River Valley News - March 9, 2023

Have your say on the future of Elk Island National Park

The Elk Island National Park draft management plan has been released for public review. You have an opportunity, until March 17, to shape the future of this National Park. It is the sixth oldest and one of the smallest of Canada’s forty-seven national parks. Initially created as a wildlife sanctuary for elk in 1906, Elk Island became a national park in 1913.

The park protects a representative portion of the Southern Boreal Plains and Plateaux natural region and is located on the Beaver Hills plateau, known as Amiskwaciy to Cree peoples. This plateau rises twenty metres above the surrounding plains and supports wetlands, aspen forest, grasslands and agricultural lands.

The size of park belies its ecological importance. In a transition area between the grasslands to the south and the boreal forest to the north, the aspen parkland of the Beaver Hills has a unique ecology and supports high levels of biodiversity. Aspen parkland is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. Globally, less than 10 percent of the original extent remains intact.

In addition to forests and modified grassland habitats, Elk Island contains a rich and highly concentrated system of unique wetlands. Wetlands characteristic of the “knob and kettle” terrain of the Beaver Hills support biodiversity, sequester carbon, filter water, and maintain surface water flow within the North Saskatchewan River watershed. Draft and survey https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/elkisland/info/plan/ebauche-draft

Where Western Wood-Pewee goes in winter is a mystery

Western Wood-Pewees and their Eastern cousins both migrate to northern South America, but because they look so similar and they don't call much on the wintering ground it's hard to say for certain where each species spends its winter.

This flycatcher eats flying ants, bees, crane flies, mayflies, dragonflies, wasps, beetles, and moths. Western Wood-Pewees are sit-and-wait predators. They sit on prominent perches often at the end of a dead branch for long periods waiting for an insect to fly by. They eat most smaller insects in midair but bring back larger insects to their perch before eating them.

Western Wood-Pewee are common, but their numbers declined by over 1% per year between 1966 and 2015, resulting in a cumulative decline of 48%, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 9.2 million, with 59% breeding in the United States, 29% in Canada, and 12% in Mexico. Learn more https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Wood-Pewee/overview

What happened to Baden Powell Park

A few weeks ago, we ran a story on Roman Fodchuk, the landscape architect who completed the Capital City Recreation Park. The article included a photo with the caption #13 Planting of trees and shrubs at Baden Powell Park. This led to an email from someone active in scouting who wanted to know where the park was, as the founder and first Chief Scout of the world-wide scout movement was Robert Baden-Powell.

A May 1979 article titled Edmonton Restores Its River Valley: A Capital Case for Reclamation by Nancy Ellwand and Roman Fodchuk includes Baden Powell Park in a list of Edmonton parks where various developments had been constructed.

According to the City of Edmonton Archives “It's a bit of a mystery. When processing the Roman Fodchuck fonds, I came across Baden Powell Park but could find no information on the park. The park was under the James MacDonald Bridge, east of 100 St. NW and south of Rossdale Rd NW, but google lists it as Rossdale Park.”

Do any readers know what happened to Baden Powell Park? Was the name officially changed? If so, why?

Learn about Baden-Powell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Baden-Powell,_1st_Baron_Baden-Powell

Smooth Fleabane is a native wildflower easy to grow from seed

The name fleabane is an old English word which means to banish fleas. It was a belief at the time that the dried plants repelled fleas. Smooth fleabane, or Erigeron glabellus, is a short, neat and compact perennial with dark green leaves, about 30 to 45cm tall. It usually starts blooming the first week of July and the pretty daisy-like flowers come in various shades of purple or pink.

There are several species of fleabane native to the Edmonton area, but smooth fleabane is the easiest to grow from seed. The seeds do not need to be stratified. They can be planted in spring without any pre-treatment and germination is usually good. Your plants will bloom the second year, but sometimes they will surprise you and bloom the first year in late summer.

Smooth fleabanes will thrive in most locations, except a hot and dry site, and are happy in sun or semi-shade https://cdn.sanity.io/files/d59screl/production/dc44e11c20c2ada20734f0f396c9cef6dc3a093d.pdf

Poems for a Small Park by E. D. Blodgett, Louise McKinney Riverfront Park. 40 poems in many languages highlight peoples' enjoyment of the River Valley https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/192

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 - March 2, 2023

Province of Alberta designates land for Big Island Provincial Park

On February 16, the Alberta Cabinet approved an Order in Council designating land to be known as Big Island Provincial Park. In September 2017, Edmonton City Council approved a recommendation that the Mayor write to the relevant provincial ministers indicating the City’s interest in the development of an Urban Regional Provincial Park, and request that the Province form a working group of partners to develop the concept.

The Council report noted that “Interest for an Urban Provincial Park located around the Big Island-Woodbend area was first raised with the Mayor’s Office in early 2016 during a meeting with the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society.” Our society is excited and supportive of the establishment of Big Island Provincial Park as an important step towards long-term protection of the North Saskatchewan River Valley.

