River Valley News - May 22/25

Tipis a mobile school on thirteen moons and more

Provincial Archives of Alberta photo

Tipis are a significant part of the historical landscape of Edmonton’s river valley. Often referred to as a women's structure, the Tipi was intrinsically designed to be many structures at once, meeting the many needs of First Nations people.

Being made of readily available materials, like aspen poles and hide/canvas, meant that vast territories could be travelled with ease of mind knowing that wherever stops occurred, shelter could be erected quickly. Using complex architecture, arithmetic and construction processes, the Tipi was designed to not only adapt to changing weather patterns but withstand the fiercest conditions.

Each pole within the Tipi is also connected to a teaching, creation story or other history. In some Nations, the teachings of each pole helped educate youth and others on the thirteen moons, calendars and the cycles of the natural world, making the Tipi a mobile school.

It is important to note that each Nation has a different approach to the Tipi, and there exists diversity between Blackfoot, Cree and Nakota teachings and structures. https://www.edmontonhistoricalboard.com/structures/tipi/

Souped-up cars and motorcycles behind Edmontonian’s sleepless nights

Greg Southam photo

Barbara McKinley used to love Edmonton’s spring and summer. But now, deafening noise from souped-up cars and motorcycles racing down Saskatchewan Drive and Walterdale Hill has taken over her nights, leaving her unable to sleep, open her windows, or spend time outdoors with friends.

Now, alongside fellow longtime Edmonton resident Lida Somchynsky, McKinley is calling for urgent action to curb what they describe as “relentless and deliberate vehicle noise” in their neighbourhoods — disruptions that have made nights unbearable and sleep nearly impossible.

McKinley said the issue goes beyond loud vehicles. Drivers are engaging in disruptive behaviour such as “gunning engines while in neutral, using bridges and overpasses as echo chambers, and stunting, just to inflict excessive noise on the rest of us.”

McKinley believes enforcement tools already exist but need political will to be implemented, citing the need for a “united approach where the government departments, city departments, are also advocating.” https://edmontonjournal.com/news/residents-demand-action-over-vehicle-noise-in-edmonton-neighbourhoods

May 24 ‘Gardener’s Swap and Sale’ is on the horizon!

Whether this is your 1st or 50th year gardening, come find a hidden treasure, learn something new or just have fun talking to your neighbours about flowers. On May 24, 2025, from 8:30 AM – 11:00 AM, there will be a gardener’s swap and sale at Fulton Place Community League.

At a dedicated native plant table, gardeners can swap mature native plants and newly-grown seedlings. Bring any plants (indoor or outdoor), seedlings, perennials, tools, magazines, books, etc. Bring your extras and take away new treasures.

More info at https://www.enps.ca/event-details-registration/fulton-place-gardeners-swap-and-sale

Duets: Sphinx by Robert (Bob) Chelmick, Edmonton Police Service – North East Division  https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/duets-sphinx  

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup

River Valley News - May 15/25

The people have spoken, and they chose the magpie!

Galen McDougall photo

You don’t have to look far to find Edmonton’s new city bird. Bird Friendly Edmonton announced on Saturday that the black-billed magpie won top spot out of six year-round resident birds who entered the ring in October.

Nick Carter, with Nature Alberta, said more than 40,000 votes were cast in two rounds of voting. “The magpie got almost 40 per cent of the votes out of the six candidate species,” he added. “People in Edmonton have definitely spoken and it seems like the magpie has really become embraced.”

According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, the magpie belongs to the crow family. Of the 20 magpie species known worldwide, only the black-billed magpie lives in Canada. The iridescent and intelligent bird beat out downy woodpeckers, red-breasted nuthatches, boreal chickadees, the blue jay and northern saw-whet owls.

In 2022, Edmonton became the eighth Canadian city to earn a Bird Friendly City certification from Nature Canada. The black-billed magpie will now represent the city’s ongoing commitment to making itself a safer place for birds.

“We are hoping to have the decision officially recognized by the City of Edmonton,” Carter said. “The magpie gets, I think, hopefully a little bit more respect in the community.” The announcement was made at Big Lake in Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park on World Migratory Bird Day. https://www.ctvnews.ca/edmonton/article/love-it-or-hate-it-magpies-crowned-edmontons-city-bird/

Fulton creek business proposal denied at public hearing

Fulton Creek Business Park photo

A rezoning application that would relocate a creek in southeast Edmonton and remove thousands of trees to allow for more industrial land failed at a public hearing at Edmonton's city hall last Wednesday. The vote ended in a 6-6 tie during the public hearing meeting. 

