River Valley News - Jan 19, 2023

Barnebirkie family ski coming to Hawrelak Park

Family ski events for children and their parents will be held February 12 in Hawrelak Park as part of the Silver Skate Festival. Barne is Norwegian for child. This birkie will be an afternoon of family fun with cross-country skiing, games, prizes and fun.

The Birkebeiner legend dates to a 1206 civil war in Norway when two Birkebeiner warriors rescued an infant prince and carried him 55km by skis in the dead of winter to safety. The Birkebeiners, or Birchbarkleggers, got their name from wrapping and tying birch bark around their legs from the knees down, similar to gaiters. This kept the snow out and protected their legs in battle.

Children under 12, when registered with an adult, ski free. Adults accompanying Barnebirkie skiers on the course must be on skis to retain the integrity of the course. The classic technique track set ski course will have races of 500m, 1.5km, or 3km. Registration information at https://canadianbirkie.com/birkie-sunday/

Red Crossbill forages on seeds in pine and spruce cones

A fascinating finch of coniferous woodlands, the Red Crossbill forages on nutritious seeds in pine, hemlock, Douglas-fir, and spruce cones. Their specialized bills allow them to break into unopened cones, giving them an advantage over other finch species. This bird is so dependent upon conifer seeds it even feeds them to its young. Consequently, it can breed anytime it finds a sufficiently large cone crop, even in the depths of winter.

Nests, built mostly by the female, are usually sited in open rather than dense woodlands and are built inside dense foliage, on branches, next to or near the trunk, up to about 70 feet above the ground. Their bulky cup nests are built largely of conifer twigs, with the cup lined with grasses, weeds, seed-pod fibers, lichens, conifer needles, feathers, bark, or hair.

A crossbill's odd bill shape helps it get into tightly closed cones. A bird's biting muscles are stronger than the muscles used to open the bill, so the Red Crossbill places the tips of its slightly open bill under a cone scale and bites down. The crossed tips of the bill push the scale up, exposing the seed inside. More information at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Crossbill/overview

Flying Canoë Volant one of YEG's great winter celebrations

This festival is a creative, interactive, and cultural event that celebrates local history and everything that is great about a long winter's night. It will be February 1–4, beginning at 6pm every evening, in Mill Creek Ravine and La Cité francophone - 8627 Rue Marie-Anne-Gaboury (91 Street).

The Flying Canoë, also known as La Chasse-galerie, is a legend with shared French-Canadian and Indigenous origins. In most reincarnations, it is a tale of voyageurs who make a deal with the devil to make their birch bark canoe fly in order to see their loved ones. However, fate has other plans and they are condemned to fly the skies for all eternity.

This nighttime adventure in Edmonton's French Quarter and along the illuminated trails of the Mill Creek Ravine includes the world class illuminated works of Dylan Toymaker and friends, and many outdoor and indoor stages such as the Flying Canoe Volant Cabaret, la Scène franco, School of Song Cabaret and Café Croissant, and Café Bicyclette's Winter Patio featuring local DJ's and both local and national musical talents. Information at https://www.flyingcanoevolant.ca/

Nocturnal animals that thrive in the dark

Paola Chiovelli writes “Several years ago my husband and I were walking in the Lake Beaumaris Lake District when we spotted a Kangaroo mouse. The photo taken of it in the clover patch shows its back right leg being dragged behind it. Then as it ran away the back left leg was easily seen. These little creatures are nocturnal and only due to the fact it was hurt did we have the opportunity to photograph it. Please add this species to your list of nocturnal animals living within city boundaries.”

Paola Chiovelli photo of Kangaroo mouse.

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

River Valley News - Jan 12, 2023

New guide on Big Lake mammals, reptiles, and amphibians

Nature fans can now learn all about the moose, mice, and wolverines of Big Lake through a just-released guide to the animals of Lois Hole Park. The Big Lake Environment Support Society’s Animal Guide to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park is available for purchase and in a free digital version.

The guide contains photos and information on 53 mammals, reptiles, and amphibians found in and around Lois Hole Park based on local knowledge and scientific research. The guide covers salamanders, toads, frogs, and snakes around Big Lake, said co-author Lyn Druett. These species tend to be elusive, and park visitors were more likely to hear than see them.