The park will be cooperatively managed by the Government of Alberta, Enoch Cree Nation and City of Edmonton. This tri-governmental approach will ensure a sustainable future for Big Island and protect its ecological, historical and cultural significance. Video and more about Alberta’s newest provincial park at https://www.alberta.ca/big-island-provincial-park-engagement.aspx  

Edmonton filled with stories of lost land and water bodies

Blair Tegart Photo

The Winterburn Woodland was a 46-hectare tableland forest that populated the lands south of Whitemud Drive, along 215 Street (Winterburn Road). Today, only 8 hectares of the original Winterburn Woodland remain within Edmonton’s boundaries, as part of The Hamptons neighbourhood.

Prior to its partial destruction, a 1993 study conducted by Geowest Environmental Consultants identified the area as one of 38 significant environmentally sensitive areas in the city, and one of 4 areas of regional significance, stating “The diversity of vegetation communities found within the Winterburn Woodlot is unparalleled within the city’s tableland area.”

Before development, the area was characterized by unique patches of vegetation, including upland layers of low-bush cranberry, raspberry, rose, and beaked hazelnut; and lowland wetland areas consisting of black spruce, larch, paper birch, and extensive occurrences of lady fern and oak fern.

In addition to its plant richness, the Winterburn Woodland provided critical habitat for white-tailed deer and 33 avian species, including a pair of Cooper’s hawks, which were considered a vulnerable species in the 1990s, and one of the largest populations of western wood-pewee in the city. Precisely because of the area’s high species diversity, and the sensitivity of the local wetland hydrology, Geowest advised against further disturbances to the woodland.

On May 25, 1998, the City of Edmonton approved The Hamptons Neighbourhood Structure Plan and, consequently, the plan to bulldoze the majority of the Winterburn Woodland. In 2006, through money from the Municipal Reserve and Natural Area Reserve Fund, the City conserved a 7.9-hectare parcel, now known as The Winterburn Woodland natural area which is one of the largest retained tableland forest patches within the urbanized areas of the city. Read the full story at https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2023/02/15/the-winterburn-woodland/

As we fight to protect species, let’s not forget the familiar ones

Abundance provides only a partial buffer against extinction. Common species, even those in seemingly limitless numbers, are not immune to decimation. Increasingly, conservation is turning its sights in this direction to safeguard what is common, not just what is rare.

There are good reasons to consider the common. Abundant species can serve as the proverbial canaries in a coal mine. A study of North American birds uncovered that we have lost three billion birds on this continent within the past two generations.

These declines include species once deemed widespread and secure, like the common redpoll, whose numbers are down by 29 million, the common grackle, down by 83 million and the common nighthawk, down by 26 million. The staggering losses are a reminder that the mark of a species in trouble is not rarity, but rate of decline.

Notably, the shifts in abundance of common species can translate into sizeable shifts in ecosystem functioning. Birds, despite their diminutive stature, throw their aggregate weight around, owing to the innumerable insects they eat, the flowers they pollinate and the seeds they disperse. More at https://theconversation.com/as-we-fight-to-protect-species-on-the-brink-of-extinction-lets-not-forget-the-familiar-ones-199307

Grove of Light by Laura Haddad & Tom Drugan, Edmonton Valley Zoo. https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/119

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 - Feb 23, 2023

Nature-based solutions and Edmonton’s Zoning Bylaw

NSRVCS’ online Annual General Meeting will feature a presentation by Grant Pearsell titled “How Including Nature-based Solutions in the Zoning Bylaw can Increase Climate Resilience and Restore Ecological Functioning in Edmonton’s River Valley for Present and Future Generations.” The topic is timely as the Zoning Bylaw Renewal Initiative is underway and will result in City Council approving a new Zoning Bylaw by the end of 2023.

Grant will outline how NbS, or Nature-based Solutions, can help. The use of NbS is widely acknowledged as an essential part of mitigating and adapting to climate change as well as restoring biodiversity. Indeed, the importance of NbS was included in the Convention on Biological Diversity late last year at the COP15 where it was endorsed by more than190 nations.

The talk will provide an overview of NbS and explain how straightforward modifications to the Zoning Bylaw to include NbS can enhance ecological functioning, improve climate resilience, and user experiences for both present and future generations. The presentation is scheduled for 5:30pm, Monday, March 13. RSVP to nsrivervalley@gmail.com Your name and email is necessary to send the Zoom contact information to attend the event.

Grant Pearsell is an award winning urban ecological planner with over 40 years experience in the environmental sector. In 2020, he retired from the City of Edmonton, where he served as a Director in the Urban Planning Branch with portfolios that included urban nature and biodiversity, strategic parks planning, and data and analytics. Currently, Grant works part-time on Cities4Biodiversity with the Global Platform for Sustainable Cities https://www.thegpsc.org/

Private tree stand threatened by developer’s bylaw amendment proposal

In southwest Edmonton, where swaths of new single-family homes encroach on fields of wheat and canola, a century-old stand of trees is at risk. Cameron Developments has proposed bylaw amendments that would allow it to develop its own land, and plan for a stormwater pond to be built over most of the tree stand owned by Darryl Howery.

