Updated May 29th Oleskiw Trail: Location Still Up in the Air. Naturalists Input Needed at Open House!

On Saturday, May 31^st, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. the City is holding an Open House on the Terwillegar Park Footbridge and West End Trails, providing information and requesting public input.

Still not decided is the location of the trail connecting the Fort Edmonton footbridge to the new Terwillegar Park footbridge, on which construction will be starting soon (Oleskiw Trail).

Please continue to scroll down for details on the options.

OPTION 5 (Yellow) “Escarpment Trail”

An existing wide trail where paving with asphalt would cause the least amount of environmental damage and the least inhibition of wildlife movement. City administration did not originally consider it as an option and present it to Council because it was felt to provide a low value of user experience.

However, it has now come to light that archeological sites are known to occur under and/or near the trail, and in the interests of preserving historical artifacts we recognize that it would be better to construct the trail elsewhere to avoid disturbing them.

We are no longer suggesting this trail as the best option; we are promoting Option no. 4 (pink trail on the map) instead, possibly with some modifications, as our preferred trail option.

OPTION 4  (Pink) “Meadow Trail.” Preferred choice.

Recently ruled out by City administration and consultants citing a low value for user experience and a high potential impact on future park development. We suspect that it is this latter reason which is weighted most heavily by City administration despite the fact that this option has several pros: little or no environmental impact, ease of construction, low cost, and no impact on archeological resources. We have requested that this option be left in and presented at the Open House, but it is not clear whether it will be.

OPTION 3 (Orange)

This option would require less clearing than option 2. However, it would traverse riverine forest in its northern part, requiring considerable removal of vegetation and causing major disruption to wildlife habitat. Considered by administration to provide good user experience as it traverses forest close to the river edge for part of the route and runs along the meadow edge in the southern part. City administration does not like this option because they say it will impose constraints on future park development of the floodplain area.

OPTION 2  (Green) “River Edge Trail”

This is the route preferred by City administration but it is also the most environmentally destructive route and the one that ENC opposes categorically.

The City considers as pros that this trail has a diverse user experience, with access to the river’s edge and two viewpoints of the river, follows an existing trail, and will have a low impact on future park development (by this they mean it is safely tucked away from the main meadow where development may occur in the future).

The administration also argues that “environmental sign-off” has been given on this option. However, the environmental impact assessment (by Stantec) was done only on this option, not on other options. Hence environmental planners in the Office of Biodiversity were not able to evaluate any of the other options. When Shirley Coulson and Patsy Cotterill protested to Executive Committee of Council in April that this route was environmentally destructive and alternative routes along the escarpment or through the meadow had not been considered, administration was instructed by City Council to go back and evaluate the other options.

Another argument used by administration is that other options not providing riverside access will lead to cross-cutting and the creation of informal trails leading to the river. We refute this by saying that the vast majority of people do not randomly crash through bush – they will follow existing trails. Option no. 2 presently exists as a single file trail with two spur trails leading to (or from) the meadow. This will continue to exist for those who want a true nature experience, but most users will stick to a paved trail. In any case, precautions can be taken to ensure that a network of trails does not develop.

This trail will involve considerable amounts of tree cutting and vegetation removal in order to build a 3-metre-wide asphalt trail on top of the existing single-file trail. One can expect that the destruction connected to trail building will amount to at least 5 metres in width along its 2.5 km length.  In addition, this trail location will take out some 60 populations of a rare sedge, Carex eburnea, ebony sedge, which occurs mainly along mountain rivers, with one occurrence recorded for the North Saskatchewan River.

OPTION 1  (Blue)

Already ruled out, as the most environmentally damaging route, and will not be considered at the Open House.

CONCLUSION

Our preferred option is now no. 4.

 We ask the public under no circumstances to endorse option no. 2 because of its negative environmental impact. Remember that in the future much larger numbers of people will be using Oleskiw, accessing it from the two footbridges (Fort Edmonton and Terwillegar), Wanyandi Road and the trail crossing Patricia and Wolf Willow ravines. Imagine what a 3-metre-wide paved trail with year-round public usage (including grading of the trail in winter so there would be no snow cover to aid the movement of small mammals) will do to the natural character of the riverside trail!

We believe the integrity of the river valley as wildlife habitat and as an ecological corridor is at stake if option no. 2 is chosen.  

There are parks by the river already, such as Laurier, Hawrelak and many of the downtown city parks.  In contrast, we feel Oleskiw, with its high value as natural habitat, should remain relatively undeveloped.

City Councillors liked the idea of trail (exact location to be determined) through or along the meadow, as involving no tree clearance, and being shorter and cheaper.

Public opinion is important in the choice of trail route. Please plan to attend the Open House on Saturday and make your views known. 

This is a view of the riverside trail (taken May 18) looking northeast, with the opposite side of the river escarpment in the background. In the foreground on the left is a rare sedge, ebony sedge, or Carex eburnea, which is relatively common only in the mountains. The plan is to pave this trail over in its present alignment with 3 metres of asphalt. This would take out virtually all the populations of this sedge, many trees, shrubs and ground cover, impede animal movement, and with vastly increased public usage, disturb the activities of many animals. As the trail would be cleared in the winter, there would be year-round human presence. Consultants don’t deny the environmental damage but say they can “mitigate.” We suggest they mitigate by choosing another trail option, through a less sensitive area!

Submitted by Patsy Cotterill