Province to set conditions for YEG national urban park
David Bajer photo
Bill 204, which recently passed in the legislature, grants the Alberta government more power over decisions around national urban parks. The bill states that the province can prescribe conditions under which a municipal council may negotiate a proposed national urban park plan and councils would be required to follow those conditions.
In 2021, the federal government launched the National Urban Parks program to create parks in urban centres. The City of Edmonton and Parks Canada entered into a formal agreement to explore the possibility of creating a national urban park in the river valley in 2022.
In a written statement to CBC, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said the city will "never cede control of our cherished river valley to any other level of government, be it federal or provincial. This bill is another example of the province creating more red tape and getting in the way of the City of Edmonton working collaboratively with other levels of government and community stakeholders."
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society asked why the province would introduce roadblocks to the park creation process. "Albertans have made it abundantly clear that they love parks and want to see more, not fewer, parks," said Kecia Kerr, CPAWS northern Alberta's executive director.
Carbyn Creek Wildlands open for visitors
Edmonton and Area Land Trust has announced the opening of the Carbyn Creek Wildlands conservation site. It is in Westlock County, south of Cross Lake Provincial Park, a 1.5-hour drive from Edmonton. The wildlands are a protected breeding, nesting, and staging area for migratory and resident birds, and for research, education and nature appreciation.
A variety of bird species have been recorded during breeding bird surveys including Pileated Woodpecker, Broad-winged Hawk, and many songbirds such as the Black-and-White Warbler, Boreal Chickadee, and Blue-headed Vireo. This land also provides habitat for other species including moose, bear, and amphibians like the western toad.
The trails at Carbyn Creek Wildlands lead visitors through mature mixed woods forest and spruce bogs, with a view of the creek that winds its way through the boreal forest landscape. Lu Carbyn, a renowned biologist, donated the land in the hope it will provide incentive to protect surrounding lands in the area. A guided tour led by Lu, will take place on May 10 from 10am to 2pm. Register at https://www.ealt.ca/event-listing/carbyn-creek-walk
Is your neighbourhood vulnerable to climate change
Mack Male photo
University of Alberta researchers have used public data to create a set of maps that illustrate the Edmonton neighbourhoods where residents are most vulnerable to negative health outcomes caused by climate change.
The team found that much of the city’s south and west have more exposure to pollution and extreme weather, less natural protection, and more people who hail from vulnerable demographics. City areas and residents least vulnerable to climate change are around the university, downtown, Oliver (soon to be wîhkwêntôwin), Bonnie Doon, North Glenora, Spruce Avenue, Beverly, and Mill Woods Town Centre.
“These maps aren’t meant to stigmatize any particular areas, just because you might live in an area with higher vulnerability, we’re not saying you need to move,” said Sammy Lowe, research lead of UofA’s Climate, Health, and Environment Epidemiology Research lab. “Edmonton, in general, is doing well in the grand scheme of things in terms of climate health vulnerability. So even though some of these areas are a bit worse, they’re not necessarily doing terribly.”
When determining how vulnerable a neighbourhood is, the lab takes three domains into account: its risk of experiencing pollutants and extreme weather (exposure), its features that can mitigate those consequences of climate change (adaptability), and socioeconomic and demographic traits that can make its residents more susceptible (sensitivity). Those three factors combine to indicate a neighbourhood’s vulnerability.
Riparian areas critical to many species
Riparian areas are transition zones between terrestrial upland and aquatic ecosystems. They occur along waterbodies such as streams, lakes, rivers and wetlands, and are one of the most productive ecosystem types, supporting diverse flora and fauna including fish, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, birds, mammals, and plant communities.
These lands provide critical sheltering, rearing, feeding, and reproduction habitats for many species, some of which are not found anywhere else on the landscape. Its vegetation includes moisture loving sedges, rushes, shrubs, grasses and forbs, which slow the flow of water and allows water to seep into the soil, replenishing ground water reserves in the spring. In drier periods, ground water seeps back into streams to maintain stream flow.
Riparian vegetation acts as a filter for any sediments and chemical pollutants in run off. This is important, as excess nutrients going into waterbodies can result in algae blooms, depleting dissolved oxygen in water, and leading to high fish mortality.
Healthy, well functioning riparian lands are more resilient to environmental stresses and natural or human disturbances. They do not have many weeds since weeds colonize areas where disturbance has created bare soil. The presence of woody plants, like willows, in varied age classes is a sign of ecological stability. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569ec99b841abaccb7c7e74c/t/5e6bcdbbb33b15147b2a83b1/1584123329394/Riparian+Areas+-+Updated+2020.pdf
What is this
Mark writes “The brick structure on the single-track trail below Keillor Road is likely an old coal mine entrance, similar to some along the river between Dawson Park and Rat creek.”
Tsa Tsa Ke K’e – Iron Foot Place by Alex Janvier, Rogers Place Arena - Ford Hall
https://www.edmontonarts.ca/public-art/tsa-tsa-ke-ke-iron-foot-place
Comment or Contributions
Please note articles may not reflect the position of NSRVCS. River Valley News is meant to be a clearinghouse for the variety of opinions and ideas about Edmonton’s River Valley.
Email river valley photos, event information, comments, or questions to nsrivervalley@gmail.com
Forward this link to anyone you think may want to sign up for this newsletter https://www.edmontonrivervalley.org/newsletter-signup