T8N Volume 10 Issue 3

Page 1

SUMMER 2023 I t8nmagazine.com

11 tips to keep your home safe when you’re away

Before you head out on your upcoming vacation, use these easy tips to keep your home safe.

Ask someone to collect your mail

Stop mail and newspaper deliveries or have them regularly picked up by a neighbour, so it looks like someone is still home.

Arrange for lawn care

Have your landscaping tended to by a friendly neighbour or local service. Before you leave, trim tree branches that might allow access to a climbing burglar.

Prevent power surges

Disconnect your computer, TV, stereo and other electronics, or make sure they are plugged safely into a surge protector.

Invest in temperature control

Use a programmable thermostat to lower your heat or air conditioning usage.

Secure valuables

Consider putting your jewelry or other valuables in a safe deposit box and hide any other expensive items so they can’t be seen through your windows.

Don’t leave spare keys outdoors

Collect any spare keys you may have hidden around the exterior of your home because burglars know the most popular hiding places, like beneath mats and in potted plants.

Set timers on both your interior and exterior lights

This will help deter burglars by making it appear as though someone is home.

Check all doors and windows

It might seem obvious to lock them but double-check just to be sure.

Lock your garage

Even if there’s no direct entrance to your house, you likely store some very valuable items – like expensive sports equipment or landscaping tools – in there, so don’t allow burglars easy access.

Notify your alarm company

If you have a home security system, let your representative know you’ll be away from home and make sure the alarm is set properly when you leave.

Avoid status updates

Don’t broadcast your location on social media – especially if your profile isn’t restricted to just your friends or colleagues.

Enjoy your vacation stress-free thanks to these quick and easy tips! If you’re interested in more ways to protect your home, give me a call to discuss your property needs – and, for additional advice on how to prevent damage, theft and stay safe, visit desjardinsagents.com/customer-care/blog.

michelle@michellebroadbent.com michellebroadbent.com

2 T8Nmagazine.com
CST-0967
Miles, Agent 125-15 Circle Dr St. Albert 780-460-2279
Jennifer
Broadbent, Agent 3523 Tudor Gln St. Albert 780-470-3276
jen@jmilesinsurance.com jmilesinsurance.com Michelle
This column presents general information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any insurance products. These tips are provided for information and prevention purposes only and Desjardins Insurance cannot be held liable for them. Desjardins Insurance refers to Certas Home and Auto Insurance Company, underwriter of automobile and property insurance or Desjardins Financial Security Life Assurance Company, underwriter of life insurance and living benefits products. Desjardins®, Desjardins Insurance®, all trademarks containing the word Desjardins, as well as related logos are trademarks of the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec, used under licence.

PUBLISHER EDITOR

T8N Contents

10

3 Summer 2023

Rob Lightfoot Gene Kosowan

DESIGN & PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Isaac White

PHOTOGRAPHY

Brenda Lakeman

CONTRIBUTOR

Gene Kosowan, Markwell Lyon, Shima Zonneveld, Corbin Stewart

OFFICE MANAGER

Janice Lightfoot

CONTRIBUTING AGENCIES

Images page 15: Musée Héritage Museum

École Father Jan School

ISSN 2368-707X (PRINT)

ISSN 2368-7088 (ONLINE)

For editorial inquiries or information, contact T8N magazine at info@t8nmagazine.com . Have something to say? Letters, suggestions or ideas can be sent to letters@t8nmagazine.com.

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Rob Lightfoot rob@t8nmagazine.com

780 940 6212 or visit t8nmagazine.com

T8N magazine is published 5 times a year by T8N Publishing Inc. Copyright ©2023 T8N Publishing Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. Content marked by the Sponsored Content icon was produced in partnership between content producers and T8N magazine.

