Frederick Todd – river valley park pioneer
The June 1915 flood changed Edmonton. The rising North Saskatchewan River swelled an astonishing 13 metres. It submerged businesses. Homes vanished. It was nothing short of catastrophic.
Before the flood, we used the river for industry and manufacturing. It wasn’t close to the recreation space you see today. During that time, the City hired Frederick Gage Todd to create a report on providing park space for the future needs of its citizens. Todd saw the importance of preserving and enhancing the natural state of the river so that all may enjoy it for generations to come.
The flood was the wake-up call we needed. Soon the Government of Alberta embraced Todd’s plan whole-heartedly and because of it Edmonton introduced the River Valley Park System. At 22 times the size of New York’s Central Park, our Ribbon of Green is one of the biggest in the world. Learn more at https://www.edmontoncommonwealthwalkway.com/storyline/river/25
Notes from a backyard beekeeper
Local backyard beekeeper Donald Aitken reported on February 27 of his first sightings of the hive coming to life. “I too have had bees flying in late February. In my notes I recorded strong flight activity on February 21. I took the attached pictures on February 27 about 3 pm. There is normally flight activity between 1 pm and 3 pm on warm days at this time.
I am using a hive cosy on a hive with no top entrance but a 1” diameter hole in the bottom brood chamber an inch or two below the handhold. The cosy is held away from the front of the hive with a vertical piece of 2” x 2” about 16 “ long. The bees exit the 1” hole and can go either up or down to get out – you can see them at the top in the first photo.
The bees clearly were desperate to poop outside (see second picture).” Read the February 2020 newsletter of the United Beekeepers of Alberta at https://unitedbeekeepers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Newsletter-February-2020-United-Beekeepers-of-Alberta-Council-.pdf
How a bird native to the Middle East landed in Mill Woods
Keegan Van Rooyen was intrigued when she spotted a curious creature loitering in the parking lot of a Mill Woods strip mall: a plump bird with black and white stripes and a remarkably bright orange beak.
It turns out that others had seen the same strange fowl, too. It's called a chukar, a game bird native to the Middle East and the national bird of Pakistan. But this eye-pleasing partridge wasn't making a one-time appearance on the Prairies, the bird has had a presence in North America since the 1800s.
"It was established as a game bird to be hunted," said Dale Gienow, executive director of Wild North, a wildlife rescue organization for northern Alberta. “But they do very well in our environment. People shouldn't be worried about their health; they thrive here.” Read more at https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/how-a-bird-native-to-the-middle-east-landed-in-a-mill-woods-parking-lot-1.5474416
Share river valley event, job posting, or news
If you have a river valley event, job posting, or news that you would like to see published in this newsletter, please send the info to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712
nsrivervalley@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/NSRVCS/
http://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/