River Valley News - May 5, 2022

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May 5, 2022

Gibbons Cactus Prairie a piece of badlands near Edmonton
The Gibbons Cactus Prairie is a desert-like area located in Gibbons. The cactus patches are along the dry south facing slopes of the Sturgeon River Valley on town parkland. This is the only known place on public land where cacti grow wild in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region.

The Sturgeon River has cut deep into the bedrock in this area, exposing sediments laid down 60 to 130 million years ago. This has created a unique badlands zone along about 750m of the Sturgeon’s west bank that is similar to what you’d encounter near Drumheller.

Some 155 plant species are here, including the brittle prickly pear cactus, native grasses, as well as butterflies, birds, and other animals. It has features of both forest and riparian zone habitats, and has been mostly undisturbed by farming, making it a sort of living museum of the pre-settlement prairie.

There is concern regarding damage caused by snowmobiles and off-road vehicles. Learn more at https://www.stalberttoday.ca/local-news/gibbons-badlands-under-threat-kathleen-mpulubusi-patsy-cotterill-2149162

Coyote awareness and perception survey
The City of Edmonton would like to know how you perceive urban coyotes and their behaviours, how you would react when you see a coyote in various scenarios, and when you would call 311 or expect assistance from the City. Participate in the survey until May 15 at https://bit.ly/38v2iEs

Buffalo Bean flower an indicator bison bull hunt can begin
This native plant’s bright yellow flowers bloom in mid to late May or early June and its range extends from southern Alberta to Edmonton. The name buffalo bean comes from First Nations people who used its flowering time to indicate that bison bulls were now ready for the spring hunt.

Indigenous people made a dye from the flowers to colour skin bags and arrows. Petals were dried and smoked, and the flowers were also used as a cure for stomach disease. The brew was drunk, causing the person to pass what was bad. Roots were used for a horse medicine.

Buffalo bean provides both nectar and pollen for bees, unlike flowers of other species which provide only one or the other. More at https://plantwatch.naturealberta.ca/choose-your-plants/golden-bean/index.html

Edmonton naturalization and tree planting survey
The City would like to understand perspectives on naturalization and tree planting, identify opportunities for education and awareness, understand at a high level how Edmontonians use naturalized and open spaces in the City and where they would be supportive of naturalization and tree planting.

This feedback will be used to inform the greening initiatives and help prioritize and sequence naturalization and tree planting citywide. Survey is open until May 16 at https://bit.ly/3vV4PQf

Where is City leadership on eco-system degradation
Myron writes “My home backs onto a ravine, as do the homes of thirty other Grandview residents. Since the first trails were cut in 2016, we have seen a steady erosion of our ravine eco-system. We too have observed the improper and excessive cutting of trees to make way for new mountain bike trails.

I have tried to work with City officials, seeking to implement change. Over time, I have discovered that there is no there there. In other words, responsibility for our river valley is diffused over several departments; individual employees are empathetic to preserving our river valley, but they can’t seem to -in aggregate- implement changes that discernibly improve this diminishing resource. Who will provide leadership?”

River Valley Patrol needed
Ivan emailed “Found the letter last week about a patrol, especially for destruction of trees for the sake of mountain biking, really interesting. I live near Ravine Drive. Mountain bikers have been cutting trails in the valley for years.

I met with Parks Enforcement on one occasion and was told that without solid proof of cutting down trees and cutting trails, there was not much they could do. Unfortunately, there are mountain bikers in the City who feel very entitled. They are the few who make the vast majority of cyclists look bad.”

Proposed Edmonton-Strathcona County footbridge connecting 167 Avenue to Township Road 540.

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.

If you have a comment, concern, or question, contact us at nsrivervalley@gmail.com Please 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

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April 28, 2022

River Valley News - April 28, 2022

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April 28, 2022

Ease up on mowing and participate in No Mow May
Started in the U.K. and picking up steam in Canada, No Mow May is a call to help wild pollinators and other wildlife in the greenspaces where we live. Trying to increase your lawn’s diversity is important for urban nature because lawns are one of the largest green spaces in our cities. Canada has an estimated 6.2 million lawns.

