River Valley News - May 11, 2023

Map highlights historic, old, unique and rare YEG trees

The Historic Trees of Edmonton map, originally created by Josh Kirsch, highlights historic, old, unique and rare trees in Edmonton and surrounding areas. Dustin Bajer contributed lots of the trees that are included.

You can find trees under a wide variety of headings including Edmonton’s Widest Trees, Largest of Different Tree Species, and Heritage tree nominations. Oldest Grade 1 Tree, in Edmonton’s Favourite Tree’s category, is a White Spruce at 10741-75 Avenue NW, planted in 1952 and nominated by Allan Williams.

A 23.65 foot wide tree, at 11127-72 Ave NW, in the Parkallen neighbourhood, has been nominated as the widest tree in Edmonton. Nominated by Kelly Kowalchuk, it is believed to be 100+ years old. More at https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=19R_1iainW3ZsrcfqrA5sxS--R4nNFt3j&ll=53.55980764757472%2C-113.45179214649374&z=14&fbclid=IwAR1ow8UVCz4A3pwXWuY2P-klhQPUTa_pxBBXtLsbnIni37qqTmeLPyMSR7c

How do birds know when to migrate

Marg Reine photo

Lengthening days set off a cascade of events in migratory birds that culminates in the birth of a clutch of chicks. To time this arrival for the highest likelihood of conditions favorable to reproducing, a migratory bird tracks each day’s light length, or photoperiod.

That tracking happens instinctively in the animals, which use special photoreceptors in their brain to detect light. Once those photoreceptors register that the days are lengthening in late winter and early spring, they trigger activity in a host of body systems.

Birds molt, for instance, shedding their worn feathers and growing new ones. Their hormones change, influencing their digestive patterns and leading them to eat more, put on weight and build up flight muscle. In some birds, once they’ve eaten enough, a digestive hormone called ghrelin begins to make them restless and nudges them to take flight. And the birds’ reproductive tracts begin to change to ensure that they will be fertile by the time they breed.

When all the pieces fall into place, birds are well prepared to raise their chicks while making the most of the long days and the seasonal boom in bugs, berries and other resources their summer homes offer.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-birds-know-when-to-migrate/

Spruce tips harvesting, cooking and recipes

Spruce tips, the young growth on branches of spruce trees, are not an herb in the typical sense, but they are for all intents and purposes. No species of spruce is poisonous though, so what you can do is just go around to different trees and taste them until you find one that tastes good.

 Like with many foraged foods, you need to be careful with how you treat the trees. Always pick from mature trees as young trees need time to grow. Never pick more than 20% of the tips from a single tree. Do not pick tips from the apical meristem or top of a young tree, which would stunt its growth.

Cooking with spruce tips is misleading since using heat makes them lose their vibrant color. Think of them as an herb you would use raw. Add them raw to salads or sprinkle over vegetable dishes. Spruce tips in desserts will typically be pureed or in an infusion, and always strained if possible since leftover particles can get bitter.

The strong taste of spruce tips should be a deterrent from eating multiple handfuls, but it is possible for some people to get an upset stomach from eating them, which could be due to the fact that spruce tips are naturally high in Vitamin C. https://foragerchef.com/spruce-tips/

Frederick Todd envisioned YEG with a ribbon of green as its heart

Adriana writes “I applaud the item on landscape architect Frederick Todd. As co-artist in residence at Yorath House with Marlena Wyman in early 2022, I did an extensive article on Edmonton’s “Beautiful Views: Edmonton’s Westerly Park,” which you might want to inform your readers about. Here is the link: https://yegarts.tumblr.com/post/677459133706928128/yorath-house-artist-residency-blog-post?fbclid=IwAR2hRQluj9hK3-Lsc9jxAoNvi96WMoBgdn9pUe0UrRymnBA7sDB-ZHygyZg

I not only deal with Todd’s report to the City in which he brought to bear “garden city” principles, I also talk about the history of Laurier Park and the development of the early parks department. I think that this is still relevant today as threats to the River Valley continue.”

The Dancer by Bella Totino-Busby & Verne Busby, Yorath House, Buena Vista Park. https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/297

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 - May 4, 2023

YEG funicular a tale of vandalism, costs and closures

Besides being a choice target for vandals, including a “massive increase” in graffiti over the last two years, there have been numerous lengthy shutdowns for planned and unplanned maintenance work, while crews have been kept chronically busy responding to various alarms, emergency stops and trapped passengers.