PRINTED IN CANADA

T8N PUBLISHING INC

PUBLISHER & PRESIDENT

Rob Lightfoot: rob@t8nmagazine.com

Relatively cheap and straightforward, ultralite aircraft make flight accessible–and a lot of fun–for the masses

Culture

Spotlight

20 WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Living

FOOD AND GATHERINGS

Down Time

22 UNDER THE SUN

Find 49 words that best describe summer

14

THEN & NOW School’s Out

T8N Summer 2023 3
MAGAZINE VOLUME
ISSUE
Mailbox #215, 3-11 Bellerose Drive, St.Albert T8N 5C9 CONNECT WITH US /t8nmagazine
Summer Feature
5 FLYING COLOURS
8 A SENSE OF PLACE
Make a start on public art
12
Market To Meals
From
a new world of tasty options  City
How
buying local can open up
for good
After nearly 70 years, École Father Jan shut its doors
16 MEET YOU THERE
The wetter the better Woodlands Water Play Park offers a splash of fun for the whole family
From ferns to foliage, Wagner Natural Area is a rustic escape just minutes away from more urban jungles

AT LEAST ONCE a year, lifestyle publications like T8N chomp at the bit to create content geared towards meeting two key goals: keeping readers informed while keeping them cool as well, hence our motives for putting out a special summer edition.

Easily half of this edition’s editorial meets that dual criteria, starting with experiencing the wind rush through your hair while flying an ultralite aircraft (page 5). Add in the exhilaration of receiving that refreshing spray of H2O on a hot, summer day at Woodlands Water Play Park (page 16) and taking advantage of the shade in the ample foliage at Wagner Natural Area (page 20) and we’d like to think that we’ve got a lot of those bases covered.

Summer is also an ideal time of year to check out the vast array of public art around the city (page 8) and using locally-provided food items to create some light snacks (page 12). But we couldn’t resist adding something more timely, such as the recent closure of the venerable École Father Jan, while kids spend the season trying to ignore everything about school, at least until fall comes around (page 14). Summer comes but once a year, and in this part of the world, the season is especially fleeting. That means taking advantage of every opportunity to enjoy this sunny and warm period. Hopefully, we’ve done our part to help you do just that. t8n

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes it helps to spell out the message you want folks to receive. That's at least part of the motivation for our graphic designer, Isaac White, who opted for a picturesque, typographical look that graces this month's cover. As the kids say... Word.

4 T8Nmagazine.com St. Albert | 11 Bellerose Drive | 780-328-4500 Sherwood Park | 168-270 Baseline Road | 780-467-8825 @toastbl Toast Breakfast & Lunch @toastbreakfastandlunch Thank you St. Albert for voting us Best Breakfast and Best Brunch Looking forward to seeing all our wonderful customers! 2023 Breakfast & Brunch On the Cover I FROM THE PUBLISHER I
Rob Lightfoot

Claudio Mota shouts over his shoulder.

Claudio Mota shouts over his shoulder.

Flying Colours Flying Colours

Relatively cheap and straightforward, ultralite aircraft make flight accessible–and a lot of fun–for the masses

I SUMMER FEATURE I
“Ever been inside a cloud before?” “Ever been inside a cloud before?”

STRAINING TO HEAR the flight instructor over the buzz of the engine, all I can say is that I’ve seen clouds from airplane windows. That’s nothing like feeling it on your skin, Claudio answers, and I get a sense of why he feels so at ease now, a couple of thousand feet above a looping bend in the North Saskatchewan River, northeast of Drayton Valley. The Air Adventure Flight School’s ultralight trike that he’s piloting and in which I’m a passenger has an open-air cockpit, so the views are all around us. The twisting, greenishbrown river. The fields, brightly verdant with July rain, stretching into the hazy distance. A tractor-trailer crawling along a secondary highway below. Endless sky. From this height, everything looks not so much distant as somehow miniaturized.

6 T8Nmagazine.com
Ultralights represent one of the fastest growing areas of aviation in Canada.

Looking up, I see we still have some distance to climb before we reach the nearest clouds. Claudio obviously intends to take us up there, and I admittedly tense a little. I’ve never been a fan of heights, let alone flying. But the ultralight experience is surprisingly different. Exposed to the elements, you feel like you’re more immersed in the act of flying. Rather than, say, passively watching things unfold from a narrow, double-paned window.

Claudio explains the reason he wants to go higher: with the evening sun sinking in the west, it’s a good opportunity to view a glory—an optical illusion cast on clouds or mist by a low sun. A glory consists of a magnified shadow circled by bands of rainbow, created as water droplets diffract sunlight. They’re so named because the rainbow resembles the halos in old religious paintings. If nothing else, it’s a handy excuse for exploring the range and possibilities of ultralight flying.

