Moose on the loose in downtown Edmonton
A moose was seen running near the Ice District early morning on June 26. Video taken around 6 am, shows a moose trotting toward Rogers Place in the middle of an empty road. "Pedestrians were scared and running away from it," the man who shot the video told CTV News Edmonton.
The moose was seen as early as 5 a.m. southbound on 109 Street and on 9620-103A Ave., a spokesperson with the ministry of public safety and emergency services said. The last report, just before 6 a.m., said the moose was heading south toward the river.
"It is expected that the moose found its way into the river valley, based on the time of the day, proximity to the river valley and direction of the moose’s travel," Sheena Campbell said.
https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/watch-moose-spotted-in-downtown-edmonton-1.6456647
YEG river valley a ribbon of green, but not a protected park
Often referred to as the largest urban park in North America, Edmonton’s river valley is a series of connected green spaces. There are policies meant to prevent chipping away of green spaces, but this is different from a protected park.
According to Kecia Kerr, Executive Director of the Northern Alberta chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, an analysis they conducted showed that between 2000 and 2015, we lost 6.5% of the green spaces in the river valley. That is an area about the size of the Kinsmen Park every year.
Kerr says a national urban park in our river valley would provide additional protection so there would not be a loss of green spaces. It could be a legacy project, provide federal funding for infrastructure, interpretation programs, focus on conserving green space, connecting Canadians to nature and advancing reconciliation with Indigenous people, and there would be no fee.
Though a national urban park, it is expected to be a partnership model involving the City and other partners such as the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and the Metis Nation of Alberta. The park boundaries of not yet been determined, but Kerr says think big, go from Devon and connect all the way to Elk Island National Park. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-17-edmonton-am/clip/15993047-what-mean-national-urban-park-edmonton
Lego bricks highlight Edmonton spaces and pop culture
Muttart Brick by Brick premiered at the Muttart Conservatory this week. Created by the Northern Alberta Lego Users Group (NALUG), the exhibit displays multiple models built with Lego bricks. Two highlights are the High Level Bridge, as well as a to scale model of the Muttart Conservatory. Other custom works include a historical replica of Edmonton buildings, space models and characters from pop culture.
NALUG member and exhibit organizer Michel Magnan said Muttart asked him to build a scale model of the conservatory, which is now on permanent display in the conservatory’s hub area. Built at a one-stud-per foot scale, the model involves some 45,000 pieces and portrays even hidden areas of the facility, such as the underground tunnel that leads to a greenhouse across the street.
Attractions program manager Sarah Gericke said she came up with the idea for this exhibit in 2021 while playing with Lego with her family during the pandemic. She reached out to NALUG members who agreed to work on a show. https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/plastic-princesses-meet-plants-at-muttart-7198081
Fires underscore the need to let mature forests get old
New trees are no substitute for old trees. It turns out the age and composition of forests makes a big difference in what role they play in preventing wildfires and storing carbon. Old growth forest is the best at both, but there is very little old growth left.
But a large amount of the forests on public lands is what foresters call mature forest, which is nearly as good as old growth and in fact is on the brink of becoming old growth. It is these older forests that will help us prevent future forest fires and will do the most to reduce climate change, and it’s these forests that we need to protect at all costs.
An immature forest is composed of trees of small stature and similar age. These forests pose a high risk of wildfire due to the abundance of fine fuel, small branches and leaves, near the ground. As natural thinning occurs, the leafy canopy remains intact and gradually rises above the forest floor as the trees grow. These forests efficiently absorb carbon dioxide and store it in the tree trunks and roots. By separating the fine, leafy fuels from the forest floor, the likelihood of wildfire diminishes.
The forest continues to thin as it approaches maturity. The surviving trees will get bigger, accumulating additional carbon and storing some of it within the debris of the forest floor. In a mature stage, the shady understory of the forest keeps things moist, and much of the debris consists of larger logs that are not easily ignited, so the dead stuff is less likely to serve as fuel for a fire.
Migratory Paths by Catherine Ross, Edmonton Convention Centre. Dane Ryksen photo.
https://www.edmontonpublicart.ca/#!/details/325
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
Sincerely yours,
Harvey Voogd
North Saskatchewan River Valley Conservation Society
780.691.1712