Guide co-author Linda Brain said researching the animals of Big Lake left her awestruck. The muskrat has two-to-three litters of six-to-eight young a year and serves as a food source for many predators. Big Lake was also likely home to thirteen-lined ground squirrels, which breathe once every five minutes during hibernation, and pygmy shrews, which eat three times their body weight every day.

Perhaps the most surprising entry in the guide is the wolverine, a ferocious, brown, stocky, dog-like creature that has been spotted just twice around Lois Hole Park in the last 10 years. Purchase and free digital version information at https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/new-guide-for-big-lakes-animals-available-6344515

Three easy to grow flowers and one challenging flower

(Photo by Kristyn Mayner)

Wildflower News has an excellent article which is the first in a series to help people decide which native plants to add to their gardens this year. Three species will be featured each month with the article outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each and their distinctive features. A challenging species has been added for those of you who are looking for a challenge or something new.

Three easy to grow flowers are meadow blazingstar, giant hyssop, and gaillardia. All of these species have seeds that can be planted in spring without any special treatment. All three species attract and feed bees, butterflies, other pollinators and birds. These flowers are all perennials.

Who doesn’t love prairie crocus, the first flower of spring. It often pops up through the snow and their flowers are ready for harsh spring conditions. Each flower is a little solar energy collector that follows the sun. The petals, actually sepals, reflect the sunlight towards the centre, warming it by as much as 10 degrees above the surrounding temperature. However, this beautiful plant is challenging to grow.

Native plants in general bloom in the second year but could bloom in the first or third year in some instances. These plants do well in Edmonton garden soil without a lot added. Some may benefit from a small amount of compost added to soil. They do not need to be watered once they are established unless there is a drought. Learn more at https://cdn.sanity.io/files/d59screl/production/d4058cf2babdd6425c58826de8c81fb787cbfe87.pdf

Nocturnal animals that thrive in the dark

Meghan Jacklin, Conservation Coordinator for the Edmonton and Area Land Trust, recently spoke on CBC Radio about animals that thrive in the dark. Nocturnal animals in Edmonton includes foxes, owls, porcupines, skunks, bats in summer, and our most recent addition, the raccoon.

Being active at night means avoiding competition with animals active in the daytime and helps to avoid predators. Red squirrels are active in the day, while flying squirrels are active at night. Flying squirrels have large eyes to see in the dark and though called flying, actually glide. During the day, they roost in tree cavities.

A good spot to watch nocturnal animals is bird feeders. Flying squirrels will glide to feeders to eat and gather up the seeds and food left there. Porcupines will feast on fruit and seeds lying on the ground. Our river valley with its trees and natural habitat is also a good place to see nocturnal creatures. Remain quiet, lights out, and you may be surprised at the activity around you. Listen to interview at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15956255-its-dark-outside-animals

Balsam Poplar can live up to 70 years

Balsam poplar is a fast growing, fast suckering tree that prefers moist to wet sites, and can handle seasonal flooding. Indeed, it is well adapted to flooding: its deep, binding root system is excellent for holding together the banks of rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. Further, its infamous white fluff is timed perfectly with the June flood season, sprouting up on the exposed wet soils that are left as the waters recede.

The seeds of balsam poplar are eaten by birds, and the sticky fragrant leaf buds have medicinal properties, and can be used in salves and infused oils. Bees sometimes harvest the resin from balsam poplar and use it to disinfect their hives.

Balsam poplar is an excellent, commonly used pioneering species for Eco-Buffers, and is also used extensively in riparian buffers. It can provide a quick “nurse crop” for shade-tolerant species needing wind protection to get established, such as hemlock or white pine. It is often planted as a fast-growing windbreak in rural areas and does not root sucker as readily as other species.

The range of balsam poplar spans coast to coast and it is one of the hardiest deciduous trees in Canada. More at https://www.awes-ab.ca/species/balsam-poplar/

New Life. . .New Beginnings by Richard Tosczak, Hawrelak Park https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/78

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

River Valley News - Jan 5, 2023

Al-Rashid the original little Mosque on the prairie

The Muslim community was established in Canada in the late 1800s when people began to immigrate from what is now Lebanon and Syria. As the community grew in Edmonton, some women made plans to open a mosque where the children could learn their religion and the community could host social functions.

