Chilly winter weather part of YEG lore
In 1969, Edmonton recorded 26 consecutive days of daytime high temperatures which did not rise above -21C. Between January 7 and February 1, the city was a frozen wasteland. The deep freeze was such a momentous event, the Edmonton Journal made a certificate which readers could clip from the paper and sign to prove that they had been there when it happened.
“I was there,” reads a certificate that Edmonton Journal cartoonist Edd Uluschak drew for survivors to collect in the aftermath of the cold snap. The high and low temperatures for each day are listed at the bottom in Fahrenheit. Canada started measuring temperatures in Celsius in 1975.
“January 1969 was a cold month, but not the coldest January that we’ve had,” said Edmonton-based Environment Canada meteorologist Dan Kulak. He said the national weather service does not track statistics on stretches, but he was able to review the mean temperature, taken from the average daytime high and nighttime low, for every January back to 1880.
Although 1969 had a mean of -26 C, 1950 holds the title of the most bitterly cold January on record at -27.7 C. More at https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/that-ones-a-real-humdinger-50-years-later-edmontonians-remember-the-1969-cold-snap
Jack pine known for its unique shape
The jack pine is the most widely distributed tree in Canada. When it grows in rocky shallow soil, it is gnarled and lopsided, a view made famous by Canadian painter Tom Thomson. This native species has become a symbol of our harsh, but beautiful landscape.
This tree can thrive in the poorest of conditions and is as hardy as they come. Found mainly in plains and shield eco-zones, jack pine is salt and drought tolerant, preferring sandy and acidic soils. It is attractive to birds and squirrels and is a major source for the pulp and paper industry.
The tree has been used by Indigenous peoples as food and medicine for centuries. Leaves and bark were used medicinally in ointments and stimulants. Roots were used to sew canoe seams and bark roofs, and seams sealed with resin
It is also an important player in reforestation after forest fires. The heat of the fire allows the cones to open, releasing the seeds, so they are some of the first plants to come back from the devastation. More at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_pine
Fisher a predator of porcupines
The fisher is possibly the swiftest and most agile member of the weasel family. These elusive creatures are primarily nocturnal but may be spotted during the day. They are agile tree climbing carnivores but spend most of their time on the ground. Fishers are also known as Fisher cat, or Pennant’s cat, but it is not a cat, nor does it fish.
They are one of the main predators of porcupines, which can easily feed it for two days. The fisher will follow a porcupine up a tree, overtake it, and then attack the porcupine from above. Its ability to descend trees head-first, aided by retractable claws, helps the fisher approach the porcupine stealthily, and attack the only quill-free spot on the porcupine’s body-the face.
Fishers have delayed implantation, meaning the embryo begins to develop but then stops growing and stays suspended until late winter, when it implants, and development continues. This also occurs in Alberta bears. More at https://www.ealt.ca/species-spotlight-list/fisher
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
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Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712