Spring means the start of EALT’s busy field season, and what a start it’s been. The melting snow and warmer temperatures brought an abundance of restoration and stewardship work for staff and volunteers. Read on for our spring field work highlights.
Restoration
We are continuing restoration work on our recently secured property on the bank of the North Saskatchewan River with tree planting and Indigenous community engagement. So far this year, over three thousand balsam poplar, aspen, white spruce, Saskatoon, buffalo berry, and red osier dogwood seedlings have been planted in the restoration areas. Check out the Restoration page for more updates and keep an eye on the Events page for upcoming opportunities to join the restoration effort. We would like to thank all our volunteers as well as the Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society, the Edmonton Community Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment, and Environment and Climate Change Canada for their support of this project.
Wire Removal for Wildlife
While fences are useful for marking property boundaries and deterring trespassing, poorly installed fences are a hazard to wildlife. Volunteers joined us at Boisvert’s Greenwoods to remove an old fence. We also hosted our first volunteer event at a new conservation land near Arnault Lake! Armed with fencing pliers and wire cutters, our volunteers removed over 3 kilometers of barbed wire from these two properties. By removing the excess barbed wire, our volunteers helped ensure safe habitat for the wildlife that call the land home.
The work at these two new conservation lands is just the beginning for their conservation story. Together with EALT staff, volunteers, and donors, our action can be amplified by having reliable funds to steward these places year after year.
Please consider donating to support the stewardship of these conservation lands in perpetuity.
Conservation Land Stewards
We were pleased to welcome new and returning Conservation Land Stewards to spring training sessions. Stewards toured their conservation land, learned to identify invasive plants, and practiced routine stewardship work like trail clearing, fence repair, and wildlife camera checks. Some even had the chance to practice spraying inert training bear spray. Conservation Land Stewards are vital to the stewardship of our conservation lands. We thank them for their dedication and look forward to reading their reports! Thanks to TD Friends of the Environment for funding our volunteer program.
Outreach
EALT has been busy in the community this spring! We had info booths at the Snow Goose Festival in Tofield and the World Migratory Bird Day event hosted by the Big Lake Environment Support Society at Lois Hole Provincial Park. These events are a great chance to connect with the community and with other conservation groups in the area. Keep an eye on our social media for upcoming info booths – we would love to see you!
Conservation Coordinator Kayleen Falkenstein attended the proclamation of Edmonton’s City Bird at City Hall – it’s the Magpie! The corvid earned almost 40% of the vote organized by Nature Alberta. Though sometimes divisive, the clever Magpie is a quintessential Edmonton sight and is quite common on EALT’s conservation lands too.