Oldman River valley parks system

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Old Man River valley during a thunderstorm Old-man-river-thunderstorm.jpg
Old Man River valley during a thunderstorm
Old Man River valley at sunrise Old-man-river-sunrise.jpg
Old Man River valley at sunrise
Map of Lethbridge showing parks Lethbridge map.gif
Map of Lethbridge showing parks

The Oldman River valley parks system is a continuous collection of eight urban parks in the Oldman River valley of Lethbridge, Alberta, 100 metres (330 ft) below the prairie level. The parks were created in the 1980s as part of the city's Urban Parks Project. Today they are a combined 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) in size and comprise one of the largest urban park systems in North America, and the third largest in Canada. [1]

Urban park park in a city or other incorporated place

An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places to offer recreation and green space to residents of, and visitors to, the municipality. The design, operation and maintenance is usually done by government agencies, typically on the local level, but may occasionally be contracted out to a park conservancy, friends of group, or private sector company.

The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins with the Bow River to form the South Saskatchewan River, which eventually drains into the Hudson Bay.

Lethbridge City in Alberta, Canada

Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by land area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's warm summers, mild winters, and windy climate. Lethbridge lies southeast of Calgary on the Oldman River.

Contents

Parks

Eight parks make up the system:

Indian Battle Park

Indian Battle Park is a park located in the Oldman River valley urban park system of Lethbridge, Alberta. The 150-acre (0.61 km2) park was developed in 1960 and commemorates the Battle of the Belly River held in the area on 24 October 1870 between the Blackfoot and the Cree. A formal peace treaty between the two nations was reached in 1871.

Pavan Park and Cottonwood Park are in the river valley, but are separated from the rest of the system.

Amenities

The park system contains campgrounds, playgrounds, eating areas and several kilometres of cyclist/pedestrian trails, including part of the Coal Banks Trail system. Well-known attractions in the system include Fort Whoop-Up, Helen Schuler Nature Centre and the High Level Bridge. A golf course is adjacent to Elizabeth Hall Wetlands.

Coal Banks Trail is a 30-kilometre multipurpose recreational path in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. It connects all of the city's major urban parks, all three geographical areas, and many smaller parks. While primarily a community recreation opportunity, the trail is also used for community events, such as the Terry Fox Run and the Moonlight Run.

Fort Whoop-Up human settlement in Lethbridge County, Alberta, Canada

Fort Whoop-Up was the nickname given to a whisky trading post, originally Fort Hamilton, near what is now Lethbridge, Alberta. During the late 19th century, the post served as a centre for trading activities, including the illegal whisky trade. The sale of whisky was outlawed but, due to the lack of law enforcement in the region prior to 1874, many whisky traders had settled in the area and taken to charging unusually high prices for their goods.

Lethbridge Viaduct bridge in Canada

The Lethbridge Viaduct, commonly known as the High Level Bridge, was constructed between 1907–1909 at Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada at a cost of $1,334,525.

Wildlife

Various wildlife live in the park system, including deer, hawks, owls, rabbits, snakes, fox, coyotes, badgers, porcupines, pelicans, beavers, muskrats, ground squirrels and cranes. [2]

Deer A family of mammals belonging to even-toed ungulates

Deer are the hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the fallow deer, and the chital; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer (caribou), the roe deer, and the moose. Female reindeer, and male deer of all species except the Chinese water deer, grow and shed new antlers each year. In this they differ from permanently horned antelope, which are part of a different family (Bovidae) within the same order of even-toed ungulates (Artiodactyla).

Hawk group of diurnal birds of prey

Hawks are a group of medium-sized diurnal birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Hawks are widely distributed and vary greatly in size.

Owl order of birds

Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes about 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl.

Vegetation

Tree species native to the Old Man River valley are Populus deltoides , Populus balsamifera and Populus angustifolia . These three species interbreed, producing a very diverse forest with varying leaf shapes and branch patterns. In fact, this area is the only place in the world where three poplar species hybridize. [2]

<i>Populus deltoides</i> species of plant

Populus deltoides, the eastern cottonwood or necklace poplar, is a cottonwood poplar native to North America, growing throughout the eastern, central, and southwestern United States, the southernmost part of eastern Canada, and northeastern Mexico.

<i>Populus balsamifera</i> species of plant

Populus balsamifera, commonly called balsam poplar, bam, bamtree, eastern balsam-poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca, is a tree species in the balsam poplar species group in the poplar genus, Populus. The genus name Populus is from the Latin for poplar, and the specific epithet balsamifera from Latin for "balsam-bearing".

<i>Populus angustifolia</i> species of plant

Populus angustifolia, commonly known as the narrowleaf cottonwood, is a species of tree in the willow family (Salicaceae). It is native to western North America, where it is a characteristic species of the Rocky Mountains and the surrounding plains. It ranges north to the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada and south to the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Sonora in Mexico. Its natural habitat is by streams and creeks between 3,900 to 7,900 feet elevation.

History

People began to settle in the river valley in the late 19th century, and by 1884, the population was about 250. The next year, many of the families had moved to the prairie level, with more leaving after serious floods in 1902 and 1908. The area was subdivided in 1912, and 83 families settled in the community, which was called Riverside, by the early 1950s. After a serious flood in 1953, Lethbridge City Council moved all the families out of the valley and designated it as parkland recreation. [2]

The Lethbridge City Council is the legislative governing body that represents the citizens of Lethbridge, Alberta. Eight councillors and the mayor comprise the council. The mayor is the city's chief elected official and the city manager is its chief administrative officer. For the 2017–2021 term, the mayor is Chris Spearman and the councillors are Mark Campbell, Jeff Carlson, Jeffrey Coffman, Belinda Crowson, Blaine Hyggen, Joseph Mauro, Rob Miyashiro, and Ryan Parker.

Indian Battle Park had been created by 1960, and the Lethbridge Nature Reserve was established near Indian Battle Park in the mid-1970s. The Lethbridge Naturalists Society and Public School Board built a nature centre in 1980, which was formally opened in 1982 as the Helen Schuler Coulee Centre. [2] This name was changed to the Helen Schuler Nature Centre in 2009. [3]

Beginning in 1981, the City of Lethbridge purchased new parkland using funds from Urban Parks for the Future, a project run by the provincial government and funded by the Heritage Trust Fund. Such parks include: Pavan Park, Alexander Wilderness Park, Peenaquim Park, Lethbridge Nature Reserve and Elizabeth Hall Wetlands, Indian Battle Park, Bull Trail Park, Botterill Bottom Park, and Popson Park. [2]

Notes

  1. ↑ "2007 National Fair Program Preview". Historica Fairs. Historica. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Field Guide Booklet" (PDF). The Lethbridge Naturalists Society. Retrieved 2010-01-21.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Dwornik, Wayne. "Helen Schuler Nature Centre". Crown of the Continent (National Geographic). Retrieved 21 October 2012.

Coordinates: 49°41′44″N112°51′39″W / 49.6955°N 112.8609°W / 49.6955; -112.8609

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