Ultralights represent one of the fastest growing areas of aviation in Canada. First developed in the 1980s, they now make up a fifth of all registered civilian aircraft. These lightweight, powered hang gliders are controlled by weight shift—the pilot steers the aircraft by applying force to a control bar. The engine is used to gain altitude, after which the pilot may cut power to glide back to earth. The aircraft are often referred to as “trikes,” giving rise to a common analogy: if flying a Cessna is like driving a Cadillac, then flying an ultralight is like riding a motorbike.

Claudio shifts the control bar, and we start to climb. Though it’s a summer evening, ideal time for flying, it’s a windy one. We’re protected from the elements and the temperature change— about a degree Celsius for every 100 metres of altitude—by our heavy flight suits. My nerves are slightly on edge, though, as I watch buildings and features on the ground grow ever smaller. Before long we’re levelling out. Fast-moving wisps of stratus cloud drift across our faces, and indeed, it is a cool sensation. Claudio steers the trike around, putting us between the setting sun and a mass of cloud. I look to my left, and there it is: the dark shadow of the trike on a white backdrop, surrounded by rings of colour. We linger for a bit, taking it in along with the expansive views all around us. Then Claudio kills the engine, and we comfortably drift back to the sureness of ground again. Besides ultralight trikes, Air Adventure Flight School also offers flight instruction for paragliders, gyroplanes (a sort of minihelicopter that uses air power to attain lift), and paramotors (a parachute powered by a motor worn on the pilot’s back). t8n

Getting an Ultralight Permit in Canada

According to Transport Canada, ultralight permits must be at least 16 years of age and medically cleared to fly. They have to complete a minimum of 20 hours of flight instruction and pass a written examination. Additionally, they must acquire a minimum of 10 hours flight time, including at least two hours of solo flight time, and a minimum of 30 takeoffs and landings, with 10 or more of those as the solo occupant.

T8N Summer 2023 7
780-257-7652 www.taraborle.com St Albert We You! Thank you 2016 to 2022 For your vote and continued support 2023 INDEPENDENT MORTGAGE BROKER The school is located on Highway 624, about 21 km north of Drayton Valley or 31 km southwest of Seba Beach. Visit airadventurefs.ca for more info.

A sense of place

Make a start on public art

IT’S NO SECRET: art is a fundamental part of our city’s narrative. Not only does it beautify our public spaces, it tells the story of our history and of the people who have shaped it. St. Albert has been commissioning and collecting public art since the 1970s, and today, more than 250 pieces make up the City’s collection. From murals and sculptures to fountains and benches, here are a few to take note of when strolling the city. Take a look.

T8N Summer 2023 9
TheCity,togetherwith itsPublicArtAdvisory Committee,islooking toexpanditspublicart collection and to move itbeyondthedowntown toparksandrecreation facilities.

St. Albert Place

The bronze sculptures and statues in the front plaza of St. Albert Place are probably the most well-known and loved pieces of public art in the city. Hide & Seek, the whimsical sculpture of a little boy and his leashed dog tangled around a bench, is St. Albert’s first Art in Public Spaces artwork (1994), designed to make people smile. In fact, the piece is so popular that the hair-like texture on the dog’s back is smoothing out from all the pats he gets from fascinated children. Internationally renowned artist Barbara Paterson created this as well as The Famous Five (in Calgary and Ottawa), which was featured on Canada’s previous $50 bill.

The newer statue on the plaza, Legacy of Love & Learning, is a tribute to one of our most-known and beloved citizens: Lois Hole. The statue depicts Hole (gardener, author and Alberta’s 15th Lieutenant Governor) with a little girl who is clutching a book. Paterson, a long-time friend of Hole, said she wanted to create a tribute that showed her friend’s love of children and learning. And as with most of the artist’s sculptures, a dog makes an appearance in this one, too—the little girl’s ponytails are dog-shaped. The statue will eventually be moved to Lois Hole Centennial Provincial Park.

Celebration Garden

The artworks in Celebration Garden are diverse, beautiful and functional—a bench, fountain and gazebo among them. The

most recent sculpture, titled Millie Seitz, Volunteer Appreciation, arrived in 2011 as a tribute to the volunteer community and to commemorate St. Albert’s 150th anniversary. Seitz dedicated much of her life to volunteering in St. Albert, and she was pivotal in leading the Garden’s development.

The other artworks in the Garden were donated to mark the International Year of Older Persons and are an example of how some public art comes to exist in the City—via community organizations and individuals.

