NSRVCS News - May 14, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Two new conservation lands – New Jubilee and Evelyn’s Acres
Edmonton & Area Land Trust has announced the securement of two adjacent conservation lands tucked into a curve of the North Saskatchewan River in northeast Edmonton. Through conservation easements with EALT, the ecological and agricultural values of these lands are conserved in perpetuity. Both conservation lands are important additions to the network of natural areas throughout the river alley.

New Jubilee boasts 93 acres of intact old-growth forest and fertile farmland. Conserved by Doug Visser to honour his parents and continue their legacy of land stewardship, the land has exceptional ecological, cultural, and community value.

Evelyn's Acres is 140 acres of prime agricultural lands and mixed wood forest and is home to Riverbend Gardens, a small-scale family farm operated by Janelle and Aaron Herbert. Two types of soil and a unique microclimate allow for extended growing seasons that make this land especially suited for growing Riverbend Garden's diverse and bountiful market vegetables. The strip of mixed wood forest offers excellent habitat for local wildlife. Read more at https://www.ealt.ca/blog/new-jubilee-evelyns-acres-announcement

Start gardening with native plants
Some people are attracted to the idea of gardening with native plants, but they do not know where to begin. It seems like a big issue, with lots of unfamiliar plant names and difficult questions about what is truly native. An excellent resource is the native plant database of the Canadian based North American Native Plant Society.

Their web site provides gardening tips and information in an easily accessible manner. The native plant database has photos and information on a wide variety of plant types and lets you sort by habitats, light requirements, soil moistures and the common or botanical name. Use the plant catalogue to see what native plants could fit into your garden plans. You will find native plants for almost every spot in your garden.

NANPS is committed to preserving native plant habitat in wild areas and restoring indigenous flora to developed areas. Its key purpose is to provide information and inspire an appreciation of native plants with an aim to restoring healthy ecosystems across the continent. They believe nature belongs in urban, suburban, and rural areas as much as in remote areas. Learn more at http://nanps.org/native-plant-database/

Hawrelak Park to MacKenzie Ravine trail
MacKenzie Ravine is a west-end neighbourhood treasure, but it can also be reached via a dirt trail from Hawrelak Park. Just two kilometres from Buena Vista footbridge, this route has you follow a beautiful, treed riverside trail that leads to the scenic wooden boardwalk of MacKenzie Ravine.

Park at Hawrelak Park’s Picnic Site 2 which is near the very end of the Hawrelak driving loop. Walk past the picnic area towards the Buena Vista footbridge. Cross the footbridge, where you will reach a three-way crossroads. Going left takes you to Laurier Park. Going straight takes you to the Buena Vista dog park. For this route, you will go right.

After 2 km, you will reach the MacKenzie Ravine wooden walkway. This beautiful boardwalk is a great instagrammable spot and hidden gem in the river valley! Once on the wooden walkway, turn left to continue into MacKenzie Ravine, a deep ravine that comes out at 142 St.

Another option at the boardwalk is to not turn left and make your riverside route longer by keeping on the trail and walking to the next ravine over, MacKinnon Ravine. More info at
https://rivervalley.ab.ca/news/trail-trek-how-to-hawrelak-park-to-mackenzie-ravine/

Clover Bar a site for industry and trade for millennia
Part of northeast Edmonton is the Clover Bar area which lies east of the North Saskatchewan river. First Peoples used this area for over 5,000 years as a quarry and camping site. The stone materials found here, along with animal remains and existence of fire pits, suggest use over the millennia by several groups. The evidence of cord-marked pottery indicates the site was being used by Indigenous peoples well into the late 1700s.

In the early 1830s, you might hear a very distinct sound along these same trails: the rhythmic screeching of the Red River cart. The insufferable noise, produced by the grinding of two large wooden wheels around a wooden axle, announced the coming of a trading caravan long before you would catch sight of it. The group might be transporting goods to trade at Fort Edmonton, just a few miles upstream on the North Saskatchewan River. Pulled by horse or oxen, the large wooden carts were used primarily by the Métis people.

The area is named after a gold prospector named Thomas Clover who arrived at Fort Edmonton in 1860. He tried out several locations along the river and chose a small sand bar on the south bank which became known as Clover's Bar. The return for the effort was not enough to convince Tom to stay and he left after four seasons.