If you imagine dozens and dozens of backyards doing things to improve habitat for native pollinators and migratory birds, this can have a big impact on nature and the quality of our urban ecosystems. By letting flowers bloom on your lawn, including dandelions, you can provide an important source of nectar and pollen for wild bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects.

Bees and butterflies are the most familiar insect pollinators, while moths, flies, beetles, and ants are lesser-known pollinators that still play an important role. In recent years, there has been a sharp decline in some pollinator populations due to climate change, habitat loss, loss of native plants, and pesticides.

A U.K. study found that changing a mowing routine and allowing plants to flower can create enough nectar for ten times more pollinators. It is suggested to mow your lawn every four weeks, which results in a higher number of flowers on your lawn. Tips on how to attract pollinators at https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/blog/archive/saving-the-bees.html#.YmmUjdrMI2x

Edmonton Paddlers Boat & Gear Swap
This event will be Saturday, May 14 from 10am to 1pm at ReMax Field Parking Lot #2, between Rosedale Rd & 104 St. There is no fee for buyers, but all purchases are cash only. Sellers need to preregister.

Items will include canoes, kayaks, and stand up paddleboards, as well as paddling and camping gear and gadgets. Proceeds to support the Edmonton Paddling Centres Association programs and facilities.

Paddlers think the only way to see the river valley is by canoe, kayak, or SUP, as it involves so little environmental disturbance. And what better way to enhance sustainability than to assist the reuse of useful paddling and camping gear. More info and sellers’ preregistration at https://ceyanacanoeclub.wildapricot.org/event-4768929

Edmonton Folk Music Festival history
With the Folk Festival returning this August, after a two-year hiatus due to covid, you may be interested in the history of how this annual music event in the river valley began. In 1980, with Alberta celebrating its 75th anniversary, an idea was hatched to hold a folk festival in Edmonton.

The province granted the fledgling organization $89,000 out of the $75 million it had set aside for anniversary celebrations. Gold Bar Park was the site of the first festival, and most acts as well as the PA system, came thanks to a concurrent anniversary folk celebration, the Travelling Goodtime Alberta Medicine Show.

The province, in the anniversary year, donated money to have a school bus full of artists like Sylvia Tyson, Connie Kaldor and Stan Rogers travel around Alberta performing. That was the nucleus of the first Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

The second year didn’t go as smoothly. Funding did not come immediately for the festival and it looked as if 1980’s celebration might be a one-time event. However, SummerFest, the board set up to fund Edmonton’s summer festivals, decided to give the festival $15,000 after first refusing to fund it.

After 1981, EFMF’s funding became more or less assured, and the festival found a permanent home in Gallagher Park. Learn more at https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2015/08/05/edmonton-folk-fest-how-did-we-get-here/

River Valley Patrol needed
Johanus writes “I love our river valley and strongly believe in preserving it as much as possible, so do not like it when people go off trail, especially when they are in protected areas.

I was running on a trail when we came across a spot where someone had chopped down a large tree and built it into a drop-off ramp for mountain biking. This was a large ramp, at least 3m long and over a metre high. They had bent back and broken several bushes to clear the way.

Further on we found where a healthy tree had been cut into pieces and placed over bushes which stop soil erosion, pushing them down so that the bushes wouldn't stick out onto the trail and interfere with quick bike travel in that area.

I wonder if there is anything that can be done about this kind of behaviour? What does the City do about it? Is there any kind of patrol that monitors this? If not, I am thinking of trying to organize a volunteer patrol.”

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April 21, 2022

River Valley News - April 21, 2022

Guest User

April 21, 2022

Fragile tufa springs a river valley treasure
Patsy Cotterill writes that the east slopes of Whitemud Creek near Fox Drive are the site of an interesting geological phenomenon known as tufa springs. Here, water rich in calcium and iron flows year-round from steep embankments into the creek below. The slopes are covered with outcrops of a greyish rock called tufa, formed over long periods of time by precipitation of calcium carbonate and other minerals from the spring water at ambient temperatures.