Red Willow Trail (North Promenade)

Artist Stewart Steinhauer always wanted one or more of his five granite sculptures to be placed near St. Albert Place, and his wish came true when the City bought the collection in 2010. Each sculpture references -stories passed down by the people of St. Albert before settlers arrived. Look for Mother Bear Prays for Earth Healing, Mother Earth Circling Buffalo, Buffalo Mountain, Star Woman and Red Thunder’s Gift.

The City, together with its Public Art Advisory Committee, is looking to expand its public art collection and to move it beyond the downtown to parks and recreation facilities. Whether downtown or enjoying one of the city neighbourhoods, residents are invited to celebrate the art wherever they find it. t8n

10 T8Nmagazine.com

Art isn’t always at eye level, as evidenced by the Healthy Communities mural that hangs above San Remo restaurant on Perron Street. The acrylic on panel mural by artist Bella Totino-Busby’s was commissioned to highlight various aspects of healthy living. Despite being more than 20 years old (at least five years past its expected lifespan), it remains in excellent condition.

DID YOU KNOW?

Since outdoor public art has to withstand the Alberta elements year round, the City is developing new techniques for sustaining and extending the life of our outdoor murals. They include using changeable framing systems, water diversion and updated printing techniques.

The City funds art in public spaces through its One Percent for Art policy, where one percent of the cost of eligible capital projects is retained for the purchase of public art.

T8N Summer 2023 11
?
Welcoming passersby along St. Thomas Street, Blooms Bench is artist Karen Ho Fatt’s colourful nod to our flower-focused burg. A favourite spot for photo ops, the bench is an icon in the downtown landscape.
100 - 21 Perron Street St. Albert, AB T8N 1E6 www.trystexperience.com Best of T8N Winner Best Tapas & Best Date Night! Scan to view

From Market TO MEALS

How buying local can open up a new world of tasty options

BUYING LOCALLY IS ideal for not only the economy but your family as well. This summer, take advantage of what’s available from the local merchants who’ll be showcasing their edible wares at select farmers’ markets in the region. But don’t stop there. Try some of the recipes listed below using those items to taste what a difference local produce and other foods brings to the table.

I FOOD & GATHERINGS I
MARKWELL LYON AND GENE KOSOWAN; RECIPES BY SHIMA ZONNEVELD; PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA LAKEMAN

VEGGIE SLAW

Here’s an appetizer to get that patio party going.

kohlrabi, red cabbage, peppers, carrots, cilantro

Matchstick all the vegetables, mix together and add to a bowl. Put a dollop of tzatziki in the corner, add the falafel patties and garnish with cilantro and pita wedges.

YOGURT DIP

This creamy dip is cool and refreshing on a hot summer day.

+Also try this with pita bread from Happy Camel and, homemade slaw with fresh veggies from Peas On Earth and Kuhlmann’s.

3 mini cucumbers, shredded and drained

3/4c. greek yogurt

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. fresh dill (more if dill is a favourite flavour)

+This dip also goes great with pita bread.

Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

SALAD ROLLS

Here’s a new take on a popular Vietnamese treat.

Rice paper wrappers

Rice stick (vermicelli) noodles

Fresh cilantro

1-2 carrots, peeled and julienned or matchstick pieces

1 mango, peeled and julienned

1 pepper, julienned

Pair green onion cakes from The Green Onion Cake Man with homemade salad rolls.

1 cucumber, julienned chopped cashews or peanuts(optional)

Soak noodles in hot water for approximately 10 minutes, drain and rinse with cold water, set aside.

Rice paper wrappers soak in warm water until soft and rollable. Set up on a cutting board an assembly line like array of all your ingredients.

Place your soaked wrapper on a dry dish towel or a few paper towels, pat dry the top. In the middle of the wrapper put some noodles, a few of each of the chosen vegetables/fruit, a sprinkle of nuts and some fresh cilantro. Fold the bottom and the top in and roll up as if it was a burrito. Serve as a whole roll or cut in half.

While finishing up the remainder of the rolls, keep the made ones soft by covering with a damp paper towel.

T8N Summer 2023 13

School’s Out

After nearly 70 years, École Father Jan shut its doors for good

FOR NEARLY SEVEN DECADES , École Father Jan has witnessed St. Albert evolve from a town to a city, endured countless economic booms and busts and withstood a global pandemic. However, age caught up with the venerable school, which shut down at the end of June with a wrecking ball destined to seal its fate. This update of our École Father Jan profile, originally published in September, 2018, chronicles its timeline of helping to address the city’s educational needs.