The first settlers arrived in 1881. One early settler, Tom Daly, produced award-winning grain and took first place at the 1901 World's Fair in Paris for his banner oats. In 1970, Clover Bar’s 47 buildings were either moved or razed as a cloverleaf interchange was built at Highway 16 and Highway 216 and the village was no more. Learn more about this history at https://www.strathcona.ca/council-county/history-and-heritage/narratives-and-accounts/listen-echoes-clover-bar/

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

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June 5, 2020

NSRVCS News - May 7, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Beaked hazelnut flower sign of spring
Nuts are the hard-shelled fruits of flowering trees or shrubs. Within each shell are one or more seed kernels that are easily separated from the outer shell. Most nuts are edible, nutritious and are sought after by many animals as well as people. There are about 20 edible nut species native to Canada.

Nuts found in western Canada include the beaked hazelnut, whitebark pine seeds, and garry oak acorns. The beaked hazelnut is now flowering in the river valley. Hazelnuts are bushy, deciduous shrubs growing up to 3 m high. The nuts, which grow on their own, in pairs or in small clusters, are smooth, round, and hard-shelled. Each nut is enclosed in a green, leafy sheath.

Hazelnuts were harvested by Indigenous Peoples in late summer, sometimes from the caches of squirrels. The name for squirrel in some Indigenous languages relates to these nuts. To remove the husks, the nuts were buried in damp ground. The kernels were eaten raw, roasted, boiled in soup, or mixed with berries and fat and made into nutrient rich cakes.

Hazelnuts were stored for winter or put aside to be traded for other foods. People sometimes burned or coppiced the bushes to renew their growth, and the bushes were also transplanted to new territories. More info at https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/wild-nuts-in-canada

Fishing in Edmonton
Spring has sprung and so have the fishing rods along the river valley. The North Saskatchewan River cuts through the city and offers an incredible amount of different fishing spots that play host to walleye, sturgeon, pike and other fish. Great local spots include Big Island, Dawson Bridge, Dawson Park, Gold Bar wastewater treatment plant and Strathcona Science Park.

Five species of sucker can be caught in the river: silver redhorse, shorthead redhorse, quillback, white and longnose sucker. The mountain sucker is also occasionally caught in the Edmonton area. All are easily identified as suckers by their thick downward pointing lips which they use to suck food from the river bottom.

Mountain whitefish often move in schools from one pool to another. Occasionally, you can see them just downstream from the north end of the Quesnell Bridge. City fishing information at
https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/parks_rivervalley/fishing.aspx

Hermitage Park to Fraser Ravine trail
Hermitage Park is a gem of east Edmonton that is also a connection hub to other parks and trails, namely Rundle Park to the south and the East End Trails system to the north. Hermitage Park has an off-leash dog area, stocked fishing ponds, picnic sites and the opportunity for paddling activities.

This trail heads north from Hermitage Park, following a paved trail along the riverside before climbing upwards to the Bannerman neighbourhood and the Fraser Ravine. The turnaround point offers great views of the river and surrounding valley, along with a bench to really rest and take in the vistas.

To keep this route at 5 km, the turnaround point is the Fraser Ravine lookout, but you could easily continue along the East End Trails that lead up to the Anthony Henday bridge and beyond to the Quarry lookout.

This is an easy trail that is moderately flat with some inclines, and stairs. It is a wide paved shared-use path. Bikes are allowed as well as dogs both on-leash and off-leash where indicated. Lots of parking at Hermitage Park. Learn more at https://rivervalley.ab.ca/news/trailtrek-how-to-hermitage-park-to-fraser-ravine/

Edmonton homeless camp enforcement paused during pandemic
Edmonton has halted the removal of homeless camps on public land during the COVID-19 pandemic, citing safety reasons. The city’s encampment response team has paused enforcement operations, meaning they are no longer giving occupants of camps on public land notice to vacate, city spokeswoman Adrienne Cloutier said.

The city’s encampment response team includes City of Edmonton employees, police officers and staff from Homeward Trust and Boyle Street. In normal times, the team responds to reports of camps on public lands and tries to connect residents with housing and services before giving them a deadline to move along.

