Edmonton National Urban Park update
There are 48 national parks in Canada. Only one, Rouge National Urban Park, is in an urban setting, even though 80 per cent of Canadians identify as urban dwellers. Rouge is in the country's largest metropolitan area, overlapping the Ontario cities of Toronto, Markham, and Pickering.
By 2030, Canada could have 16 more national urban parks. The hope is to have at least one in every province and territory by 2030, according to Miriam Padolsky, director of urban park and ecological corridors at Parks Canada.
In Edmonton, conversations have begun with environmental groups, municipal leaders, and Indigenous nations. Chief Tony Alexis, of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, says "Having an urban park in Treaty 6 territory is a step in the right direction towards reconciliation."
Alexis says Parks Canada has provided assurances that the collaboration will continue once the park opens, "to showcase Indigenous stewardship and provide opportunities for connections to the land, based on Indigenous knowledge and values." Learn more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/parks-canada-miriam-padolsky-tony-alexis-rouge-larry-noonan-national-urban-park-1.6445937
It is time to include fungi in global conservation goals
It’s no secret that Earth’s biodiversity is at risk. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 26% of mammals, 14% of birds and 41% of amphibians are currently threatened worldwide, mainly due to human impacts such as climate change and development.
And then there are fungi, microbes that often go unnoticed, with an estimated 2-4 million species. Fewer than 150,000 fungi have received formal scientific descriptions and classifications.
If you enjoy bread, wine, soy sauce, and taken penicillin or immunosuppressant drugs, thank fungi, which make all these products possible. Except for baker’s yeast and button mushrooms, most fungi remain overlooked and thrive hidden in the dark and damp. But they are valuable organisms worth protecting.
Mycologists have devoted their careers to understanding the critical roles fungi play. These relationships can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral for the fungus’s partner organism. But it is not an overstatement to say that without fungi breaking down dead matter and recycling its nutrients, life on Earth would be unrecognizable. More at
https://theconversation.com/beyond-flora-and-fauna-why-its-time-to-include-fungi-in-global-conservation-goals-181226
Celebrate Queen’s Jubilee with Commonwealth Walkway stroll
The heart of Edmonton’s trails, from Government House Park to the Funicular, is triple blessed. It is part of three important systems: the TransCanada Trail, the River Valley trail from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan, and the Edmonton Commonwealth Walkway.
The Commonwealth Walkway is a 1,000 km walkable path, linking 100 cities, marking 2,000 points of significance, and providing an opportunity for a third of the world’s population to be more active. Each point of interest has a gunmetal-bronze medallion bearing Queen Elizabeth’s monogram and crown.
The Queen's coronation took place 70 years ago, on June 2, 1953. The Platinum Jubilee celebrations will begin June 2 and continue until June 5, a perfect time for monarchists to stroll Edmonton’s Commonwealth Walkway.
There are thirty points of interest along the route from Government House to the Funicular, with side trips in between. An interactive app provides 100 stories on five themes: River, History, Indigenous, Family, and Winter as you follow the route. Download the interactive app at https://www.edmontoncommonwealthwalkway.com/
Val Solash photo
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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.
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Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712