YEG 2023 Christmas bird count on Sunday, December 17
Gerald Romanchuk photo
The Edmonton Nature Club sponsors the Edmonton count. This traditional citizen-science project contributes information to an immense database managed and analyzed by Birds Canada and the National Audubon Society. Thousands of Christmas counts occur around the world.
The Edmonton count has been conducted 65 times from 1906 to 2013, and continuously since 1955. Only one Christmas bird count has ever had over 1000 participants: Edmonton. We hold the world record for number of participants, for any count, anywhere, which was 1288 participants in December 1987.
Volunteers can participate in two ways. Feeder watchers tally birds in their yard and teams of counters, referred to as bush beaters, scour the city to gather information on bird numbers. If you would like to join the Christmas bird count, check out https://www.edmontonchristmasbirdcount.ca/participate.html
UCP MLA private member bill 204 seeks to block Edmonton and Canada national urban park initiative
Leduc-Beaumont MLA Brandon Lunty has introduced private members’ Bill 204, the Municipal Government (National Urban Parks) Amendment Act. He claims his bill will protect and defend Albertans’ interests when it comes to the creation and development of these parks in their communities, as currently the federal government can bypass the province and work directly with municipalities on national urban parks.
“It is concerning that the Government of Alberta would let its battles with the federal government block municipalities from participating in an initiative simply focused on enabling Albertans greater local access to protected nature areas.” said Linda Duncan, speaking on behalf of the North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society.
In a public letter, several organizations wrote “we are surprised and dismayed by this action as the province has had representation at Edmonton’s National Urban Park Partners table since its initiation. The designation of such a park involves multiple rounds of public consultation,” meaning it is impossible for a National Urban Park to be created without the input of Albertans. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FOiv0n5bpa3IxYCZOyxd4R2RCv3WjuND/view
KingsU researcher plans to tag 20 white-tailed jackrabbits with GPS collars for study
Darcy Visscher photo
An associate professor of biology at The King's University, is about to study why white-tailed jackrabbit populations are booming in Edmonton, despite a sharp decline elsewhere. Darcy Visscher’s research team has received $100,000 to tag jackrabbits with GPS trackers to understand where they're coming from and why they are drawn to urban centres.
Looking into jackrabbit populations that date back to the early 1990s, he and his colleagues have found populations are about 80 times denser compared to rural rabbits. Previous research from 2016 suggests there were around 3,000 jackrabbits in Edmonton, Visscher said, but it seems the population increases year over year.
"Edmonton is fairly unique in that it's the very northern edge of the species range and everywhere else, the literature suggests that they're in decline," said Visscher. "So, something that they're doing is contributing to their success." Visscher sand his team plan to tag 20 rabbits with GPS collars that track their location every 15 minutes to get a sense of where they go each day. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-research-jackrabbit-population-1.7045170
Firkins house moved to Fort Edmonton by 1 Combat Engineer Regiment
The Firkins residence, now on 105 street in Fort Edmonton Park, was built in 1911-12 at 7901 Saskatchewan Drive by Ashley and Blanche Firkins, a newly wed couple from Illinois. A recent graduate from Northwestern University Dental School, Ashley’s ability to perform difficult corrective operations relating to the oral cavity and antrum was renowned.
Architecturally, the home represents one of Edmonton’s earliest and best applications of American Craftsman design. The Firkins’ Residence exemplifies Craftsman trends with its low-slung massing and horizontal proportions, use of stucco, and exposed eaves. The home’s distinct Californian Bungalowesque appearance stood in stark contrast to its contemporaries,
In late 1923 the Firkins’ relocated to California, where Mr. Firkins died on March 10th, 1933, during the Long Beach Earthquake. Said the Peninsula Times, Ashley “was operating on a patient in his second floor office in a downtown building. The building collapsed and when the masonry was pulled away he was dead, but his patient, an unidentified woman, the apron and towel still across her shoulders, walked out of the wreckage only slightly injured.”
By 1992, the aging home was the property of Rod and Audrey Karpetz who offered it, free of charge, to the Fort Edmonton Historical Foundation. The offer was accepted, and the home was moved to Fort Edmonton Park on August 27th, 199 through a unique collaboration between the Foundation and the Canadian Armed Forces which saw 1 Combat Engineer Regiment provide all the labour. https://www.forgottenedmonton.com/blog/the-firkins-residence
Editor’s Note
The link in last week’s article titled Dismantling YEG’s half-built freeway begins on Rossdale Road did not work. It should have linked to the original article https://edmonton.taproot.news/news/2023/12/01/dismantling-edmontons-half-built-freeway-begins-on-rossdale-road at Taproot Edmonton by Stephanie Swensrude.
Collaboration by Robert Ledrer, Cezary Gajewski, Michael Syms, sculptural flagpoles at Stadium LRT station
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/collaboration
Comment or contribution
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. Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com