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August 24, 2023

River Valley News - August 24, 2023

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August 24, 2023

Edmonton forest school seeks to raise curious, nature loving children

September spots are open for the not-for-profit Edmonton Forest School which runs full-day, half-day, and once-a-week program options at Gold Bar Park for preschool, kindergarten, early dismissal, and homeschool programs from September to June.

The society’s goal is to support children in the development of a sense of place, an ethic of care towards nature, and an understanding of themselves as a part of the natural world. It seeks to contribute to the health of our natural environments by fostering meaningful connections between children and nature.

By strengthening their bonds with the natural world, children become responsible stewards of their forests, watersheds, wildlife, and other ecological resources. Connection to the natural world takes time. Through the school’s programming, children will explore, play and learn in the same natural spaces over all four seasons, fostering a deep connection to the natural world. https://edmontonforestschool.com/

Conservation easement protects Visser farmland forever

Doug Visser’s farm is in northeast Edmonton across the river from Fort Saskatchewan. The North Saskatchewan River flows by on the east and north side of the farm. Doug moved here when he was five years old. For the first couple of summers, First Nations people lived on part of the land catching rabbits.

The land includes a forest and is very good for root crops and vegetables. His daughter and son-in-law run a market garden that sells vegetables directly to Edmontonians. Doug has taken steps to preserve these special agricultural lands, which he says are important because it gives so much to us in terms of food and biodiversity.

He has developed a conservation easement with the Edmonton & Area Land Trust which gifts a bundle of rights to EALT to protect than land. Agriculture is still permitted, but the 73-acre forest and natural area is protected from forestry and subdivision. Doug feels relieved and secure that this land will be preserved into perpetuity.

Conservation easements are a nice tool because landowners still own the land and can pass it on to their family or sell it if they wish. But the bundle of rights from the conservation easement are associated with the land title itself, so future landowners must adhere to the restrictions put in place.

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/16002632-a-visit-visser-farms

Splooting is a goofy act that signals something serious

As climate change is making extreme heat events more common, squirrels are splooting to cope. Splooting is behavior some animals use to cool their body temperature. Squirrels are finding cool surfaces and lying on their stomachs, legs spread, to cool off. Think of it like finding the cool side of the pillow when you're trying to fall asleep.

Sunny Corrao of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation says it's about transferring the heat away from their bodies: "They're trying to find a cool space, and if they can put as much of their core body on to a cool space, then the heat is going to transfer from their bodies to the other surface. In the case of squirrels, you'll often see them maybe on a shady sidewalk, or a park path, or in the grass, just splayed out."

Animals that can't sweat have to resort to other behaviors to cool off. Dogs pant. Birds dunk themselves in water. Splooting can be a sign that squirrels and other animals are experiencing temperatures much higher than what they're used to. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/29/1185092056/squirrels-splooting-heat-wave-climate-change

Let’s Find Out a monthly podcast about YEG history

This local podcast is recorded in Edmonton, aka Amiskwaciwâskahikan, on Treaty Six territory. It takes questions from curious Edmontonians about local history and finds out the answers together. The podcast is currently in the midst of a season about parks and natural areas in Edmonton.

Chris Chang-Yen Phillips, the podcast host and producer, is a storyteller and people weaver. He is an MA History grad student at the University of Alberta and works as Podcasting Coordinator at CJSR 88.5 FM. Previously, he served as Edmonton’s 4th Historian Laureate. He loves learning about science, nature, and history.

Let’s Find Out is a publication of Taproot Edmonton. In 2018, it picked up a silver medal for Best Consumer Podcast from the Canadian Online Publishing Awards and was a finalist for the 2019 Canadian Podcast Award for Outstanding Documentary. In 2020, Let’s Find Out was an Emerald Award finalist in the Public Education & Outreach category. https://letsfindoutpodcast.com/

Ria Busink photo

River Valley News taking a break

This weekly e-newsletter is taking a 3-week break from August 25 through September 13. We will resume publication on Thursday, September 14.

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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

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August 17, 2023

River Valley News - August 17, 2023

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August 17, 2023

How bats benefit from goats eating weeds

The Little Brown Bat was emergency listed as Endangered under Canada’s Species at Risk Act because of sudden population declines due to White Nose Syndrome. But this is not the only threat facing these bats. Habitat loss, human disturbance, pollution, and climate change can all lead to population decline.