For the funicular’s first full year of service, in 2018, records show the city spent $682,000 on operations, before costs settled at around $530,000 in each of the next three years. This includes funding for various kinds of maintenance, utilities, security and custodial services, but not snow clearing, which is covered through a different budget.

Counting all this up, city records show that between January 2018 and July 2022, about 55 months, there were 162 days when the funicular was not in service or experienced a disruption of at least three hours. Of these days with stoppages, 99 involved planned maintenance while 63 featured unexpected issues, including a 10-day closure amid very cold weather in February 2021.

Why was it built? In his column, Keith Gerein says the real motivation was the fact that almost all the $24 million construction bill was covered by other orders of government and the River Valley Alliance. There was no choice in the matter. The city either built the funicular, or it lost the funding. https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/keith-gerein-edmontons-funicular-after-five-years-a-tale-of-vandalism-costs-and-closures

Climate change impacting bird migration patterns

Myrna Pearman photo

In Canada, almost three-quarters of our birds are migratory. "Only the hardiest birds like magpies and even though they're tiny, chickadees, have ways to cope with the cold," said Geoff Holroyd, chair of the Beaverhill Bird Observatory east of Tofield. "There's several hundred species that migrate."

But as our climate changes, those migration patterns are being interrupted. "Some birds are arriving earlier because of our earlier spring temperatures … our mountain bluebirds are now arriving 19 days earlier than they did 60 years ago," said Holroyd, who has been studying Alberta's birds for about four decades.

And in the fall, Holroyd said he has noticed later trends with birds leaving. "Saw-whet owls that we catch at our Beaverhill Bird Observatory are migrating late … one and a half days per decade later," he said. The risks with these changes come with our variable weather, according to Holroyd. 

"If the bluebirds arrive early and get hit with a late snowstorm, then they could be in trouble. It can kill them," he said. "With the owls, if they get caught with an early snowstorm in the fall and they've been tricked into thinking they can stay and migrate later, that can also get them in trouble." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/climate-change-is-impacting-bird-migration-patterns-here-s-what-we-know-1.6796477

Upright prairie coneflower has a deep taproot making it drought tolerant

Ratibida columnifera commonly known as upright prairie coneflower, Mexican hat, and longhead prairie coneflower is a native erect perennial prairie plant that grows from one to three feet high with occasional branching, on stems that are green and smooth to slightly rough with hair.

The floral array is a solitary 2 to 3 inch high flower on a tall stalk, held well above the leaves. The flower is a composite. There are 4 to 12 yellow ray florets with rays that are ovate to elliptic in shape and hang downward. The rays can also have a reddish-brown color. When the rays have this alternate color, it is sometimes called Mexican Hat Plant.

Coneflower has a deep taproot making it drought tolerant and it is well adapted to poorer drier soils, mesic to dry moisture conditions. On grazeland Upright Prairie Coneflower is palatable and nutritious to domestic grazing animals as well a source of seeds for birds and other wildlife. It will self-seed. https://www.gardenia.net/plant/ratibida-columnifera

Frederick Todd envisioned YEG with a ribbon of green as its heart

Edmonton’s river valley, the largest urban park in Canada, is an asset that may never have existed without the efforts of Frederick G. Todd. As was common in most Canadian settlements, Edmonton’s river valley was used for industry and manufacturing leading up to the flood in 1915.

In the winter of 1906 through 1907, the City of Edmonton asked Todd to generate a report on how to provide park space to meet the future needs of citizens. In that report, Todd found Edmonton to have the potential to grow into a bustling metropolis owing to its situation in the centre of a developing province, attractiveness for business and residential development, and its picturesque setting.

With the potential for swift growth, Todd noted that park space becomes the limiting factor, and that financial prudency demands purchasing park land before people move in since land costs rise over time. In addition to recommending playgrounds, boulevards along streets, and large parks, Todd emphasized that ravines and hillsides are easily turned into natural areas for the public good as their incline makes other uses more difficult.