The stand of aspen, dogwoods and wild rose bushes makes up about three hectares of a 30-hectare property. It runs from 199 Street to the crest of the North Saskatchewan River Valley, where it spreads out and runs down the slope. A wildlife trail is visible along the stand’s southern edge. Cameron’s own consultant, Stantec, has found the tree stand to be an environmentally significant wildlife corridor, and to be of high ecological value. Stantec recommended that it be retained.

Howery’s daughter, Alicia, says the proposal runs counter to Edmonton’s City Plan and planning documents that emphasize preservation of trees and environmental connectivity. The City’s own estimate to reach its goal of 20 per cent tree-canopy coverage in 50 years, states it needs to encourage private landowners to increase their canopy by 70 per cent. “It’s hard to imagine how they’re going to get close to that if they’re not letting landowners who want to preserve and grow their trees to keep what they have,” she says.

The Howerys have no plans to develop their property, and, in fact, continue to rewild it. Just last summer, with the help of the Agroforestry & Woodlot Extension Society, they planted more than 1,000 trees. “We don’t need somebody to designate it in some way for us to value it,” says Darryl. “We already value it and will continue to value it.” Read more at https://urbanaffairs.ca/edmonton-ish/trouble-with-the-trees/

Wood frogs freeze to survive Canadian winter

Unable to travel large distances to escape Canada's winter, wood frogs have developed one of the most incredible survival strategies.  They freeze. As winter comes, they hunker down just under the leaf litter. They begin to produce a special anti-freeze in their blood, made out of glucose and glycogen. 

As the temperature continues to drop, this antifreeze is taken up into their cells. Inside each cell, the sugary syrup keeps the cells plump and strong, and prevents ice crystals from forming which would kill them. When in this frogcicle state, their hearts stop beating and they stop breathing. As much as 70 per cent of the frog's body is frozen solid.

The frogs can survive all winter in this suspended animation, undergoing several cycles of freezing and thawing as the temperature changes. When the weather warms, the frogs thaw and emerge to begin their chorus, signalling the start of Canadian spring. Watch video at https://www.cbc.ca/wildcanadianyear/m_blog/these-zombie-wood-frogs-literally-freeze-to-survive-the-northern-winter

Canadian Pacific Railway and the High Level Bridge

In the early 1900s, the Town of Strathcona became concerned that when the High Level Bridge into Edmonton was opened it would become a mere whistle-stop on the extended main line. In 1906, it worked out an agreement with the Canadian Pacific Railway making Strathcona the railway’s chief divisional point in northern Alberta.

In return for up to 70 acres of land, free from taxation for 15 years, Canadian Pacific completed a $50,000 extension to its yard in Strathcona, constructed a 12-stall roundhouse, built a 280-ton coaling plant and agreed that the town would be the terminal for the lines via Saskatchewan and Wetaskiwin.

Construction of the High Level Bridge commenced in 1910 and the final steelwork was in place in mid 1913. It was opened for traffic on June 20, 1913. The bridge was unusual in that it was used by the CPR, the Edmonton Radial Railway and carried highway traffic on the lower deck. The streetcar service from downtown to south Edmonton, via the High Level Bridge, commenced on August 11, 1913 and ran on tracks on the upper deck, laid on either side of the railway track.

The last streetcar ran over the bridge on September 1, 1951. Rail passenger service across the bridge ceased on October 28, 1972 when CP Rail trains were cut back to the Strathcona Station. Learn more at https://railways.library.ualberta.ca/Chapters-7-3/

Hawrelak Park trees

Carol writes “I love the newsletter and am also concerned about the total lack of clarity around the three-year Hawrelak Park redevelopment. I am retired but if I can help please let me know.”

Masood emails “I’ve been following the public reaction to the Hawrelak tree removal plan from afar and with some sadness. I don’t want to be broadly naïve, some trees sometimes do need to be removed, but I have no idea which trees are soon to disappear, and that is unsettling. 

Has any citizen group asked the City to identify and mark the individual trees that are planned to be cut? If this is known, might advocates not go to the park and adorn these trees, perhaps in mourning colours, black, white, purple, and give everyone a chance to say goodbye to those trees? Might this not make a very strong visual counterpoint to the current plan?”

Kaskitewâw Asiskîy or Blackmud Creek rich in history

Melanie says “Fascinating read, thank you! Have you written about Whitemud Creek? I live on the side of it and would love to know more Indigenous connection about it!”

Great Divide by Peter Lewis, 200 pipes producing a cascade of water from the High Level Bridge. This artwork is not currently operating. https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/96

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