Invasive plants outcompete native vegetation, sometimes so aggressively that they create a monoculture. They can decrease the biodiversity of an area, leading to less available prey for bats. Management of invasive plants is necessary so native flora and fauna can flourish, and there are multiple ways to accomplish this.

One effective and innovative method is to use goats to browse on weeds, which also reduces the overall usage of pesticides, which may inadvertently be harmful to bats, their insect prey, and other species. This is Edmonton & Area Land Trust’s third year using goats at Pipestone Creek Conservation Land and Glory Hills.

EALT has seen a stark difference in the extent and density of invasive plants at these two conservation lands. Hundreds of goats at a time visit the lands, coming back to each site twice in a year. This repeated effort depletes those plants’ energy stores, leaving space for native flora to flourish. https://www.ealt.ca/blog/goats-helping-bats

Living dinosaur lurks in North Saskatchewan River

Despite the name, lake sturgeon are strictly river fish in Alberta, living in the North and South Saskatchewan river systems. A living dinosaur of the fish world, this unusual species is torpedo-shaped and armor-plated. It has a shark-like, upturned tail and a pointed snout with four barbels, whisker-like tissue filaments.

Like other prehistoric fish, sturgeon do not have scales, they have denticles. Denticles are scale-like plates found along the skin of the sturgeon, which give the skin its roughness. They also have five rows of bony plates, called scutes.

The usual habitat where lake sturgeon can be found are along highly productive shoals, which are ridges, banks or bars under water. With adequate bottom-dwelling prey, lake sturgeon can live in a variety of habitats. They are bottom feeders, eating clams, insect larvae and some fish and fish eggs.

Lake sturgeon take a longer time to reach maturity than other Alberta fish species. Male sturgeon do not spawn until they are about 15 to 20 years old. Females usually spawn between the ages of 20 and 25. Lake sturgeon can live up to 150 years, with the oldest fish in Alberta being recorded at 62 years old. https://www.alberta.ca/lake-sturgeon.aspx

Designing a bird friendly yard

Destruction of habitat is a leading cause of species extinction. After spending years walking, hiking and driving to photograph birds Melissa Penney tried something new. She decided to invite birds to come to her by spending the past decade making her yard a haven for native plants, animals and birds.

Melissa created a wildlife habitat by adding native plants, shelter and clean water. Her interests have expanded to gardening, native plants, lepidoptera and how it all works together. The Canadian Wildlife Federation has certified her yard as a wildlife friendly habitat.

Melissa now has Northern Flying Squirrel visits, multiple species of annual nesting birds and in 2022 had an incredible 76 different bird species visit. This number included her amazing experience with a male American Redstart for 45 days and a few other rarities which she did not think were possible to have in an Edmonton backyard. Watch her 5 ways to increase biodiversity in your backyard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8yrEImRzGM&t=8s

Federal funding will support planting 1.5 million trees in Edmonton

Janet writes “I would like to see trees in every concrete and asphalt parking lot to prevent the heat build up in those areas, provide needed shade for people walking to and from their vehicles, and to possibly absorb some of the fumes from motor vehicles. There should be a requirement for all parking lots to have trees at a certain number of feet from one another to protect us all from concrete's effects. Thanks for keeping the River Valley in everyone's focus!”

Three things to help Edmonton achieve a higher bird friendly status

Wayne emailed “An amendment is needed to Section 8 of the Parkland bylaw, Bylaw 2202. The problem is that while it is illegal to move, remove, cut or damage any tree, shrub, flower, other plant or deadfall, it is not illegal to remove the berries, fruit, nuts or seeds that river valley plants produce. In the fall it is not uncommon to see people carrying up to four 5-gallon buckets filled with berries gleaned by walking freely through the woods.

For most of our wildlife inhabitants these items are their only source of food. No food equals no animals and no birds. Berries, fruits, nuts and seeds are also the method through which our woodland areas renew vegetation. During our harsh winter and lean spring seasons, natural food sources are getting harder and harder for all manner of creature to find, and in many cases cannot be found.”

Bust of Maude Bowman by Don Begg, Heritage Trail along the Victoria Promenade

https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/bust-of-maude-bowman

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August 10, 2023

River Valley News - August 10, 2023

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August 10, 2023

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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