City administration told council they were in support of the rezoning application after weighing the pros and cons of the project. An approved application would have seen an expansion of 4.9 hectares of land for industrial use and create up to 400 jobs. 

Other public stakeholders like the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition were staunchly opposed to the application. "We're very relieved that this proposal did not pass," Kristine Kowalchuk, coalition chair, told CBC in an interview. 

"This landscape formed over thousands of years, and you can't just replace trees … you can't just replant them and redevelop an ecosystem, a functioning ecosystem, in 10 years," Kowalchuk said, noting the land was found to have at least 20 species of birds in an environmental assessment made public as part of the hearing at city hall. 

"We did a site visit just a few days ago to take a look at this creek, and right now, the creek is full of frogs singing. So it's not a heavily degraded land. This is land that is functioning as important habitat and a wildlife corridor today." https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/business-park-proposal-that-would-relocate-fulton-creek-remove-6-900-trees-fails-to-pass-1.7529293

Hoary bat first identified in Pennsylvania by “Master Pancake”

Jose G. Martinez-Fonseca photo

The hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) is a species of bat that lives throughout most of North America, including Edmonton. It was first described as a new species in 1796 by Palisot de Beauvois. Beauvois noted that the holotype was collected in the US state of Pennsylvania by an individual identified as "Master Pancake". 

The hoary bat averages 13 to 14.5 cm long with a 40 cm wingspan and a weight of 26 g. It is the largest bat normally found in Canada. Its coat is dense and dark brown, with white tips to the hairs that give the species its 'hoary' appearance for which it is named. Their body is covered in fur except for the undersides of their wings. 

The bat normally roosts alone on trees, hidden in the foliage, but on occasion has been seen in caves with other bats. It prefers woodland, mainly coniferous forests, but hunts over open areas or lakes. It hunts alone and its main food source is moths.

While not listed as threatened or endangered, hoary bats suffer significant mortality from wind turbines. Across the United States in 2005, 40% of all bats killed by wind turbines were hoary bats. One common theory explaining this is that bats are attracted to the tall structure, possibly believing them to be trees that can be used for rest. https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/40523-Lasiurus-cinereus

Time travel on May 24 with ANPC’s “Plants through Time” workshop 

ANPC’s 2025 workshop is happening on May 24th in Red Deer, Alberta. Virtual attendance is also available at a reduced rate. Some of this year’s workshop will highlight how plants, habitats, conservation and people’s knowledge have evolved through time, from decades to thousands of years.

The Keynote Speaker will be Jenny L. McCune with the University of Lethbridge speaking on Plants through Time: From the Distant Past to the Invisible Present. She will be discussing her experiences studying plant communities, highlighting the challenges and intrigue involved in understanding the short-term and long-term history of plants, and discuss these challenges to plant conservation in Canada.

There will be a banquet dinner after the workshop and a short field trip the morning of May 25 to Morris Flewwelling Ranch, located in the Pine Lake Moraine. This is an approximately 30 minutes drive southeast of Red Deer. Find more information and a link to register athttps://anpc.ab.ca/?p=11502.

NSRVCS welcomes a new communications coordinator
Liz says "Thank you Harvey for your years of delightful communications about our wonderful river valley. It has warmed my heart and called me to be more often in the river valley. Thank you Brook Kelela for taking on this volunteer task. I look forward to reading your thoughts and joys about the river valley."

Vital Formation by Liz Ingram, City Hall https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/vital-formation

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup

River Valley News - May 8/25

NSRVCS welcomes a new communications coordinator

Photo of Harvey Voogd

Brook Kelela officially took over responsibility for NSRVCS’s communications on March 10, when Harvey Voogd did not stand for re-election to the Board of Directors. Brook is the editor of the weekly River Valley News online publication, and posts material on Facebook, Instagram and X.