14 T8Nmagazine.com I THEN & NOW I
The decision marked a sad ending for the K-6 French Immersion school on Mission Avenue ...

1940s and 1950s

In 1946, the four classrooms of the aging Father Mérer School were bursting at the seams with young pupils. Alberta’s Social Credit government, led by Ernest Manning, decided that the town of St. Albert needed a second school. Work soon began on a new two-room, white-stucco schoolhouse on Mission Hill. When it opened in 1948 for Grades 1 and 2, the school took the name of Father Jan Alphonse, St. Albert’s former parish priest from 1926 to 1930.

Now, if this doesn’t sound like the École Father Jan we know today, that’s because it wasn’t. The original Father Jan was actually the Little White School, the first in a series of schools built as St. Albert’s post-war population surged in the 1950s. Halfway through the decade, crews filled in a pond at the bottom of Mission Hill and work began on another new school. When it opened in 1956, this building—which would eventually become EFJ—was actually St. Albert’s first high school.

1960s

The search for space to accommodate a booming student population was a continuous theme for many years. By the mid-’60s, St. Albert High was being used to house elementary students from the Mission Park area alongside its secondary grades (9 to 12). Before long, a new high school went up a few blocks away on Malmo Avenue. From 1968 onward, folks recognized the school on Mission Avenue as Father Jan School. Besides its population of curious kids, by the end of the 1960s, École Father Jan was also home to a small menagerie of animals. Students raised more than $15 to buy a squirrel monkey to join the two tanks of fish, two gerbils, and a rabbit already at the school. Every weekend, a draw picked a student to take the monkey home for a couple of days.

1970s

At this point, École Father Jan got into show business for a short time. In the early 1970s, the school showed family movies on Saturday afternoons in the gym, and a concession sold Happy Pop and popcorn. The movies were part of an initiative called “Kincinema,” organized by the local Kinsmen along with the library and school board, as St. Albert still lacked a cinema. Despite these fun times, and even the addition of junior high grades, a demographic reality surfaced. The outward growth of St. Albert meant there were no longer enough young students left near Mission Park to form a school. Fortunately, a French Immersion experiment saved the day. Begun as a kindergarten and grade one program in 1978, the French program gradually expanded, and by 1979, the program had 190 registered students compared with just 69 Anglophone students. That year, the school board announced that the school would go full French Immersion starting in 1980.

1980s – 2010s

French immersion wasn’t the only hallmark that defined École Father Jan. In 2008, the place garnered headlines for being the first school in Canada to facilitate an electronic playground courtesy of gear supplied by Denmark-based company

PlayWorks. Such installations as a multi-seated seesaw and climbing wall sported LED lights and mechanical noises to add an interactive element that attracted the young students. Its student body continued to climb as well. Under Principal Penny Baragar-Brcic, the 2017-18 year kicked off with 316 students enrolled, and the school welcomed 13 new families to its elementary grades. Besides its core French Immersion program, the school offered full- and half-day kindergarten, access to the Greater St. Albert Sports Academy (Grades 4 to 6), and retreats for every grade, among other programs.

2020s

Like all schools affected by the provincial government’s directive to shut down operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March, 2020 École Father Jan closed its doors for the remainder of the school year. It reopened in September for three months until another wave of infections ran rampant, prompting the government to introduce distance learning in January, 2021. In-person instruction returned to start the 2021-2022 school year with conditions finally returning to normal once the government lifted all COVID-19 restrictions in March, 2022. While a handful of schools in St. Albert reported outbreaks during those two years, fortunately, École Father Jan wasn’t one of them.

What eventually forced École Father Jan to cease operations, however, was the deteriorating state of the school, with funding unable to cover all of its necessary maintenance costs. In 2023, trustees at Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools unanimously voted to shut down the school, which would eventually be demolished. Its Kindergarten to Grade 4 base would transfer over to École Marie Poburan in September, with its Grade 5 and 6 students moving to École Secondaire Ste. Marguerite d’Youville.

