River Valley News - January 11, 1024

Ice bikes, cross-country skiing and tobogganing

The City of Edmonton Outdoor Adventure Program, in partnership with WinterCity, has purchased eight ice bikes. The bikes will be at ice skating surfaces in River Valley parks starting at Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park. Check ice conditions and locations at https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/outdoor-ice-rinks

Ice bikes are bikes on frames, with the front wheel removed and runners along the bottom, so that people can ride on the ice. They are stable and offer an accessible activity to those who cannot skate. The ice bikes will offer a new ice experience for everyone, including individuals who cannot or are hesitant to skate and those who have a physical disability. Group rentals for the ice bikes will also be available for a fee.

When the snow flies, skiers can enjoy the extensive cross-country ski opportunities in Edmonton’s river valley, including four kilometers of new cross-country ski trails at Northeast River Valley Park. Trails are regularly groomed and accommodate diverse levels of skiers. Skiers can check trail options and conditions at 

https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/cross-country-skiing

For kids and families, there are a City-managed toboggan hills in the River Valley. For the hill closest to you, current hill conditions and safety tips, visit https://www.edmonton.ca/activities_parks_recreation/toboggan-hills

Little Mountain Cemetery once part of a hilltop natural area

The big news on November 2, 1999 was City council’s decision to not preserve Little Mountain, an 18-hectare natural area in northeast Edmonton. In the spring, council had decided to spend $1 million to swap city land for the wilderness but changed its mind when the cost increased to $3 million.

Ontarian emigrant William Mitchell homesteaded this area, then known as Belmont. In 1895, Mitchell donated five acres to the local Presbytery for use as a cemetery. Sitting atop a hill, the small plot commanded a view of rolling Albertan plains. Mitchell formed the Little Mountain Cemetery Company to supervise construction and maintenance of the grounds. Locals could buy shares in the business, and the company held meetings at the nearby Poplar Lake Schoolhouse.

When Mitchell passed on June 27, 1906, his cemetery already had a handful of graves. His obituary noted the service was “conducted by Revs. Douglas and McPhail and was attended by a large number of acquaintances, several from the city being present. The deceased was superintendent and manager of the Presbyterian Sunday School at Belmont and a man of high standing in his community.”

Mitchell was laid to rest at Little Mountain and is buried at Block 10, Row 2. By 1985, the graveyard did not have a dollar to its name. The City of Edmonton annexed the region and assumed control of Little Mountain on August 23rd of that year. https://www.forgottenedmonton.com/blog/little-mountain-cemetery

Most earthworms in Canada are non-native

Erin Cameron photo

There are no native earthworms in most of Canada and the northern United States because they were wiped out during the last ice age, 11,000 years ago. European earthworms were likely introduced to North America when settlers brought plants and soil from Europe which contained earthworms or their cocoons (egg cases).

They may also have been introduced by ships that used soil as ballast, which was dumped on shore to adjust the weight of the ship. Due to these activities, earthworms have been found around human settlements in North America since the late 1800s.

Some areas of North America that were not glaciated have native earthworms In Alberta, one native species has been found in the Porcupine Hills, an area that was not covered by glaciers. This species does not appear to have spread from that location. There are at least 14 species of non-native earthworms in Alberta.

Most people think earthworms are good for soil but that is not true in all cases. Research shows that small mammals, birds, salamanders, invertebrates, and plants can be harmed by earthworm invasions in forests.

https://worms.biology.ualberta.ca/spread/

What is the city here for – climate change action

Edmonton is part of social, economic and environmental global systems that support our quality of life, systems that are being disrupted by climate change. The actions we take in our community have local and global impacts and prepare our city for a vibrant, resilient, low-carbon future.

More than 70% of Edmontonians are concerned about climate change, think we need to act now, and agree climate change is caused mostly by human activities. We have an opportunity to act locally to make us more resistant to the global impacts of climate change and protect our quality of life, health and economy.

