Nature News from the Ghost Horse Hills: Opal Wildfire Update #21

The blueberries are ready for the picking. In the open meadows the wild asters are in full bloom, the white of the yarrow stands out from the blanket of purple created by the asters. Around the fringes of the meadow the fireweed stands tall, its green leaves beginning to turn red. Strings of fuzz hang where just days ago bumblebees visited red blossoms.

The coyotes are sleek and have interrupted their hunting for rabbits, mice and voles to fill up on blueberries. Our lone bear no longer turns over rotten deadfall looking for ant eggs and other insects as now he too is loading up on these tiny blue delicacies. The whitetail fawns are shedding their spots, young finch are busy devouring thistle seeds, Swainson's hawk fledgelings scream their displeasure at being left to hunt on their own and the moose calf has grown too tall to run underneath his mother's belly. The two turkey vultures that have graced us with their presence over the last three summers have moved on to greener carrion. In their wake they leave behind an ugly white mess on their favorite roosting spot (the roof of my cabin). The water lilies on the Ghost Horse Hills wetland are in bloom. These are all signs that the summer of 2010 is winding down. A time of maturity has come to the Halfmoon Lake Natural Area in the Ghost Horse Hills.

The work of Rainbow Equitation Society and the Nature Conservancy of Canada has successfully protected this wonderful place through another season. A huge debt is also owed to the firefighters and support staff that succeeded in stopping the Opal wildfire less than a kilometre from the Halfmoon Lake Natural Area.

As for Opal East Natural Area, the spring and summer rains have encouraged new growth. Within the burn area the willows and aspens are working their way from the ground up some growing as much as a metre. This rejuvenation provides hope but the look and the feel of the blackened areas is still overpowering. With the growing season all but over we will wait for 2011 to see if the pine and other trees and shrubs follow the example of the willow and aspen. The water levels in the bogs and wetlands are lower than I have ever known them to be. A huge snowfall this winter would help raise the water levels. A massive bush party at Opal East left soil rooted up and garbage in its wake. The garbage will be retrieved but it will take generations to heal the land. Opal East has been lost to the quads and dirt bikes. It would be good if we could somehow assist our farmers and ranchers in the protection of their grazing leases at Opal -- fences are being cut, cattle harassed, forage destroyed and their livelihoods compromised. The truth is that it is hard to help others when you are unable to protect your own interests (Natural Areas).

Bridge Lakes is doomed to the same fate as Opal East, Bruderheim and Redwater if something substantial isn't done and soon. Fortunately, the other Natural Areas in our zone have been left largely undamaged. Progress on management plan suggestions is being made. God willing it will be ready to present in late November after municipal elections. In the past there has been a poor job of communicating land use concerns about our special areas to local officials. This has led to some tragic decision-making with the Clyde Fen being an example. A poorly thought-out road easement has cost the province one of its best and most studied fern groves.

On the upside, the Athabasca Landing Trail Steering Committee serves as a shining example of what can happen when local government and interest groups share information. Working together with provincial departments and not-for-profit groups, this committee has been able to complete a master plan for the Athabasca Landing Trail, construct a beautiful bridge over the Redwater River and set the tone and direction for future planning within the boundaries of the 100-mile Portage. This type of cooperation is what will be needed if we are to establish a linear park and recreation area linked by the Athabasca Landing Trail.

Eagle Point Blue Rapids has been put forward by the province as a model for the type of parks that our government would like to see created for Albertans. Work is being done to put forward a second model for the development of new parks in Alberta, that being a linear concept connected by recreational trails and road systems. The job is to promote this concept to local governments and the province.

The high point for me this season was to learn of the interest that exists for the protection of the three small rivers that parallel the Athabasca Landing Trail. I know of no better way to protect the waters that flow into these rivers than to ensure the health of the lands that make up their basins.

I look forward to the fall colours of the Ghost Horse Hills. The cycle of changes is never-ending. Right now it's time to pick blueberries, something I did on Saturday with Noah my three-year old grandson. We picked only about a half of a tin cup -- mostly I picked, Noah ate.

Richard