The decision marked a sad ending for the K-6 French Immersion school on Mission Avenue, which had a frontrow seat to St. Albert’s transformation from sleepy riverside community to Alberta’s fifth-largest city. t8n

T8N Summer 2023 15
Image Credit: Musée Héritage Museum École Father Jan School

The wetter the better

Woodlands Water Play Park offers a splash of fun for the whole family

SUMMERS IN CANADA are never quite long enough, but part of being Canadian is knowing how to make the most of this brief, beautiful season. Perhaps this explains the surging popularity of spray parks across the country. St. Albert’s Woodlands Water Play Park is open for only four months of the year, but in that time, it manages to attract a staggering number of guests. Families have been coming to the play park for nearly 30 years now, looking for (and finding) ways to enjoy those hot summer days together. The city’s Recreation & Parks Department has been working behind the scenes that entire time to keep the park safe, free and fun for all visitors.

When Woodlands Water Play Park opened in 1995, it was the first of its kind in western Canada. While its popularity has inspired the construction of many similar spray parks over the years, this has done nothing to slow the popularity of the original park. To this day, guests continue to flock to the banks of the Sturgeon River from all over the region. The park’s first decade of operation was, if anything, a little too successful. The park’s mechanical systems began to break down over the strain of such heavy use, and during the summer of 2006, the park shut down for some much-needed renovations. The year of closure didn’t hurt the play park’s guest numbers at all; the first two months back in operation saw over 17,000 people pass through its gates.

Part of Woodlands Water Play Park’s enduring appeal is the amount of safety features built into its design. Parents are able to rest easy and enjoy the sun, knowing that their kids can’t get into too much trouble on the park grounds. First among these safety features is the fence that completely encloses the park. Young children can’t wander off into the surrounding parkland, and if they do get out of sight for a moment, parents will know that they can’t have gone far.

!FUN FACT

During construction, the aesthetic theme of Woodlands Water Play Park was put to a community vote. The iconic medieval theme won hands down, beating both the small-town and cowboy themes that were also considered.

I MEET YOU THERE I

The play park is also divided into three age-appropriate sections so that older children can run and leap about to their heart’s content without the risk that they’ll bowl over any of the younger guests. But if any of the more boisterous children do manage to hurt themselves, there are city supervisors on site, ready to deliver first-aid treatment as soon as it’s needed.

In addition to these safety features, Woodlands boasts many useful amenities that continue to set it apart from similar parks in the region. There are washrooms and change rooms on site, as well as a fully stocked concession stand. And for those who’ve had enough splashing, but not enough of the sunny day, the grounds also include a dry park, as well as a large grassy area perfect for an afternoon picnic.

The next time that the summer gets a little bit too hot, consider heading to St. Albert’s spray park instead of retreating into the coolness of the basement. The basement will be around all year, but these sunny days need to be enjoyed while they last. t8n

DID YOU KNOW?

Being the first of its kind in the province, Woodlands Water Play Park had no health or safety regulations to guide its construction. The park’s improvised health and safety features were so successful, however, that Woodlands became the official model for all future spray parks in Alberta.

Woodlands Water Spray Park

165 Sturgeon Road

Open 9:45 a.m.- 8:15 p.m., free admission

Water features on 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. (weather permitting)

T8N Summer 2023 17 LACLABICHEREGION.com
152 lakes. 21 campgrounds. All that’s missing is you.
?
Visit summercity.ca to sign up for our E-newsletter for the chance to win prizes throughout the summer! THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO Summer Fun
Scan QR code to view summercit on your phon You’ll be using it on the go! Read it online

Walk on the Wild Side

From ferns to foliage, Wagner Natural Area is a rustic escape just minutes away from more urban jungles

SITUATED WEST OF Edmonton on Highway 16, Wagner Natural Area is a provincial nature reserve that’s home to an abundance of wildlife and biodiversity that connects its visitors to the beauty of Alberta’s natural habitats. Spanning more than 250 hectares and hosting a scenic 1.5 km walking trail, it exists to conserve all that biological diversity for scientific, educational, and research purposes.

“We’re proud that we can share the area with the broader community, said David Ealey, President of the Wagner Natural Area Society, “and they can recognize that there is something special about it.”

What makes Wagner Natural Area so special is its fens–a type of wetland that forms when groundwater rises to the surface–giving the area a strong source of water and nutrients. Fens represent a small sample of Alberta’s boreal forest, and they exist due to the aquifers formed

20 T8Nmagazine.com I SPOTLIGHT I

during the last ice age, over 10,000 years ago. Those aquifers allow groundwater to flow underground, which in turn seeps downhill into St. Albert’s Big Lake.