Edmonton’s Change for Climate plan is a call to all Edmontonians to act and work together to reduce our city’s greenhouse gas emissions by 35% below 2005 levels, by 2035. Learn more at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6AhXYLBnUI&t=53s

Peace by Adrian Stimson, Northern Lights Cemetery

https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/peace

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

River Valley News - January 4, 2024

Second Latta bridge an example of recycling industrial materials

On October 29, 2023 the new Latta Bridge on Jasper Avenue between 90 and 91 Street opened. It is the third bridge in this location. David Gilliland Latta, blacksmith, one-time Royal North-West Mounted Police constable, gold rush hopeful, and City Alderman, built the first bridge, a crude wood-timber construction, in 1911.

Growing automobile ownership, heavier vehicles, and increased transit frequency wreaked havoc in the intervening years, and in 1929 traffic engineers condemned Latta’s old bridge. Yet a replacement never came, as the onset of the Great Depression prevented the City from pursuing such a financially onerous project. A proposed ravine-fill alternative was abandoned when old coal mines were discovered under the site.

By law, the City had the authorization to spend up to $100,000 a year for works related to unemployment relief if Council so directed. In November 1935 they did, proposing a new bridge as a $44,000 make-work project for Edmonton’s starving labourers, accessing federal and provincial funding available through tripartite work relief agreements. The bridge was constructed in 1936 and demolished in 2022.

The second Latta Bridge was an early example of recycling industrial materials thanks in part to its use of upcycled components. Steel members produced for, but unused in, a 1931 modification to the High Level Bridge were altered at a storage site and hauled to the new bridge by tractor, while old streetcar tracks, hoarded by a Depression-conscious municipal government, were used to reinforce all mats in pedestals. https://www.forgottenedmonton.com/blog/the-latta-ravine-bridge

Share your vision for northeast river valley park

On September 24, 2023, the City of Edmonton opened Northeast River Valley Park. Edmontonians can now access the park’s amenities, but a long-term plan is needed for the park.

A strategic plan for Northeast River Valley Park will establish a unique vision, guiding principles, and recommendations in many areas including naturalization, restoration, access, and programming for the park. The plan will also incorporate the park into the City’s broader Ribbon of Green strategy, River Valley Planning Modernization project, and other City policies.

The vision statement will reflect the goals and plans for the park’s future. Share your ideas for the Northeast River Valley Park vision until February 29 at https://engaged.edmonton.ca/northeastrivervalleypark

Davies valley line station across the road from Roper Pond natural area

In the heart of the Davies industrial area near 75 Street and Wagner Road, the sleek and modern-looking Davies station stands three stories tall. Davies is the only elevated station along the Valley Line, built to ensure trains do not have to stop and wait for freight trains, which have priority over all other modes of transport. https://transforming.edmonton.ca/davies-station-a-future-focused-design-in-the-industrial-heart-of-south-edmonton/

Across from Davies station, on the other side of 75 Street is Roper Pond, constructed in 2004 as a naturalized on-line stormwater treatment facility and built to mimic a riverine marsh ecosystem. This YEG hidden gem consists of a large open water area with an emergent vegetation fringe and surrounding upland deciduous forests along the southwest and southeast perimeter of the wetland.

Roper Pond is connected to riparian areas of Mill Creek that form a relatively continuous corridor southward. The diversity of habitats and the site’s location within the Mill Creek riparian corridor offer an excellent opportunity to view a multitude of waterfowl and other bird species, various mammal species, amphibians and insects. https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/environmental_stewardship/roper-pond-constructed-wetland

Study finds outdoor cats hunt and scavenge 2,000 species globally

Marian writes “I agree that cats are predators and many birds, insects and reptiles have been killed because of the hunting nature of cats. Birds and other animals are always wary of being attacked by predators like cats, coyotes and other ravine dwellers.

Perhaps tracking the number of kills around artificial sites such as solar farms and wind generators might also lead to a compromise between our needs as humans and the ability of birds to fly without the dangers they do not understand. Nice to know that there is a system of tracking birds flying on route to and from territorial nesting places.”

