Mill creek park movement and citizen activism in Edmonton
NSRVCS board member PearlAnn Reichwein is co-author of a chapter in the recently published Bucking Conservatism-Alternative stories of Alberta. She and Jan Olson write about the 1964-75 fight by citizens against a city plan to re-engineer Mill Creek Ravine as an automobile corridor to link suburbs and downtown.
Town planners advised Edmonton council in 1907 to set aside deep ravines that were valued as community public resources and parks. Planner Frederick Todd recommended protection of Edmonton’s river valley lands and emphasized the importance of nature in urban life and health. Public parks were seen as the green lungs of the city.
As he put it, “a crowded population, if they are to live in health and happiness, must have space for the enjoyment of that peaceful beauty of nature, which because it is the opposite of all that is sordid and artificial in our city lives, is so wonderfully refreshing to the tired souls of city dwellers.”
Mill Creek Ravine near Connor’s Road had become the community of Ross’s Acreage. Twenty-five families and bachelors lived there, which was seen as a problem in 1934, when the city declared the ravine to be parkland. By 1950, all had been evicted except for one elderly resident. Then came the freeway push.
Read about this fight and how Mill Creek became a focal point for the concept of building a park as an expression of the commons and of a larger civic sense of public space as home. Debates over the ravine manifested an ongoing struggle to maintain both public space and the public’s role in municipal governance and change. This story begins on page 253 at https://www.aupress.ca/app/uploads/120286_Crane_Bear_et_al_2021-Bucking_Conservatism.pdf
Purple martins a favourite of backyard birders
The purple martin is North America’s largest swallow and Edmonton is at the northern edge of its range. Known for their speed and agility in flight, these birds tuck their wings and dive at high speeds while hunting insects. Alberta lists the species as sensitive due to concern over loss of nest sites and competition from House Sparrows and European Starlings. Their neotropical wintering grounds are also under threat.
They are a favourite of backyard birders, and people enjoy installing specially designed bird houses in their backyards to assist in recovering the species. In Camrose, which celebrates the Camrose Purple Martin Festival every June, there are 100+ purple martin houses on city land and private property.
Martins arrive in Alberta from late April to early May and begin their southward migration within three weeks of the young leaving the nest. The southward migration normally begins in July, and most birds have gone by the end of August. They often gather in enormous flocks during the trip
Martins consume a variety of the larger flying insects, including dragonflies, moths, butterflies, house flies, horse flies, and deer flies. Since they tend to feed on whatever is most easily available, their diet varies with the time of year and time of day. Learn more at https://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/birds/purple-martin.html
Defend river valley from industrialization
Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition (ERVCC) has filed a notice of appeal to the January decision by Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice George Fraser to deny its court application to overturn City Council’s approval of Epcor’s planned 51-acre solar farm in the river valley.
ERVCC filed for a judicial review of the past city council’s decision to rezone 99 acres of river valley parkland for an industrial solar farm without subjecting it to the River Valley Bylaw. The judge said the claim was “moot” because the Alberta Utilities Commission had approved the project. But the AUC’s approval stated the project would be subject to the city’s River Valley Bylaw. So how did that condition just disappear?
If the judge’s decision holds, this would mean that two years of public hearings, thousands of pages of reports produced by city administration, and a vote by city council were for nothing, and that the project was subject to zero environmental review.
ERVCC needs to raise $35,000 for legal fees for its appeal. Learn more at its GoFundMe page https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-yeg-river-valley-from-industrialization
Joy to read
Sydney says “Every time this newsletter arrives, I just feel joy. It is such a pleasure to read something so values driven and balanced. The fact that you periodically advocate and yet you also share stories about animals make it a true pleasure not a pain to read it. My love for Edmonton and our river valley is reinforced by every issue.”
Mountain bike trails
Marilyn writes “I just read your newsletter this morning and am in complete agreement with the senior who wrote in about unauthorized mountain bike trails. We have been confronted by very rude, inconsiderate behaviour by mountain bikers in the Goldbar and Goldstick area where a lot of trails are located.
Warning bells are not used and intersections with walking trails are often crossed at high speed. We have been told by bikers that it is up to us walkers to watch out for them, not the other way around! Last spring, we witnessed severe erosion due to the tracks caused by mountain bike tires creating deep ruts that channel the spring melt. There is no consideration by this group to not cycle when conditions are muddy. The City needs to step in and resolve this situation.”
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