The springs create conditions similar to peatlands in the boreal forest, such that wet pockets in the white spruce forest are home to orchids, including lady’s slippers, round-leaved and northern green orchids, and a number of sedges, grasses, and mosses.

The lower slopes see heavy recreational use and have become degraded by a complex network of man-made trails with loss of plant ground cover. The city needs to provide protected status for this area and rehabilitate the main trail, which is eroded by the water flows. Signage to educate the public on its sensitivity and interesting geology would help create respect for this beautiful and unique area of the river valley. Watch video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX_F7-6l5so

How does YEG City Council decide to name things
Following the end of the Second World War, in the face of rapid growth, Edmonton hired its first City Planner. Noel Dant, a planner from England, brought with him new ideas which had a massive impact. He embraced a modified grid, characterized by cul-de-sacs, curvilinear and even diagonal streets.

Because these streets did not align with the traditional grid pattern, many more named streets were required to avoid confusion. Until then, Council had addressed and debated names as they came up. The necessity for names led Council to pass Bylaw 1754 in February 1956, creating the District Names Advisory Committee.

The Committee’s role was to advise Council on suitable names for subdivisions, parks, neighbourhoods, and other public places. One of its recent high-profile tasks was working with Indigenous communities to determine 12 ward names based on Indigenous place names.

Now known as the Naming Committee, it has consulted with developers, researchers, and the public for more than 65 years to advise Council on naming Edmonton, making a momentous contribution to our sense of place in this city. Learn more at
https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/edmonton_archives/names-advisory-committee

City Nature Challenge runs April 29-May 2
The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is a friendly annual international challenge to see which city can record and upload the most observations of wildlife species using the free iNaturalist platform. From the tiniest bug to the tallest tree, from belugas to birds to beavers, participants are encouraged to take pictures of all the flora and fauna they can find.

By doing so, they contribute to an international database used to track biodiversity around the world. This event is designed to document urban biodiversity through photographs and celebrate the diversity of nature around the world. Now in its seventh year, this global event will have more than 300 cities participating.

The easiest way to participate is to take photos with your smartphone and share them to iNaturalist.ca. They will be automatically included in the local CNC project with no further input required from the participant, as long as the location is indicated correctly. More information at https://citynaturechallenge.org

Naturalization at stormwater ponds a good use of resources
In 2021, the United Nations declared the next 10 years the Decade on Restoration and a further 150 hectares of land at Edmonton stormwater management facilities began the 3-stage process of naturalization. The city had already recaptured 1,035 hectares of previously mowed open space land through naturalization.

Returning to a more natural habitat is good for pollinators like bees and butterflies, for birds and for small animals. Naturalization stabilizes the soil thanks to plants with deeper roots. It also helps with reducing runoff during large rain events, as well as filtering water and improving water quality.

Naturalized areas can also function as connector habitat for the movement of larger animals like deer. As planted trees mature, the value of the urban forest increases. Naturalization helps preserve money, that other valuable resource, by decreasing mowing costs.

Some residents initially find that it looks messy or unkempt, but over time they do find that deeper appreciation for naturalized areas. More at https://transforming.edmonton.ca/naturalization-at-stormwater-ponds-in-edmonton-a-good-use-of-resources-and-birds-like-it/

Edmonton finally undertaking ecological thinking
Harry writes “The City’s commitment to banning aerial spraying of wetlands and cosmetic use of pesticides is great news. However, I am unclear as to whether the proposed 2023 cosmetic pesticide ban covers only city-managed lands or all lands, including private residential properties. In either case, we need a very aggressive City-run education and awareness program to encourage private homeowners to get their green lawns off their chemical addictions, along with healthy alternative suggestions.”

River valley pine a small community shrine for any occasion
Harold emailed “It should be noted that the perfectly shaped “pine” tree in the article is actually a spruce, and a Colorado Spruce which is not native to our river valley or this province.”