Frederick Gage Todd’s report was adopted in principle by the Government of Alberta following the floods in 1915 and that same year Edmonton spoke of the river valley park system in its municipal development plan. It began the preservation of the river valley that has grown stronger over time through zoning bylaws, land use plans, community activists, and government investment. https://www.edmonton.ca/public-files/assets/document?path=Naming_Committee_Biography_Frederick_Gage_Todd_Lookout.pdf

EPCOR YEG river valley solar power plant

Alice writes “Thanks, as always, for the latest issue of the newsletter. The photo by Kyle Schole of Epcor’s solar plant is a whole story and editorial commentary on that project, supposedly a ‘green’ renewable source of energy, but in fact a huge grey bite out of the green valley.”

Wendell emailed “The photo of the solar panels is real? The one with the caption: EPCOR YEG river valley solar power plant. Too bad, eh!”

More than 700 trees at risk in Hawrelak Park reconstruction

Sandra writes “This is an absolute horror situation. Edmonton deserves better. Adding insult to injury with the total climbing! Global warming is real. Cutting down trees accelerates it. Is there any way the public can have a say? I will attend any meetings. I feel it must be reviewed, ASAP. Please let us know. As citizens we deserve to have our voices heard. Thank you for posting.”

Preparing to Cross the Sacred River by Marianne Nicolson, INIW River Lot 11, 10380 Queen Elizabeth Park Road. Conor McNally still. https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/189

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 - April 27, 2023

More than 700 trees at risk in Hawrelak Park reconstruction

More than 700 trees are at risk of being damaged or cut down during construction at Edmonton’s William Hawrelak Park, a new report shows. The arborist’s report shows 741 trees at risk, hundreds higher than the approximately 220 trees thought to be impacted in some manner during construction.

Members of the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition have been outspoken about the city’s plans to remove or damage potentially hundreds of trees for fear of environmental damage. The city, Raquel Feroe said, is looking at the park through the lens of renovating infrastructure rather than an opportunity to protect nature and to make progress on climate change goals.

“We could be helping to design a park that is more financially sustainable which could be used to enhance biodiversity, to lower our carbon budget, instead we’re doing the opposite. More cement, less permeable surfaces, just overall the direction is the wrong way.”

Jesse Banford, director of facility infrastructure delivery, said trees will be cut down for three reasons; to access and repair utilities, refurbish surfaces such as paving rough pathways, and fix facilities. https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/more-than-700-trees-at-risk-in-edmontons-hawrelak-park-renewal-report

Possible cougar sighting at Terwillegar Park

A dog owner, who wishes to remain anonymous says she was walking through the trails by the river valley with her mom and dog, when they spotted the large cat.

“I was like ‘oh no, oh no, that’s a cougar, we need to get out of here’,” she says. “We’re about halfway through the trail, kind of where it gets quiet by the river, and we stopped at a bench there, by a hill. We were just sitting there talking, and I just noticed it about 50 feet away from us, down the hill in the bush.”

While cougar sightings in Edmonton are rare, they are not unheard of. A professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, Colleen Cassady St. Clair says the river makes a good corridor for wildlife to travel through.

“The river valley is a wonderful corridor, we are very lucky to have it, but it does bring potential predators, like cougars, into closer proximity to people than would otherwise occur, and Terwilliger is quite well connected to the edge of the city,” she says. “This is a time of year where cougars are quite stressed in terms of food access, and they might be moving around a little bit more than usual.” https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2023/04/21/possible-cougar-sighting-edmonton-park/

Métis Nation of Alberta traditional plant walks

The Métis Nation of Alberta’s Environment and Climate Change Department is pleased to again offer its Traditional Plant Walks. Embark on a guided walk with Métis cultural educator Natalie Pepin to learn about traditionally utilized plants. Gain a deeper understanding of the plants around us, their cultural significance, and how they can help us.

Each event is a 2.5-hour leisurely nature walk introduction to the plants around us. While on this walk, Knowledge Holder Natalie shares stories and discusses the cultural and ecological significance of the plants and how they can be used.

Space is limited and offered on a first come, first-serve basis. The Traditional Plant Walks are a family-friendly event, and any children attending under 12 years old do not require registration or tickets to join https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/environment-and-climate-change-traditional-plant-walks-with-natalie-pepin-tickets-615821567887

Another fantastic newsletter

Andrew writes "Always a gem in the inbox. Thank you from a Highlands resident!”

Tree planting as climate action is no solution without animals

Raquel emailed “Great edition. The article on trophic landscapes and carbon is a keeper. The article on Leilani Muir L Muir was also a well written eye opener.”

EPCOR YEG river valley solar power plant

Kyle Schole photo taken July 12, 2022

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