Moose make a Christmas holiday visit to Edmonton

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/video/c2836596-moose-family-removed-from-edmonton-lawn

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

River Valley News - December 28, 2023

Highlands Scenic Drive now part of Dawson and Kinnaird parks

Constructed between 1932 and 1937, Highlands Scenic Drive was in what is now Dawson and Kinnaird parks between 82 and 67 Street. It was initially envisioned as an extended Jasper Avenue, but it soon morphed into a gently inclined drive along the bank of the river, and across the mouth of Rat Creek and thence in a north-easterly direction leading up to Ada Boulevard near 71 Street.

Opponents included Gladys Reeves, who asked “if the real beauty of the bank is best not viewed better from the top road, rather than cutting a gash right through the centre of those lines of beauty and thereby destroying fully a third of the growth as in the new scenic drive. To us it is like trying to view a beautiful picture by standing in the middle of the canvas.”

As the years passed, worsening road conditions, an unstable bank, and shifting policy surrounding the North Saskatchewan River valley, with an increased focus on recreation and conservation, spelt its demise, and between 1975 and 1978, the City undertook a naturalization program.

Bolstered by a $40 million provincial contribution, the area around the drive’s right-of-way, including an ex-dump, were transformed into Dawson and Kinnaird parks. All that remains is a dirt walking trail along the road’s old path. https://www.forgottenedmonton.com/blog/the-highlands-scenic-drive

Motus tracks birds that fly within 15 km of tower

Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO) has a Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) which began operation on its 80-foot tower in August 2021. Motus is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals.

An important set of records occurred when 25 different Bank Swallows visited in the second half of July. These birds had been tagged near St. Albert, Alberta; Fox Creek, BC; Whitehorse, Yukon; and Fairbanks, Alaska. The tagging projects seek to better understand the migration routes and migratory phenology of the species, which is listed as threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.

The two projects tagged 178 swallows and 25 visited on their southward migration. Bank Swallows, like other swallows, are renowned for their flying prowess. This was exemplified by a trip undertaken by one bird from Fairbanks to BBO, 2326 km, in only four days. The bird averaged 27 km/h for four days straight.

When a bird with a nanotag flies within 15 km of the BBO tower, the tag's signal is picked up and its serial number is decoded. The record is then automatically sent to Birds Canada’s central computer where the information is made available on their website https://motus.org/

Study finds outdoor cats hunt and scavenge 2,000 species globally

A new study has found cats roaming free prey upon almost any animal, reptile, insect, and amphibian around the world, their hunting so prolific and so successful, the authors found, that it poses a legitimate threat to global biodiversity.

​​Almost half of the victims were birds, followed by reptiles and mammals. Researchers also found a surprising number of insects, including emperor dragonflies and endangered monarch butterflies. The paper said the cat is among the most successful and problematic invasive predators in the world, a claim that has been made about cats before.

The menu includes nearly 350 species that are threatened, vulnerable or endangered, including the little brown bat and green sea turtles. Cats proved especially lethal on islands that have evolved without as many natural predators.

Most victims were small, weighing less than five kilograms, but cats scavenged the carcasses of animals much larger than they could kill themselves, like camels. The paper said the cats also ate spoiled and wasted food people left outside. https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/cats-are-killer-in-case-you-weren-t-aware-1.7059683

40 qualified field technologists needed for 2024 summer program

Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute (ABMI) is seeking up to 40 qualified summer Field Technologists to survey terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity indicators. Field work is done in shifts of up to 10 days, in groups of two throughout Alberta: sometimes up to 500 m from a partner and often in bear country.

This position is part of a large scale, broad-based monitoring program that informs on the state of biodiversity across the province of Alberta through field data collection (forest stand, soil, ecosites, wildlife monitoring, vascular plant identification, wetland assessments, ground validation) in all regions of the province.

Data collection is physically demanding with uncooperative weather, wildlife encounters, difficult terrain, and persistent insects. All technical training and certifications are provided. Deadline to apply is February 29, 2024 https://abmi.ca/home/careers/career-listings/Summer-Field-Technologists--up-to-40-Positions-0.html

Snow Valley, near the Whitemud Freeway at 119 Street in Rainbow Valley, was opened in 1961 by members of the Eskimo Ski Club.

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