Winter 2018 NCC magazine

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Wild in the city Access to wild places near urban centres, such as Bunchberry Meadows outside Edmonton, is important for both our own well-being and that of the natural world BY Don H. Meredith, freelance writer and biologist TKTKTKTKTKTKT BRENT CALVER. 8 FALL 2017 natureconservancy.ca
Following a winding trail through a mixed wood of shimmering trembling aspen and white spruce, I arrive at a marsh of willows and sedges guarded by red-winged blackbirds and darting dragonflies. I pause to listen to the birds and watch the dragonflies feed on the wing. On leaving the marsh, the trail mounts a shaded hill leading to a bright, silvery, paper birch forest. After admiring the height of these old trees, I continue through a grove of feathery tamarack and dark spruce that breaks open into a lush grassy meadow. As I gaze along the far edge of the meadow, an apparition emerges out of the shadows: a white-tailed deer and her fawn. While the pair feeds, a red squirrel behind me breaks the silence with its staccato alarm call, blowing my cover. I turn to see the squirrel vault through the trees. On turning back, I see the deer have disappeared. Continuing my walk, I think about how unique this place is, not just because of its diversity of wildlife or size, but because it is so close to a large urban centre. The 640-acre (260-hectare) Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area is located 30 kilometres from downtown Edmonton. Conserved by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in 2016 and officially opened to the public in the fall of 2017, it’s one of the few remaining large tracts of undeveloped land in the area. Its sandy, rolling hills support the aspen parkland that once dominated this landscape, as well as pockets of white spruce, tamarack, jack pine and wetlands. “What’s remarkable is how these habitats survived for so long so close to a growing city,” says Katelyn Ceh, NCC’s natural area manager for northwestern Alberta. The remarkable story of Bunchberry begins in 1974, when five families purchased the land jointly so they would have a place for their families and friends to spend time in a natural setting not too far from their homes. They made a few trails to allow exploration of the property on foot, but did not develop the property further in their desire to keep the area as wild as possible. As the city approached pieces of The forest at Bunchberry Meadows supports jack pine, which is habitat for northern flying squirrels, porcupines and long-tailed weasels. TKTKTKTKTKTKT KYLE MARQUARDT. natureconservancy.ca WINTER 2018 9
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Winter 2018 NCC magazine

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