Ward 6 Councillor Scott McKeen said the city needs to strike a balance between supporting the homeless and protecting communities where camps are commonly found. He cited fires in Dawson Park last spring, which Riverdale residents linked to homeless camps. Residents have also raised concerns about garbage left behind by campers. Read more at https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-homeless-camp-enforcement-paused-during-covid-19-pandemic/

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June 5, 2020

NSRVCS News - April 23, 2020

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June 5, 2020

Bald eagle not just an American bird
Dan reported “a pair of eagles flying over our house along the river in Rossdale.” They live throughout a large part of North America and are usually found near rivers and bodies of water. This is the case in Edmonton, where Bald Eagles can be seen in and along the river valley.

They are attracted to the Goldbar area due to the concentration of ducks and other waterfowl in the warm open water from the water treatment plant. During the Edmonton Christmas Bird count between 2 and 6 eagles have been counted annually in the past 7 years, mostly along the North Saskatchewan River.

Bald eagles usually hunt from a high perch and glide down to catch their prey. They will strike from the air and are known to wade into shallow streams or rivers for fish. They are occasionally pulled into the water while trying to catch large fish. These birds are surprisingly good swimmers, using their wings to mimic a motion that is similar to the butterfly stroke.

Juvenile bald eagles gradually spend time on their own away from their parents and learn to hunt by trial and error. They may eat a lot of carrion, especially fish, till they master hunting live food. Learn more at https://edmonton.wbu.com/bird-of-the-month-bald-eagles

Devonian trail in Parkland County
If you are in search of a peaceful hike, the Devonian Trail offers river valley views, country roads and blissful boardwalks. It begins at Prospector’s Point and ends at the University of Alberta Botanical Gardens, formerly known as the Devonian gardens - hence Devonian trail.

This trail is a 12 km round trip which will take 2-3 hours. It has a gravel-rocky path and a wooden boardwalk, with some steep sections as you ascend out of the valley. The Prospector’s Point parking lot is just off Highway 60 and next to the North Saskatchewan River. There are bathrooms and garbage cans at the parking lot.

Named for those who used the area to pan for gold, Prospector’s Point is a great place to relax, fish and take in the views. The trail heading up from Prospector’s Point is on land once owned by Mary Louise Imrie, the first female architect in Edmonton and one of the first Canadian women to establish her own architecture firm.

Inspired by Alberta’s landscapes, she bequeathed the land to the Alberta Sport, Recreation, Parks and Wildlife foundation in 1988. Her biggest hope was that the people of Alberta could enjoy this beautiful land, and the Devonian Trail is one of the ways you can do that. More information at https://rivervalley.ab.ca/trail-treks/trailtrek-how-to-devonian-trail-in-parkland-county/

Online resources for environment learning from home
As the physical and social distancing measures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic seem likely to stay in force for the near future, the Alberta Environmental Network has compiled suggestions of online environmental learning resources to help kids of all ages learn about the environment during this time of limited activities.

The 17+ online resources include teach and learn at home options for kids, back to school courses for high school students and adults, online films from the festival circuit and interactive simulation tools to see the impact of the choices, decisions, and policies we make on our landscape and climate. Check out options at https://aenweb.ca/news/17-online-resources-learning-about-environment-home-kids-all-ages

Black spruce our coast to coast evergreen
Black spruce trees can reach heights of up to 30 metres. More than 80 per cent of its global range is in Canada where it grows from coast to coast. It is the provincial tree of Newfoundland and Labrador. They typically grow in cold, soggy areas, such as bogs and swamps, but also in upland areas.

The black spruce’s short, stiff, blue-green needles along its drooping branches are arranged in every direction on the tree's twigs. Its cones are small, purplish-brown, and egg-shaped. They can remain on a tree for up to 30 years.

Black spruce cones readily open and disperse seeds after wildfires. It also reproduces through layering, which occurs when the lower branches touch the ground and put down roots that then send up new stems. This strategy enables the species to reproduce in harsh environments where other trees cannot live.

Black spruce plays many important roles in an ecosystem. Its seeds are the primary food source for red squirrels, chickadees, nuthatches, and crossbills, while snowshoe hares, mice and voles eat the seedlings and spruce grouse feed on the needles. Learn more at https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/featured-species/plants/black-spruce.html