Nature lovers can get a bird’s-eye view of the Sturgeon this weekend as they plant trees and pluck trash during the St. Albert’s annual river cleanup festival.
The 25th annual Clean and Green Riverfest is this Sept. 21 in St. Albert. Started in 1999 by the Big Lake Environment Support Society, this free event (which was skipped in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic) typically sees some 250 volunteers plant trees and pick up trash along the Sturgeon River in support of wildlife and biodiversity.
Guests at the event will be issued gloves, bags, and garbage-picker-sticks before venturing forth to collect trash anywhere along the Sturgeon, said City of St. Albert environmental co-ordinator Payton Homeak. They will also get to help plant hundreds of balsam poplars, raspberries, and other native plants by the pedestrian bridge south of St. Albert Centre to build bird habitat along the river.
Riverfest also features an Environment Fair, where guests can enjoy free hot dogs, music from local artists, displays by various environmental groups, and — new this year — a sky-high view from a Public Works bucket truck, Homeak said. There will also be draws for prizes.
Eco-knowledge
The Alberta Community Bat Program will be at Riverfest to talk about the importance of bats to St. Albert.
There are about eight species of bat known or suspected to live in the St. Albert region, said Alberta Bat Program co-ordinator Cory Olson.
“This time of year, the bats are on the move,” he continued, either headed south of the border or to secret hideaways in Alberta to ride out the winter.
Olson said bats are a vital part of St. Albert’s ecosystem, and likely provide tens of billions of dollars’ worth of pest control for North American farmers.
Alberta’s bats are now threatened by a deadly fungal infection called white-nose syndrome. Millions of bats have died to this fungus in eastern North America, and it was detected for the first time in Alberta this year.
This could have widespread health and environmental impacts, Olson noted. One recent study found that farmers in the eastern U.S. cranked up their pesticide use by 31.1 per cent from 2006 to 2017 following mass bat deaths from white-nose syndrome, resulting in an estimated 1,334 more infant deaths and some $39.4 billion in damages.
Olson said St. Albert residents can support bats by covering up rain barrels so bats can’t drown in them and reducing light pollution at night.
WILDNorth will be at Riverfest to talk about pesticides, invasive species, and river health.
Trash is a huge problem for wildlife in the Edmonton region, said WILDNorth executive director Dale Gienow.
“Every year I collect many waterfowl — ducks and geese — that have plastic rings [often from milk jugs] caught around their necks and through their beaks,” he said.
Gienow said his crews also see lots of ducks tangled in discarded fishing lines and skunks with their heads stuck in jars. One recent call saw crews help St. Albert bylaw remove a bucket off a coyote’s head.
Gienow encouraged residents to protect wildlife by picking up and disposing of trash they find in public if it’s safe to do so.
“We have to work together to make sure we maintain a clean environment.”
Riverfest runs from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Sept. 21 on the Red Willow Trail behind St. Albert Centre. Visit stalbert.ca/city/environment/programs-events/spruce-up/riverfest to register.
