sanctuary+Self-Guided+Tour.pdf

Boreal Chickadee our winter hummingbird
The Boreal Chickadee is a tough little bird that does not migrate. This chickadee is identified by its brown cap and smaller white cheek patch. Chickadees are easily identified by their namesake call “chick-a-dee.”

Have you noticed how ravenously the birds eat at your bird feeders, especially first thing in the morning and just before dusk? Chickadees can gain as much as 10 percent of their body weight each day and lose it all again during a cold winter night They will appreciate seeds, especially sunflower seeds, suet and even coconut at your backyard feeder.

Chickadees weigh less than one-half of an ounce and their wing beats are about 27 times per second. This compares to a hummingbird’s 80 beats per second. Learn more at https://edmonton.wbu.com/chickadee-fun-facts

Rough fescue – Alberta’ official grass
Rough fescue is a beautiful grass, tall and elegant. Alberta is the only jurisdiction in North America where all three types of rough fescue occur – Plains, Foothills and Northern. Their ranges converge here, reflecting the pattern of recolonization following glaciation 10,000 years ago as well as the natural diversity of the province - from plains to foothills to mountains.

A local example of rough fescue can be found at Nisku Native Prairie Park Reserve, a 31- acre remnant of aspen parkland protected as municipal reserve by Leduc County since 1994. It is located south of Edmonton in Leduc County east of the Nisku Industrial Area and south of Secondary Highway 625. The landscape consists of aspen groves interspersed with grasslands, and it is this latter community, dominated by plains rough fescue.

Fescue grasslands are vital range for wildlife and of great significance for the ranching industry. They have been and continue to be threatened by some human activities. Learn more at
http://www.albertapcf.org/rsu_docs/rough-fescue-backgrounder.pdf