River Valley News - Jan 20, 2022

Bunchberry holds floral deployment speed record
Some flowers open quickly, and some are even spring-loaded, but the floral deployment speed record belongs to the lowly dogwood relative, the bunchberry, which when triggered opens its tiny four-petal bloom in less than a millisecond.

While some flowers recruit the help of pollinating insects by producing sweet nectars or are otherwise biologically engineered to entice potential pollinators, the bunchberry has a fairly peculiar and extreme method of dispersing its pollen to passersby.

When triggered by an insect or other pollinator, the bud of a bunchberry will explode into its flowered state so fast that it is not visible to the naked eye. As it flings opens, the hinged anther inside the flower projects pollen away from the flower and onto whatever is in range.

Even when viewed through a video camera at 10,000 frames a second, the motion is barely discernible. In the blink of an eye, the bunchberry is in bloom. Watch video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFR17bX0noI&t=8s

Hotel Macdonald an iconic figure on Edmonton skyline
Perched on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River Valley, the Hotel Macdonald opened on July 5, 1915. Setting the bar for hotelier excellence in Alberta, the hotel has long been known for its elegance and draw as a luxury destination.

The idea to create this spectacular holiday destination was that of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway, which hoped to corner the market on tourist travel to Edmonton at the start of the 20th century. The company spared no expense in constructing its masterpiece, which took four years and $2.25 million to complete, worth $52 million today.

Named after Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, it attracted guests from across the world. After the 1939 visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the grandest suite in the hotel was named in her honor.

Unfortunately, the Hotel Macdonald was forced to close in 1983 due to disrepair. But in 1985, the City of Edmonton declared the hotel a Municipal Heritage Resource, saving it from being wrecked. It was the first building in the city to receive this distinction. It was purchased by Canadian Pacific Hotels in 1988 and re-opened in 1991.

The restoration included the addition of specialty suites in what had once been the attic. Due to the unique construction of the building, these suites have turret spaces and magnificent views of valley below and the city of Edmonton. Learn more at https://www.historichotels.org/hotels-resorts/fairmont-hotel-macdonald/history.php

Horned Grebe a species at risk
The Horned Grebe is a small duck-like water bird that lives in small freshwater ponds and marshes containing a mixture of emergent vegetation and open water and have been observed in urban ponds in Edmonton and St Albert. It is imperative we protect their habitat, to prevent them from disappearing entirely.

In breeding plumage, it has a golden yellow patch of feathers behind its eyes that can be raised or lowered at will, giving it the appearance of horns. Chicks are fed adult’s feathers, a behaviour unique to grebes. This forms a plug of feathers in the stomach and may function as a filter or may hold fish bones in the stomach until they can be digested.

Horned grebes are excellent swimmers and divers. During dives they may stay underwater for up to three minutes and travel 150-200 meters. They sleep by resting their neck on their back and tucking one foot under a wing and then use the other foot to manoeuvre in the water.

Grebes are awkward on land and spend most of their time swimming or floating on the water. Their legs are set so far back on their bodies that they are hardly able to walk. Read more at https://www.ealt.ca/species-spotlight-list/horned-grebe

Private golf courses open for free winter public use
Russ writes “I agree with what Councillor Michael Janz wrote last week. The city needs to reopen the lease and allow more guaranteed access for outdoor activity. Additionally, they need to also allow more access to the golf tee sheet in order to increase usage on this prime public land by taxpayers. It is very limited.”

Comment or contribution
If you have a comment, concern, or question, contact us at nsrivervalley@gmail.com Please also email us river valley photos or event information. Your friends, neighbours and colleagues can sign up for this newsletter on our web site https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/

Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712

River Valley News - Jan 13, 20222

Court dismisses solar power judicial review application
A court application to overturn Edmonton city council’s approval of Epcor’s planned 51-acre solar farm in the river valley has been quashed. Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice George Fraser found the judicial review brought forward by river valley activists to be moot because the project had already gone through the proper approvals and couldn’t be overturned.

The 45,000-panel solar farm project next to Epcor’s E.L. Smith Water Treatment Plant has long been a bone of contention in the city. Council approved rezoning for the development through a split 7-6 vote in October 2020. The Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition challenged the decision, launching a judicial review which was heard last November.

In his decision, Fraser said this determination would only be required if the project were a major public facility or if the city were putting money into the project and he found neither factor to be met. The coalition also took issue with council’s focus on the financial benefits when making the decision and not specifically pointing out social or environmental impacts.

Fraser said “It may be true that the financial benefits of the project were given priority over the other considerations. There is nothing in the bylaw that requires an equal weighting of the factors. The councillors were free to assign whatever weighting he or she wanted to each of the factors. If the electorate does not like the councillor’s perceived weighting, they can reflect their displeasure at the ballot box.”

Coalition chair Kristine Kowalchuk said the organization is disappointed and considering all its options, including an appeal. “The decision wording does, however, make clear that this issue is a serious one. The issue underscores the need for the City of Edmonton to undertake administrative changes to better protect our river valley.” More at https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/judicial-review-to-halt-council-approved-epcor-solar-farm-project-in-the-river-valley-dismissed-by-court-ruling-project-moving-ahead-with-completion-pegged-for-the-spring

Now is perfect time to remove black knot
Black knot is caused by the fungus Apiosporina morbosa and attacks various trees and shrubs. It infects trees within the Prunus genus, which includes different types of plum and cherry trees. The fungus has also been known to infect shrubs in the Rose family. The spores spread in warm and wet weather, so it should be removed when temperatures are consistently below zero.