Voogd initiated River Valley News in March 2017 as a biweekly and circulation grew to 528 emails by year’s end. Feedback was positive and every newsletter generated reader response. In 2018, the newsletter became a weekly publication. The newsletter had 2,336 readers at the end of 2024.

Harvey reactivated the Facebook page in October 2018. At the end of 2024, it had 1904 followers. Instagram was added in October 2020 and has grown to over 417 followers. Twitter, now known as X, was activated in February 2022 and has 332+ followers.

“I am delighted that Brook has taken on this creative, exciting and demanding volunteer position,” said Voogd. “She has been in charge of the newsletter and social media accounts since the beginning of January and done an excellent job! I look forward to her energy and enthusiasm reshaping NSRVCS’ communication platforms.”

Brook stays in constant awe of the river valley and enjoys finding any excuse to travel through or pass by it. She is passionate about environmental social theory and strives to think critically about nature, society and environmental governance. Brook believes that we can’t begin to address our current environmental landscape without first making room for all the diverse perspectives and histories tied to these spaces. https://emeraldfoundation.ca/aef_awards/the-north-saskatchewan-river-valley-conservation-societys-river-valley-newsletter/ 

Legislature library yet to find the missing “Saskatchewan River gold” key

Provincial Archives of Alberta photo

Deposits of precious metals, like gold and platinum, can be found in alluvial deposits (sands and gravels) in modern or ancient river beds, and occasionally glacial deposits. The gold found in the North Saskatchewan River occurs as flakes that are so small, they are commonly known as gold flour.

Although there are no nuggets to be found in the North Saskatchewan River, gold mining activity in the Edmonton area still peaked between 1895 and 1897. It’s estimated that over 300 miners arrived to work the sand bars along a 100km stretch of the river upstream and downstream of Edmonton.

By 1898, gold mining activity slowed substantially along the NSRV as miners moved northward to join the more lucrative Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon. However, despite the short life and limited quantities of gold recovered in the Edmonton region, North Saskatchewan River gold did enjoy a notable moment in the spotlight.

On September 3, 1912, the Governor General of Canada, HRH the Duke of Connaught, officially opened Alberta’s new, and still unfinished, Legislature Building. He did so by “unlocking” the front doors of the building with a ceremonial key made of “Saskatchewan River gold.”

This ceremonial gold key went missing almost immediately after the opening ceremony and despite many efforts by research staff of the Legislature Library to track it down, it has never been relocated. https://albertashistoricplaces.com/2016/07/28/edmontons-river-valley-the-glitter-of-the-gold-rush/

Foams used to fight wildfires sometimes contain “forever chemicals”

Rocky View County photo

While the visible scars of wildfires include scorched landscapes and displaced communities, there are some consequences that go unnoticed—especially when it comes to water quality. Here are six surprising ways that wildfires affect drinkable water.

To start, wildfires strip the land of trees and plants which stabilize the soil, causing rainwater to carry ash, sediment and pollutants into rivers and lakes that would otherwise be filtered by the natural systems. This can make drinking water treatment more difficult and expensive. 

Second, burnt vegetation and exposed soil releases nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium into waterways, which can trigger algal blooms. These blooms can be deadly to vegetation, fish, and shore birds, as well as pose health risks to humans and pets if the water is ingested. 

Third, wildfires can release heavy metals and chemicals. As plants and structures burn, they release metals like iron and manganese into the environment. When rain falls on scorched land, these metals can wash into waterbodies, contaminating drinking water supplies. 

Firefighting efforts can also contribute to water contamination. Foams used in fighting wildfires sometimes contain substances like per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and heavy metals. PFAS are known as “forever chemicals” because they persist in the environment and accumulate in water sources long after they are initially applied. 

In addition, the high temperatures from fires can melt plastic water pipes above and below ground, releasing benzene and other harmful chemicals directly into the water supply impacting water storage systems, treatment plants, and distribution systems. 

Finally, ash, soil, and debris from vegetation that enter waterways during a wildfire increase the levels of carbon in the water. This carbon can react with chlorine in water treatment plants to create disinfection byproducts, a class of chemicals known to be harmful to human health. https://www.swimdrinkfish.ca/blog/how-do-wildfires-impact-drinking-water

Parade II by Gabe Wong, Lewis Farms Transit Centre https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/parade-ii  

Comment or Contributions

Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.

Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com

Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup