River Valley News - Aug 21/25

Photo credit: City of Edmonton Facebook

A call to action: Protecting the future of the NSRV

The North Saskatchewan River Valley is more than just a scenic landmark; it's a vital ecosystem facing a critical legal test. Ansh Gulati, a law student working with the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition (ERVCC), recently authored an opinion article in the Edmonton Journal that argues the City's new Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) falls short of providing the necessary protection.

One of the main concerns Ansh voices is the use of weak, non-binding language in the draft bylaw. He highlights the change from "shall" to "should" as a key shift that weakens the city's legal obligations to protect the valley. This subtle but significant change, along with a lack of clear guidance on environmental assessments and mitigation, could allow for development that harms the valley's biodiversity and ecological function.

The article emphasizes that true protection requires a robust and enforceable legal framework. It also calls for the bylaw to move beyond symbolic gestures and include meaningful, constitutionally mandated consultation with Indigenous communities. 

Ansh concludes that “Council must not approve a new river valley bylaw until these critical legal and structural issues are resolved. After all, a bylaw is the most binding form of municipal law. The need of the hour is a robust, comprehensive, and enforceable bylaw: one that tackles the current bylaw’s shortcomings and builds upon it in a substantive and meaningful way, from a legal perspective.”

Opinion: Edmonton's new river valley bylaw falls short

River Valley Alliance 2025 call for calendar submissions

The RVA is excited to announce the 2025 RVA Call For Calendar Submissions! They are seeking 13 stunning images to feature in their upcoming calendar—one for each month and a special one for the cover. To represent the diversity and beauty of our region, they need images from each of our six municipalities: Devon, Parkland County, Edmonton, Strathcona County, Fort Saskatchewan, and Sturgeon County. They are looking for a variety of seasonal shots, so whether it’s a frosty winter morning or a vibrant summer sunset, they want to see your best work!

For full details and submission guidelines visit 2025 RVA Call For Calendar Submissions - River Valley Alliance

Additionally, the River Valley Alliance offers a variety of events focused on outdoor activities and appreciating nature. The upcoming events for September 2025 include:

Youth and Family Geocaching Adventure: This event takes place on Saturday, September 13, from 10am to 12pm at West Rivers Edge Pavilion in Fort Saskatchewan. It is a geocaching event designed for youth and families.

Fall Medicine – Moccasin and Medicine Trail Walk Series: This guided trail walk is on Sunday, September 14, from 10am to 12pm.

Autumn Birding Walk – A Guided Birdwatching Experience: This guided birdwatching experience is on Sunday, September 21, from 9am to 12pm.

For a full list of events and registration details visit Events - River Valley Alliance

Photo credit: Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton webpage

Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton - Apple Cider Celebration

At Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton (OFRE, pronounced “offer”), they’re all about building community through the simple act of harvesting fruit. Founded in 2009, their journey began with a passion for locally grown food and a commitment to ensuring that no fruit goes to waste. For over a decade, they’ve connected Edmonton’s fruit tree owners with eager volunteers, rescuing thousands of pounds of fresh produce that might have otherwise gone unpicked. 

Every apple tells a story—and during this three-weekend family apple celebration, you’ll help write the next chapter. From pedal-powered cider pressing to youth-friendly harvest workshops, OFRE’s fall festival connects kids, parents, and neighbours to the rhythms of food, land, and community.

Each event in the Apple Cider Celebration series offers something special. The first two weekends are community-focused cider pressing events—come press, taste, and connect. The final event is their grand finale: a full-day family celebration with the most hands-on workshops.

Apple Cider Celebration - Operation Fruit Rescue Edmonton

Photo Credit: Boreal chorus frog. Photo © A. Teucher

Vanishing Voices: The Disappearing Amphibians of Alberta

Amphibians are a unique classification of animals that often live double lives, partly in the water and partly on land. Alberta has three types of amphibians: frogs, toads, and salamanders. For 60 years, the AWA has worked to protect and preserve what makes Alberta unique: our wilderness and the rich complexity of biodiversity that comes with it. 

The AWA is still advocating for many of the same things they were at the beginning: the appreciation and protection of our wild spaces and wildlife as a public good, and more mindful development that takes ecological integrity into high regard.

Because of their sensitive skin and specific habitat requirements, amphibians are facing many new challenges due to human activity. Land-use changes, urban development and roadways, chemical additions to ecosystems, water pollution, extended periods of drought, and Chytrid fungus are all culprits in their declining numbers across the world, including right here in Alberta.

Amphibians often serve as indicator species within their habitats (think “canary in the coal mine”), revealing harmful changes in the environment early on. Protecting critical habitats and species helps ensure that all ecosystem services are preserved for the health and resilience of everyone. 

For this to happen, we must first remind ourselves to celebrate the sounds of a frog chorus just as we anticipate the calls of migratory birds in spring. For more information and to read the full article by Sara Heerema go to The Story of Alberta’s Abandoned Amphibians.

From Gold Dust to Green Space: The Story of Miner's Flat

Alice writes: Thank you as always for the newsletter! The article on prospecting in the most recent issue reminded me of this particular poem — it’s from a sequence about the river valley that appeared in my collection “The Occupied World.”

Flour gold

The spoon dredge

swirls mud into smooth batter

from the river’s round bowls.

It trawls the slurried beds

for flakes so light

they will float – a gold flour

sifted from sand.

The Gold Rush rises in the miners’ pans

like a loaf.

And the spoon dredge wants more

sweet cake

from the river’s cold oven.

Clover Bar. Gold Bar –

gravel ridges

thrust in the river,

licked like fingers.

Raft Race by Toti Lewis / EPL Stanley Milner 2nd Level

Stanley A. Milner Library ART GUIDE

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 - Aug 14/25

Bridging the Gap: New Footbridge Over NSR

Photo Credit: Elliott Knopp, CityNews

A new pedestrian bridge connecting Edmonton and Strathcona County has opened, completing a major link in a more than 100-kilometre trail system through six municipalities in the North Saskatchewan River valley. Located just north of the new Northeast River Valley Park, which opened in 2023, the bridge includes shared-use pathways, gathering areas at each end and two lookout points offering stunning views of the river and the surrounding valley. You can find out more about the trail network on the River Valley Alliance website.

The bridge from Edmonton’s 167th Avenue to Strathcona County’s Township Road 540 is a big win, but the City of Edmonton says there will still be some closures over the summer so crews can install canopies. To support the project, Strathcona County is also building additional amenities along Township Road 540, including a parking lot, portable washrooms and a multi-use trail connection.

The $38.6-million project was funded 50 per cent by the River Valley Alliance, with the remaining cost shared equally by the City of Edmonton and Strathcona County. “It doesn’t really just put this region on the map, it puts Alberta on the map, it puts Canada on the map. Worldwide, people do travel to destinations just like this trail,” said Kristine Archibald, the executive director of the River Valley Alliance. The River Valley Alliance says the final piece of a complete river valley trail is a 25 km gap tying the town of Devon to southwest Edmonton, which is still waiting to be completed.

New footbridge finally connects Edmonton and Strathcona County | Urbanized

New river valley footbridge connecting Edmonton to Sherwood Park opens to the public

Bioblitz & Blooms: A Day for Pollinators at Smith-Blackburn Homestead

Photo Credit: Edmonton Area Land Trust website

Want to make a hands-on difference for nature in your backyard? The Edmonton & Area Land Trust needs your help! A few of their upcoming events haven't gained the number of people they were hoping for, and August is a critical month for managing invasive plants. In particular, the Smith Blackburn Homestead Bioblitz and Weeding needs more hands.

The Smith Blackburn Homestead is a unique property located just east of Elk Island National Park, in a region recognized by UNESCO as the Beaverhills Biosphere Reserve. This land is comprised of deciduous forest, dominated by Trembling Aspen and Balsam Poplar, and underlain with Raspberry and Beaked Hazelnut. The landscape is dotted with wetlands containing willows, asters and cattails. 

This ecosystem combination allows birds, such as Great Blue Herons, Soras, Common Loons and Common Yellowthroat, to nest, raise their young and thrive. Other species living in this space include the Black Bear, Deer, Moose, Beaver, Wood Frogs, Canadian Tiger Swallowtail butterflies and many more.

The established pollinator garden is under pressure from invasive weeds. In order to help the pollinators the garden was established for, EALT needs some help reducing the presence of invasive plants.

The volunteer activity will be focusing on removing the white cockle, thistle, and other weeds that have found their way into and around the garden. The event will occur on Saturday, August 16, 2025 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. To register, click the link below:

https://signup.com/go/aEoCGqj

From Gold Dust to Green Space: The Story of Miner's Flat

Photo Credit: Provincial Archives of Alberta B5287

Mining of placer gold and platinum in the Edmonton area preceded the discovery of gold in the Klondike by more than 40 years, and continues today with small, hobby operations. Placer gold was first discovered in the North Saskatchewan River valley in the 1850s by prospectors moving into British Columbia's Cariboo area via Edmonton.

In 1867, 175 prospectors, known as the 'Overlanders', left Eastern Canada passing through Edmonton on their way to the Cariboo gold fields. About a third stayed in Edmonton to try their luck in the Fort Edmonton area and settled on Miner's Flat. Prospectors set up their tents and sluices in the area in the hopes of finding gold in the silt banks along the North Saskatchewan River.

On a good day in low-water stages, miners claimed they could recover 0.5 ounces a day, all of it as fine flakes, called flour gold associated with fine, black sand - there are no nuggets in the North Saskatchewan River. The black, heavy-mineral-bearing sand was panned to concentrate the gold, and then the gold was dissolved with mercury to concentrate it further.

Gold mining in the Edmonton area peaked between 1895 and 1907, with some 300 miners working the bars 100 km upstream and downstream of Edmonton. Larger steam-powered dredges enabled miners to extract up to 2 oz. of gold per day. In the last two years of operation, about 7500 troy oz. of gold were extracted, but profits were marginal and miners left to join the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush.

After the miners left, the City of Edmonton purchased the land coined ‘Miner’s Flat' in 1907. Although a powerplant was initially planned, the area was designated as parkland in 1910. It was named Laurier Park after a visit to Edmonton by Sir Wilfred Laurier.

Parts of the area were mined for gravel and later used as a waste disposal site, but in the early 1960s the area became home to the Storyland Valley Zoo. In the late 1980s, the City suggested the name be amended to Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park.

Edmonton Geological Society - Field Guides

Mountain Scene, No. 4 by Jennifer Bushman, City Hall

Edmonton Arts Council | Mountain Scene, No. 4

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 - Aug 7/25

Even in retreat, there is regeneration

In Blue, artist Kelsey Stephenson invites you to experience the healing presence of Alberta’s glacial landscapes. Through the cyanotype process, a photographic technique developed with water, these works carry the vivid blues of melting ice and flowing rivers. Moving among large silk panels and delicate prints on paper, you’ll find yourself immersed in the cycles of freeze and thaw, light and shadow, stillness, and flow.

The imagery traces the path of the North Saskatchewan River from its headwaters in Banff National Park, drawing inspiration from the surrounding terrain of the Athabasca and Saskatchewan Glaciers. While glaciers tell stories of loss, they also feed the veins of our planet—melting into rivers, nourishing ecosystems, and reminding us that even in retreat, there is regeneration. 

This work holds space for renewal. It asks you to consider what it means to be well within yourself and the natural world. As you move through these layered, suspended pieces, there is time to breathe, to remember, and to reconnect with places that carry meaning and comfort.

Situated in the University of Alberta Hospital, McMullen Gallery aims to inspire, educate, and engage their audience – including patients, medical staff, hospital visitors and members of the general public. Open since 1986, this public gallery is a haven to which anyone may retreat and relax, reflect, share a quiet visit, while viewing displays of visual art by individual artists, collectives, and organizations. 

BLUE – Kelsey Stephenson 

July 28 - September 14, 2025, in McMullen Gallery

8440-112 St NW

Monday – Friday: 9 a.m. -7 p.m. 

Saturday – Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

https://www.friendsofuah.org/exhibitions-list/2025/7/28/blue-kelsey-stephenson

How a Comet's Trail Becomes a Light Show

The Perseids meteor shower can be seen from the northern hemisphere each year, from late July to mid-August. This year, an increasing number of shooting stars should be visible every night, until the light show peaks on the night of August 12 and 13.

During the peak, typically in the darkest hours after midnight, up to 50 to 80 meteors per hour can streak across the sky. To be even more specific, look up at the sky between moonset and dawn to see the most meteors of the night. The Perseids take their name from the constellation Perseus because they appear to fall right from it.

Comet 109P/Swift–Tuttle causes this remarkable phenomenon. It orbits the sun, leaving a trail of dust and gravel in its path. Every summer, the Earth crosses the comet's orbital path and passes through its trail of debris. That debris becomes meteors as it disintegrates in our atmosphere and generates impressive flashes of light!

In Alberta there are five designated Dark Sky Preserves. The most accessible to the Edmonton area is the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, which encompasses Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area and Elk Island National Park. For further information on how to best view the meteor shower check out the following links:

Perseids: How to watch the best meteor shower of the year | Canadian Space Agency

Perseid meteor shower 2025: All you need to know

Photo courtesy of Joel Weatherly Photography

The "Sea Ravens" of Our Skies

The double-crested cormorant is a large black bird with a long sinuous neck and a yellow-orange throat patch. The name cormorant is a contraction of two Latin words; corvus and marinus which when put together mean “sea raven”. With their penchant for fishing and their black colour it is easy to see why.

They weigh between 1.2 and 2.5 kilos and are exceptional divers, some able to dive to depths of 45 meters using their powerful webbed feet and using their wings as rudders. Cormorants eat a wide variety of fish along with some crustaceans, amphibians and insects. Their long beak, with the tip of the bill shaped like a hook, is an excellent aid in catching prey.

A cormorant’s time is spent almost equally between fishing and resting. Some people believe that their oil glands are insufficient for waterproofing, and although these oil glands may help them be a better diver, it also means they must spend a large portion of time drying their wings. Observers will often find cormorants on top of tall trees of telephone poles with their wings outstretched to catch the drying rays of the sun.

Cormorants are colonial nesters whose guano has been known to kill the very trees they perch upon. At the very least, it will stain and discolour any rocks below. A few of the Cormorants' favourite local hangouts in the Edmonton area include Hermitage Park and Beaumaris Lake. Send us a message of where your favourite place in Edmonton is to see these unique birds!

The Cormorants are Coming! - Alberta Institute For Wildlife Conservation

Photo courtesy of Emmanuel Pocsidio via Alberta Birds | Facebook

The U of A's River-Powered Cooling Secret

Have you ever wondered what those two concrete slabs poking out of the North Saskatchewan River just West of the High Level Bridge are? When the question is posed online, many are quick to say things like “Lime Scooter parking spots” or that they are part of a “river raft sobriety test section”, but they are in fact part of the University of Alberta’s Cooling Plant.

The cooling plant is situated on the banks of the North Saskatchewan river and uses river water in the winter months to produce chilled water used to meet the university’s cooling needs. The river water is supplied to the plant via two concrete intake structures located on the bed of the river, each connected to a wet well by a “1980 built 54-in. diameter steel pipe,” which runs under the riverbed perpendicularly to the river flow.

This is one of two cooling plants that are part of the U of A’s district energy system which is owned and operated by the university, and supplies thermal and electric power to the greater campus area. The U of A heating plant produces steam to heat and power the Greater Campus Area. Five large boilers burn natural gas, producing one-billion kilograms of steam each year. The heating plant also operates two steam turbine generators. Together these generators can produce 25 per cent of the power the UAlberta campus needs.

The U of A found they could help reduce their environmental impact by producing heat in their central heating plant, which is about 25 per cent more efficient than using stand-alone boilers in buildings. Additionally, using cold river water as condenser water is more efficient than using cooling towers. 

Energy & Climate Action (E&CA) offers tours of some of the university's LEED and Green Globes certified buildings, labs who have made outstanding commitments to energy and water efficiency, and the university's district energy system. To book a tour, email emso@ualberta.ca.

Utilities Behind the Scenes | University Services, Operations + Finance

Photo courtesy of Curtis Meunier via Google Maps University of Alberta Cooling Outtake Platform

News release July 16 confirms Nordic Spa plans now official

Louise says “ the Nordic Spa is NOT proposed IN the river valley. The LAND is adjacent to the river valley and above the top of a bank on land that had been developed for residential use for many years. If you are going to point out that residents think it is, you should equally point out that it is not according to all studies, plans and zonings.”

Competition by Kirra Kent

Magpie painting, https://www.kirra.ca/about-artist  

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