River Valley can’t be everyone’s outdoor playground
In an Edmonton Journal opinion piece, P.J. Cotterill says greater river valley access provides obvious benefits for recreation and for “getting in touch with nature,” but human presence offers little advantage to natural ecosystems. An example of how increased access militates against ecological integrity is the Terwillegar Park footbridge.
Mountain bikers fresh from the Terwillegar trails have created a network of ever-widening dirt trails in Oleskiw’s riparian forest, including right alongside the river. However, the bikers are not the only culprits: hikers, runners, sledders, dog-walkers, view-seekers and dogs also use many of these trails and promote their proliferation.
The result is that the river valley is now showing a patchwork of human disturbance that destroys vegetation and soil structure, reduces habitat and connectivity for wildlife, increases erosion, introduces invasive weeds and looks unsightly.
If the river valley is to survive as a natural corridor rather than a splintered and degraded city park of impoverished wildness, ecologically literate Edmontonians will have to undergo a paradigm shift in thinking and behaviour. Council, administration and Indigenous peoples must lead the way to a widespread culture of respect for and appreciation of the river valley’s naturalness.
The city must ditch the assumption that the finite space of the river valley can meet the outdoor recreational needs of an infinite number of people, even with wise management. Instead, it must look to enlarging (through restoration) and appropriating (bringing management plans onstream) the city’s green network in the uplands. Read the opinion piece at https://edmontonjournal.com/opinion/columnists/opinion-edmontons-river-valley-cant-be-everyones-outdoor-playground
Paranormal tours at Fort Edmonton Park
Fort Edmonton Park is giving visitors the ultimate tour of its most haunted buildings from March 20-April 27. Tours will feature paranormal equipment, such as electromagnetic field readers, motion detectors, and infrared night vision cameras to help capture any supernatural events.
The three hour guided tour will take you to three of the park's most haunted locations, Mellon Farm House, Egge’s Stopping House and the Firkins House, to explore and hear how paranormal investigations take place, and the stories behind the park's most chilling ghost stories. Information at https://www.fortedmontonpark.ca/events/featured-events/paranormaltours
Belgravia Arts Park Labyrinth
Described as a community jewel, the Belgravia Arts Park at the corner of 115 Street and 73 Avenue was redeveloped with an artistic flair in 2008. The park’s open design, variety of sculptures, and outdoor labyrinth invite play and reflection.
There is a sign near the labyrinth that explains what it is and is not: “The labyrinth is not a maze. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. It has a single circuitous path that winds its way into the centre. The person walking it uses the same path to return from the centre and the entrance then becomes the exit.”
The sign explains who the labyrinth is for: “The path is in full view, which allows a person to be quiet and focus internally. Some people come with questions, others just to slow down and take time out from a busy life.” More about the park at https://transforming.edmonton.ca/closer-to-home-belgravia-arts-park/
Rich dinosaur history in conservation lands
Coates conservation land is an 80 acre natural area in Leduc County open to the public under the stewardship of the Edmonton and Area Land Trust. A 1.3 km trail meanders through the forest to the bottom of Willow Creek which connects with the North Saskatchewan River a few kilometres away.
In the early 1990s Hadrosaur footprints were extracted from the area via helicopter and brought to the Royal Tyrrell Museum. Shortly after that they found Albertosaurus skin impressions as well as dinosaur bones.
"It's a pretty cool story," says Philip Currie, paleontology professor at the University of Alberta. The skin impression of an Albertosaurus, a type of tyrannosaur, was found at the bottom of the creek. The fossil may have fallen from the cliff above although, Currie says, they weren't able to pinpoint the exact spot.
It's now in the collections of the Royal Tyrell Museum in Drumheller, where researchers are still studying it. "In fact, it has attracted a lot of attention over the years because skin impressions of tyrannosaurs are pretty rare," Currie says. More at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/coates-conservation-lands-nikki-paskar-dinosaur-leduc-county-ealt-1.6386972
Whitemud Reserve and Ribbon of Green
Ray writes “I live near Whitemud Ravine and am a long term user of the River Valley, both walking and cycling. I am concerned at the number of casual trails that have spouted up, deliberately made and others growing with casual use, including my own as a walker/hiker.
The city should do a survey of casual trails, create a steering policy committee with representatives from users, people who walk, run, dog walk or cycle the trails with the aim of creating a plan for trails other than the city made. Some non-authorized casual trails should be closed and restored, and others improved. I believe that a specialist in soil erosion should be included in such a committee. If we don't do surveys and create plans, the entire Ribbon of Green will eventually look like the Whitemud ravine.”
Incline railway, Edmonton’s first funicular.
Comment or contribution
If you have a comment, concern, or question, contact us at nsrivervalley@gmail.com Please also email us river valley photos or event information. Your friends, neighbours and colleagues can sign up for this newsletter on our web site https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712