River Valley News - Feb 22/24

Elk Island National Park featured at NSRVCS AGM

Cameron Johnson photo

The online Annual General Meeting of the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society on Monday, March 11, 2024 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm will feature a presentation by Dale Kirkland, Superintendent of Elk Island National Park.

Dale will talk about the Elk Island National Park management plan which was tabled in Parliament in December 2023. Reviewed every ten years, management plans are a requirement of the Canada National Parks Act and guide the management of national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas.

Elk Island National Park is a cornerstone in ungulate conservation programs throughout North America and the world. The park has transferred more than 3,000 bison to conservation projects, including to Indigenous Nations. The park maintains the recognized healthy status of plains and wood bison herds and is home to abundant bison, elk, and moose populations.

The presentation will be followed by our AGM, which will feature a brief overview of the society’s activities in 2023, an update of its financial situation and the election of the Board of Directors. To attend the presentation, please RSVP to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Women have always been part of the landscape of winter sport

The Ski Like a Girl research team at the UofA are working to ensure the history of women and girls in Nordic skiing is remembered and heard. “Women were skiers; they were also leaders and builders of the ski clubs, ski industry and tourism,” says PearlAnn Reichwein, professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation and research team lead.

“We are bringing women and girls to the forefront of these projects,” says Reichwein. “In that way, we’re working to reshape the history of skiing and Western Canada.” In a recent paper, Reichwein analyzes the Canadian Birkebeiner’s origins, dating back to a frigid winter day for the first loppet in 1985. Its 40th anniversary is next year.

The Birkebeiner began as a Devon to Edmonton event before it went east of the city. Women made up half of the grassroots organizing committee, and women and girls participated in the loppet. Outdoor educator Glenda Hanna, formerly with the UofA Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, was the first person to carry her own baby while skiing the event.

The University Varsity Ski Club also served as an incubator for early female leaders on campus, helping women gain skills and leadership experience. Alumni include Peggy O’Meara, a former ski club secretary treasurer who became the first female physician in the Canadian Armed Forces, and Marjorie Bowker, the first female family court judge in Alberta. https://www.ualberta.ca/folio/2024/02/ski-like-a-girl.html

Coyote denning season from February to May

The City of Edmonton is reminding residents that coyote denning season is from February to May. Coyotes can be bold while they locate and defend territory and den locations. To reduce negative encounters with them, please keep dogs on leash and cats inside.

The presence of coyotes in our city is a sign of a healthy, balanced ecosystem. Coyotes are naturally curious and intelligent animals. It is common to see them travelling in parks, green spaces, roads and sidewalks while watching people and pets at a distance. 

Most calls to 311 about coyotes do not require intervention from the city. These calls usually report sightings of coyotes exhibiting typical, non-alarming behaviour: hunting and catching small rodents, following you or your pet at a distance of more than 40 metres, and curiously gazing at you or your pet from a distance.

Coyotes that have been desensitized to humans through food conditioning or coyotes protecting their dens or pups from off-leash dogs may become aggressive. https://www.edmonton.ca/residential_neighbourhoods/pets_wildlife/coyotes?utm_source=virtualaddress&utm_campaign=coyotes

Big Island Provincial Park celebrates its first birthday

The Government of Alberta officially established Big Island Provincial Park through an Order in Council on February 16, 2023. The park is located within the North Saskatchewan River valley in southwest Edmonton. At 79 hectares, Big Island is not very big and is no longer a true island due to natural processes, but it has played an outsized role in the City of Edmonton’s history as a recreation and resource hub.

The park supports the river valley’s role as a provincially significant wildlife corridor, playing a key role in sustaining ecological connectivity through the Capital Region. The site holds cultural significance for Indigenous peoples who have lived in amiskwaciywâskahikan (amisk-WA-chee wass-skag-N – the Cree word for Edmonton) for millennia and provides opportunities to connect to nature in the city.

Big Island Provincial Park was established through a unique tri-government partnership between Enoch Cree Nation, the City of Edmonton and the Government of Alberta. The three governments have been working together since 2019 to create the vision and management principles for the park.

While visitors can access Big Island Provincial Park by boat via the North Saskatchewan River, the park is not currently accessible by land. The province is taking active steps to secure overland access to make it easier for Albertans to enjoy this beautiful park. https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/central/big-island-pp/

Cariwest is Caribbean community’s gift to Edmonton

Liz emailed “Well done! Loved the Cariwest coverage and the Riverside trail information.”

Wheatfield with Crows by Konstantin Dimopoulos, The Meadows Community Recreation Centre

https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/wheatfield-with-crows

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 - February 15, 2024

Riverside Trail has stunning view of North Saskatchewan river and valley

Riverside trail in Parkland County, across from Devon, is a 5.5-6.5 km round trip walk, depending on where you park. It is rated moderate difficulty, has two large staircases, wide gravel trails, and small to medium hills. Dogs are allowed on leash.

My recommendation is to begin from Prospector’s Point parking lot. The trail starts on a gravel path and after a brief period of flat grade begins to ascend above the river. Look out beyond the trees for stunning views of the valley and river below. There are a few benches along the trail to stop and rest, as well as garbage cans.

The trail goes through a beautiful forest full of birds. This trail is not maintained in the winter and may be more challenging through the snow. At the end of the trail there is a second staircase. Information and parking maps at https://rivervalley.ab.ca/news/trailtrek-how-to-riverside-trail/

Cariwest is Caribbean community’s gift to Edmonton

Immigrants from the Caribbean came to Canada with their cultural practices and created carnival festivals wherever they established their communities. These festivals have enhanced the vibrancy of cities like Edmonton, where the Cariwest Festival has had an unbroken run since 1984.

Embedded in the psyche of African-Caribbean immigrants, especially those from Trinidad, is the traditional celebration called Carnival. It dates back centuries to their ancestors’ enslavement in the Caribbean region when the enslaved peoples would be given time off to celebrate a successful and profitable sugarcane harvest. They would parade in the streets in their plantation owner’s discarded dresswear.

Organisers made a conscious decision to shift the timetable for carnival celebrations in Canada to the warmer summer months, instead of the traditional period proceeding Easter. Edmonton’s Cariwest Festival is staged in early August.

A fundamental part of the festival is Caribbean rhythms during the parade, rhythms that underscore the intent to have a good time. The music engages the observer, enticing one to move, to dance, to respond, and includes reggae, zouk, soca, and music played on steel drums. From Trinidad & Tobago, the steel drum is reputedly the only acoustic musical instrument invented during the 20th century and is made from discarded oil drums. https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2021/10/05/cariwest-the-caribbean-communitys-gift-to-edmonton/

How birds keep warm in a cold snap

Betty Fisher photo

A bird’s first method of defense against freezing weather are its feathers. Feathers trap pockets of air around the body and the bird’s internal body temperature will then warm up the trapped air. Birds fluff their feathers in the cold so that they can trap as much air as possible, maximizing this insulating effect. To maintain the pockets of air, a bird’s feathers must be flexible, clean, and dry.

Birds produce a special oil called preen oil, which some cold-adapted birds use to waterproof their feathers. Anybody who takes part in outdoor winter activities knows that the key to staying warm is staying dry, and preen oil helps ensure no moisture gets in. It allows the bird to have a water-resistant top layer and a heated inner layer, just like the ideal winter coat!

Torpor is a state of reduced metabolism that is induced when a bird’s body temperature is lowered so that it will require fewer calories to maintain an appropriate heat levels. Many birds will enter torpor to save energy during chilly winter nights. Entering torpor can be dangerous, as the reduced temperature can lead to slower reaction times, which increases the bird’s vulnerability to predators.

Torpor is not common in winter birds like Black-capped Chickadee, because warming back up in the morning would take up too much extra energy. Instead, they experience a more moderate version of torpor called regulated hypothermia. https://www.ealt.ca/blog/how-birds-keep-warm-ylgtf

Passengers by Ray McAdam, South Campus LRT Station

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

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 - February 8, 2024

Silver Skate Festival at new location in Laurier Park

Edmonton’s longest running winter festival, is back Feb 9-19, at Sir Wilfred Laurier Park. The new location is across the river from the festival’s historic location of Hawrelak Park, which is closed due to renovations. The free 10-day, family-oriented festival celebrates prairie winter life and creates winter experiences for Edmontonians of all ages.