The Marl Pond walking trail is open for visitors, but because of the wetland area, the trail can become incredibly wet and filled with mosquitoes. Waterproof footwear and insect repellant are highly recommended. Along the trail, you’re likely to see a variety of wildlife such as willow swamps, black spruce forests, and marl ponds themselves.

“The wetland provides suitable conditions for the growth of a lot of different vegetation, which is epitomized by our orchids,” says Ealey. The area hosts 16 of Alberta’s 24 orchid species–including lady’s slipper and the rare bog adder’s mouth–as well as marsh marigolds, sundews, and butterworts.

Bird watchers can have a field day observing such species as the ruby-crowned kinglet, tree swallow, and yellow warbler known to be found in the area around this time of year. Because of the area’s proximity to the surrounding communities, large mammals from beavers and coyotes to white-tailed deer and even moose are harder to come across.

Wagner Natural Area was originally discovered by naturalists in the 1940s and was later named after property owner William Wagner, who gave the original parcel of land to the provincial government for protection in 1975. Supervising the natural area is the Wagner Natural Area Society, which was created in 1982 under the Alberta Government’s Societies Act to protect the biological and physical wellbeing of the park.

In 1986, the society joined the Alberta Government’s Volunteer Stewards program. These volunteers maintain exceptional park conditions and foster a commitment to conservation for the park. The society functions to coordinate special events in the natural area, such as guided tours for elementary schools, academic research studies for summer students, and hosting Junior Forest Wardens to help evaluate the growth of the park. According to Ealey, several thousand visitors annually flock to Wagner Natural Area to experience the array of family-friendly events and wildlife. “We have different visitors for different reasons, and people add so much to their personal wellbeing by being able to connect with a natural area that is special, that is cared for, and that is interesting to experience.” t8n

Wagner Natural Area Visitor Advisory

• Soil moisture count is high, so bring waterproof boots

• Keep dogs on a leash at all times

• Insect repellent is highly recommended

• The area is pedestrian-only, so no bikes, ATVs, etc.

• No sanitation-removal facilities are on-site, so take all garbage with you when leaving

Additional information: wagnerfen.ca

T8N Summer 2023 21
www.phoenixtaekwon-do.ca 780-951-1697 MartialArts & Kickboxing TRY A FREE CLASS! Find us next to Fabricland in Campbell Park

Under the sun

Find 49 words that best describe summer

Nature doesn’t expose itself to the masses like it does during the summer, when all the vivid colours of the season sprout up in full regalia. It’s a sign to take advantage of the outdoors, partaking in everything from barbecues to golf. Others not ready to take it all in might want to complete this word search to prep for the real thing. Post your completed puzzle on our Twitter or Facebook pages (tagging T8N), to qualify for great random prizes.

Barbeque Beach

Bike

Bloom

Cottage

Deck Flowers

Garagesale Grass Ice Lawnmower

Patio

Skateboard

Streethockey

Swim Walk Baseball Beer

Bikini Blossom Cream

Farmersmarkets

Freshfruit

Garden Green

Lakes

Lemonade Plants

Rain Soccer

Streetparty

Swimming

Warmth

Basketball Bees

Landscape

Paddleboard

Playground

Rivers

Sprinkler Stroll

Trampoline

Birds Canoe Cycle Flowers Games Golf Hike

22 T8Nmagazine.com I DOWN TIME I

MAGAZINES ARE LOOKING FOR NEW TEAM MEMBERS ...

We need an inspired, talented, qualified photographer to help craft our publication and contribute to our community magazine. The ideal candidate would be local to St.Albert, have experience with photography of people, buildings, still shots of items and products, and action shots.

TO APPLY, send your resume, link to or samples of your portfolio, & to show your particular connection with T8N & St.Albert, send an idea for each of our sections:

Food & Gatherings, 8's, Then and Now, Meet you There Spotlight, Front Photo feature, Advertising features, Summer in the City adventure and Food feature.

Writers and Creators wanted. T8N is looking to add to its team of talented content creators. If you are a writer, content creator, with ideas specific to St. Albert and area, we are looking for you!

T8N Summer 2023 23
DEALS Only for residents of St.Albert. Delivered to your home. Email info@t8nmagazine.com
GIFT CARD GET A FREE $25 GIFT CARD AND A T8N TOQUE Email your resume, samples of work, and ideas to edit@t8nmagazine.com
$100
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