It is spread through spores by rain, wind, birds, and insects that have had contact with infected trees. The spores spread in the spring and infect other trees, then in the summer the infection creates green swellings at the tip of the branches. In the following years, these swellings blacken and enlarge. Learn more and how to control it at https://www.ealt.ca/blog/black-knot-what-is-it-and-why-do-we-care?rq=black%20knot

Volunteers needed for urban coyote intervention program
The Edmonton Urban Coyote Project at the University of Alberta is looking for volunteers to participate in the Urban Coyote Intervention Program. This program aims to determine whether intimidating coyotes occupying residential neighbourhoods can increase their wariness towards people.

Volunteers will learn how to intimidate coyotes in specific situations by chasing them while making noise and throwing tennis balls weighted with sand and fitted with flagging tape. These actions are intended to frighten coyotes, but not injure them.

Use of similar techniques, known as hazing or aversive conditioning, is widely recommended by wildlife managers to reduce habituation by animals to people and avoid the subsequent need for more intensive tools, including lethal management. Learn more about this program and how to participate at https://urbancoyoteinterventionprogram.weebly.com/

Riverdale one of the oldest neighbourhoods in our city
Nestled into a bend of the North Saskatchewan River and surrounded by high cliffs, the district which would later be called Riverdale was the first industrial suburb of Fort Edmonton

The search for gold in the 1860s saw early European visitors, and they were followed in the next 30 years by settlers who established wheat fields, steamboat landings, ferries, lumber and grist mills, coal mines and a brickyard. Workers first lived on site, but soon spread beyond the bunkhouses. Everyone called this area Fraser Flats, after the owner of the lumber mill.

Clay, water and abundant trees for fuel made this river flat a perfect place to make brick. The needs of a growing town and the enterprising spirit of James Brown Little combined in 1893 to found a century-long dynasty of brick makers.

Said to be “the most consistently high-quality brick of its time,” the Little product helped build early 20th century Edmonton. J.B. and his descendants established many long-standing social traditions of the district and sponsored hockey and baseball teams for years.

Today the brickyard has been developed into residential housing, but J.B.’s brick house still stands and is home to a trendy café enjoyed by Riverdalians and river-valley visitors alike. In 1905, the area was subdivided, and a land boom quickly saw the present residential shape take form. Read more at https://riverdalians.ca/history

Private golf courses open for free winter public use
Councillor Michael Janz writes “I’m getting a number of complaints from skiers or neighbours that the Mayfair regularly closes their parking lot and limits the access to the grounds. I’ve heard a number of folks are simply discouraged due to the inconsistency, so they simply seek other routes.”

Comment or contribution
If you have a comment, concern, or question, contact us at nsrivervalley@gmail.com Please also email us river valley photos or event information. Your friends, neighbours and colleagues can sign up for this newsletter on our web site https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/

Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712

River Valley News - Jan 6, 2022

12 Days of Noels in the river valley

Schoen Duo is posting a series of 12 site-specific music videos at various locations in Mill Creek Ravine. In the same way that you might enjoy a sculpture or a mural in a public place, this is an experiment in creating a public art musical performance that is available to anyone passing by.

Playing a baroque flute and violin, musicians Thomas and Kathleen Schoen are making a connection between changing seasons of the land and the music traditionally used during the Christmas and solstice celebrations of the early French settler culture.

The recordings are deliberately underproduced, to make it sound like the musicians are playing outdoors. You can interact with the performances by accessing them on your phone with a QR code that is posted in each location, or by a direct link to https://www.schoen-duo.ca/soundscape-projects-2/12-days-of-noels-project/

House finch has inched north due to climate change

House Finch is a small songbird that is a year-round resident. The bird is a member of the true finch family, which also includes canaries. They are quite acrobatic and can hang upside down on twigs and the side of buildings.

Males get their feather pigment from their food. If they eat a lot of food with yellow, red, or orange pigments they are more brightly coloured. It has been shown females prefer to mate with redder coloured males.

This bird illustrates two recent environmental phenomena, one of which is climate change. It has been inching its way north for some time. Edmonton is near the northern limits of its range, but its original range in Canada was the west coast up to the Rockies. It is also an introduced species in parts of North America.

In the 1940s wild birds from California were shipped to New York City and sold as caged birds. This was illegal so dealers released the birds, which quickly established a breeding population and spread north, south, and west. The birds we have in Alberta are a combination of western birds moving north and these introduced birds. More at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15886478-this-week-community-critters-common-yet-often-overlooked

Private golf courses open for free winter public use

As part of their lease with the City of Edmonton, Highlands Golf Club and the Royal Mayfair Golf Club are open for free winter public use

The Royal Mayfair, which is adjacent to Hawrelak Park, has a 3 km doubletrack family friendly trail. This Nordic ski trail can be used both directions and has an easy overall physical rating. On average it takes 22 minutes to complete this trail.

Highlands Golf Club was established more than 80 years and is on the southern boundary of the Highlands and Virginia Park communities. In the winter months, the course is popular with dog walkers as well as Edmontonians who ski, snowshoe or sled down hills. Highlands information at https://www.edmonton.ca/public-files/assets/document?path=HighlandsWalkingMap.pdf

December 30 newsletter

Liz writes “Well done, always interesting. You are helping all of us appreciate our wonderful gift of the river valley.”

Comment or contribution

Please note that articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the wide variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley. Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Sincerely yours,

Harvey Voogd

North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society

780.691.1712