City bat monitoring program explores natural pest control
Gerald Romanchuk photo
Moving away from pesticide use, the City of Edmonton is undertaking a new bat monitoring program this year. It's the first time the city has done an official assessment of what bats are in the city, and where. Initiated due to a shift in the city's mosquito control program, the bat monitoring program can help support species that serve as natural pest control.
Bats tend to nestle themselves into tight sheltered spots. While a bridge isn't a natural habitat for bats, they are a popular choice for roosts. Bat boxes are artificial roosts, typically made out of wood and placed up high. The city installed several of them across the city this year.
Cory Olson, program co-ordinator for the Alberta Bat Program, said if people stumble upon a bat roosting site, the best thing to do is leave it alone. The bats in the city are fairly healthy for the time being.
White-nose syndrome is just starting to enter Alberta and may impact the province's bat population. Another threat to bats in the city is cats, Olson said. "The majority of the bats that get brought to wildlife rescue centres are bats that have been injured by cats. Keeping cats indoors is one of the most important things that we can do to help bats in the city." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/bats-natural-pest-control-edmonton-1.6918681?
More than half of our earth’s species live in the soil
Riverbend Gardens photo
More than half of all species live in the soil, according to a study that has found it is the single most species-rich habitat on earth. Soil was known to hold a wealth of life, but this new figure doubles what scientists estimated in 2006, when they suggested 25% of life was soil-based.
The paper, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found it is home to 90% of fungi, 85% of plants and more than 50% of bacteria. At 3%, mammals are the group least associated with soils.
“Here, we show that soil is likely home to 59% of life including everything from microbes to mammals, making it the singular most biodiverse habitat on Earth,” researchers write in the paper, which is a review of existing literature. The actual figure could be even higher as soils are so understudied.
Soil is the top layer of the Earth’s crust and is composed of a mixture of water, gases, minerals and organic matter. It is where 95% of the planet’s food is grown yet it has historically been left out of wider debates about nature protections because we know so little about it. One teaspoon of health soil can contain up to a billion bacteria and more than 1km of fungi. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/07/more-than-half-of-earths-species-live-in-the-soil-study-finds-aoe
Three things to help Edmonton achieve a higher bird friendly status
Last year Nature Canada announced Edmonton had become the 8th city in Canada to be certified as a bird friendly city. The city was granted entry level status, the first of three levels of certification. According to Rocky Feroe, there are 3 things Edmontonians can do to help YEG achieve a higher status.
First, we need to reduce threats to birds. Domestic cats outside and feral cats are a big problem, killing untold numbers of bird. We can grow plants good for pollinators and birds. The Pincherry is a native plant that is loved by 64 bird species.
Habitat preservation and restoration is the second priority. The city has good policy but is not consistent. The river valley and ravine systems continue to lose land to developments such as the Epcor solar farm. Less mowing and less monoculture in our yards will enhance biodiversity, creating a connected functional urban landscape with the river valley being the backbone.
Finally, education needs to continue to be a priority. We’re on a promising trajectory. On May 3, Mayor Sohi proclaimed Migratory Bird Day and there is an initiative underway to have the City name an official bird. Calgary’s official bird is the chickadee. What should be Edmonton’s official bird? https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15998752-how-edmonton-bird-friendly
Indigenous medicine and boreal forest plants
Natural health products and phytomedicines, plant-based medicines, are used in many countries as the first choice of treatment. These products are deeply rooted in ancestral knowledge and traditions and are passed down from generation to generation in Indigenous communities.
By exploring this knowledge, researchers can discover new medicinal molecules. Some molecules isolated from plants have become major therapeutic agents in modern medicine. One example is paclitaxel, an anti-cancer agent used in chemotherapy that was isolated from ground hemlock (Taxus canadensis), a shrub used by Indigenous peoples to treat a variety of health problems.
The bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), for example, is traditionally used as an antiviral remedy by First Nations peoples. Research on this species has shown that the leaf extract has therapeutic activity against herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1), a virus responsible for cold sores.
Other studies have looked at the traditional use of balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) buds to combat inflammatory problems and infections. Other molecules in this same family have shown promising effects in the treatment of psoriasis, due to their ability to reduce inflammation and oxidative damage. https://theconversation.com/plants-of-the-boreal-forest-using-traditional-indigenous-medicine-to-create-modern-treatments-206554
Caesura by Bianca Khan, A pause or break in a line of poetry/verse usually in the middle. Belgravia Art Park
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/caesura
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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