Hilwi Hamdon, approached Edmonton’s Mayor, John Fry, in the hope that he would supply them with land on which to build the mosque. He responded by stating that the community did not have the money to build a mosque. Hamdon answered, “We’ll get the money.” The Mayor agreed to grant them the land if they supplied the money to cover the cost of construction, approximately $5,000

The community hired a Ukrainian-Canadian builder, Mike Drewoth. On the outside, two hexagonal minarets would be topped with an onion-shaped silver dome and a crescent moon. The mosque resembled a Russian Orthodox Church. The Al-Rashid Mosque was officially opened on December 12, 1938 on the corner of 101 St &108 Ave. It stood there until 1946 when the Public School Board asked the Muslim community to relocate so Victoria Composite High School could expand. In November of 1946, the Al-Rashid was relocated to 102 St & 111 Ave.

By 1975, the Al-Rashid was too small to accommodate them, and the community decided to build a new mosque. The Al-Rashid was left unused for 10 years. In 1988, the Royal Alexandra Hospital told the community the mosque needed to be moved within eight months or it would be demolished at the congregation’s expense.

The Canadian Council of Muslim Women formed to relocate the mosque to Fort Edmonton Park. They met with a great deal of opposition from Edmonton City Council, the city’s Parks and Recreation department, and Fort Edmonton Park. After a citywide debate, Fort Edmonton Park agreed to take the mosque under the condition that the Muslim community raise the funds to relocate and restore it. The Al-Rashid Mosque was formally opened at Fort Edmonton Park on May 28, 1992. Learn more at http://www.yegtales.ca/alrashid.html

Human gut microbiota invade urban wildlife

Different animals have different gut microbiota, depending on evolution, lifestyle, and their environment. Human urbanization is impacting ecosystems worldwide, so scientists want to understand how this might alter the microbiomes of affected wildlife.

Researchers investigated whether city-dwelling wildlife have different gut microbiomes than rural wildlife. They studied gut microbiomes in species that have both urban and rural populations, including white crowned sparrows, coyotes, and several anole lizard species, all of which are native to North America. To get a snapshot of their gut microbiomes, the team compiled DNA from fecal samples of each animal.

The coyote dataset included DNA from urban populations living in Edmonton, Canada, and rural populations in Leduc. The microbiomes of urban coyotes were somewhat similar to humans, but they still had more in common with their rural counterparts. This meant that the microbiomes of urban-dwelling populations of these animals were not identical to humans, but only shifted slightly towards more human-like microbes.

The authors wanted to know what factors could have changed the gut microbiomes of these animals. Their analysis showed the gut microbiomes of urban humans were less diverse than those of rural humans, but the gut microbiomes of urban coyotes were more diverse than rural populations. Scientists interpreted these results to mean that urban populations of animals had gained gut microbes rather than lost them. Read more at https://sciworthy.com/human-gut-microbiota-invade-urban-wildlife/

Pine Grosbeak a species of low conservation concern

(Photo by Joe Chowaniec)

Pine Grosbeaks are part of the finch family, dwarf every other finch and nearly every bird that lands on a bird feeder. They frequently visit feeders with black oil sunflower seeds or suet. Grosbeaks drink water or eat snow daily.

Most of their diet is made up of buds, seeds, and fruits from spruce, pine, juniper, birch, mountain ash, maple, box elder, crabapple, blackberry, ragweed, and burdock. It can be tough for their nestlings to eat and digest all that vegetation. Instead of feeding plants directly to their nestlings, they regurgitate a paste of insects and vegetable matter that they store in pouches at the lower part of their jaw on either side of their tongues.

In winter, they forage in groups from 5 to15 individuals. In areas where different call types exist, individuals with the same song type stick together. They do not forage with other groups with different flight calls. North American data suggest populations of Pine Grosbeaks held steady between 1966 and 2019. More at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pine_Grosbeak/overview

Winter trails for dogs in the river valley

George writes “I just read your article about dogs off leash in the winter. I wish you would have added that the bylaw requires a dog off the property to be under the control of the owner at all times. I think a lot of people just assume that off leash means the dog can do whatever they want including running up to and jumping on other people. Readers can find the bylaw at https://www.edmonton.ca/public-files/assets/document?path=Bylaws/C13145.pdf “ 

Photo by Peter Woloshyn

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