What began as a small annual skating event rooted in Dutch winter traditions has blossomed into an all-embracing celebration of winter sport, art, music, and recreation. You will be able to glide along the river valley’s newest outdoor public skating surface, marvel at the artistic talent on display in the Snow Sculpture garden and be dazzled by roving performers on the Folk Trail.

 Experience renewal by writing out a fear or a wish to be added to the nightly Fire Sculpture burn, visit the Indigenous pavilion in the Heritage Village, and push yourself, or a team comprised of family and friends, to frosty victory in the Duathlon or Triathlon. All types of skate blades and skill levels are welcome. Festival info at https://silverskate.ca/

Eda Owen - weather woman of Highlands and Alberta

In an era where women were not considered persons under the law, let alone considered qualified to be working as scientific professionals, Eda Owen was officially appointed in 1921 by the Department of Marine and Fisheries as the Provincial Agent and Weather Observer for Alberta. Eda became the only woman in Canada to hold such a position.

“Her work was incredibly demanding,” notes the Alberta Register of Historic Places, which designated Eda Owen’s home office-meteorological station as a historic resource in 1994. “The Highlands station was arguably the most significant meteorological post outside of Toronto. Eda was required to take hourly readings from 36 different instruments throughout the day and compile reports from over 140 stations in the region.”

For 22 years, Eda continued the daily grind of her labour-intensive and time-consuming work. Eda woke up at 5:30AM every morning, read her instruments before getting dressed, and phoned in the information to the telegraph office to pass along to Toronto.

Eda Owen’s house at 11227-63 Street looks much the same as any of the other historic homes in the Highlands. But when Eda lived there, the house stood out. A 60-foot-tall wooden tower, painted bright red, was perched atop the roof, holding a rotating anemometer to gauge wind speed.

https://citymuseumedmonton.ca/2016/07/26/the-weather-woman-of-the-west-eda-owen-and-the-highlands-dominion-meteorological-station/

Lynx, cougar or bobcat

Gerald Romanchuk photo

Canada Lynx have a very helpful identifying feature. They have very long black tufts of fur on the ends of their ears, which neither of Alberta’s other wild cats have. Lynx are smaller than cougars, but larger than bobcats. Canada Lynx also have a black-tipped tail, which is useful in trying to identify what species of cat you are seeing, especially if the animal is running away.

Cougars are the largest of the three species of wild cats in Alberta. They are usually between 100 and 150 pounds or about the size of an average teenager. Cougars are easy to identify because they have very long tails, ranging between two and three feet in length, whereas Lynx and Bobcats have short, stubby tails.

Bobcats are the smallest wild cat in Alberta. Despite being the smallest wild cat, bobcats are still larger than domestic cats, sometimes getting up to two feet tall. Bobcats are usually found in the very south end of the province and are very unlikely to be spotted in the Edmonton region. They are distinguishable from Cougars because they are much smaller and have a very short tail. Lynx and Bobcats are harder to tell apart, but size and pattern are usually good indicators. https://www.ealt.ca/blog/fun-facts-lynx-cougar-or-bobcat

War on Cars live podcast part of Winter Cycling Congress

As part of the Winter Cycling Congress being held in Edmonton, Feb 22-24, the ironically named, War on Cars podcast, is doing a public live show on the evening of Friday, Feb 23. Their special local guest will be former Mayor Don Iveson.

The cycling congress will explore the ingredients of winter cycling and being a healthy city, and feature international and local experts and enthusiasts, discussing policies, best practices and research that supports year-round well-being in cities and communities.
With episodes like “Making the Bus Sexy Again,” “Infiltrating the Auto Show” and “The Problem With Public Meetings,” the War on Cars podcast takes a decidedly different view on the future of urban transportation. Tickets for the Edmonton live podcast at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/live-podcast-recording-the-war-on-cars-tickets-809663173347

All Out by Maggie Ray Morris, 10351-96 Street, Edmonton

https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/all-out

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