Wednesday, July 3, 2019
NEWS PHOTO EMMA BENNETT
Koi Liew and his son Sabin take a walk near the pond in Strathcona Island Park.
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
The Grassland Naturalists Society is thrilled with the success of this year’s Adopt a Pond initiative.
All the ponds in the city have been adopted, says co-ordinator Martha Munz Gue, and most pathways and creek or riverside spaces have, as well.
The program initially began in 2021 when a recently-retired nurse phoned looking to do something for nature.
“I asked her if she lived close to a pond,” said Munz Gue. When the nurse replied there was one a block away, these were the first steps toward Adopt a Pond.
“She agreed to visit it every week or two, pick up trash, report invasive species and invite one or two others to do the same,” said Munz Gue. “Members of Grasslands Naturalists and South East Alberta Watershed Alliance (SEAWA) accompanied her on her first walk around the pond and helped with the initial cleanup. At subsequent meetings, Grasslands Naturalists, SEAWA and city parks and rec agreed to support the initiative.”
Since then, individuals, couples and organizations such as the Medicine Hat Skateboarders Association have all stepped up to visit their respective ponds or paths at least once a week, to clean up litter and check for invasive species in the area.
The program starts on Earth Day each year, with a sign-up sheet at the Nature Centre in Police Point Park, though anyone invested in the city’s local ecology is encouraged to ask for information and potentially get involved at any point throughout the year.
“The rewards of the adoption project are intrinsic,” said Munz Gue. “It’s a project that is good for personal and planetary health, and contributes greatly to the community. Nature always gives back bountifully – in sights and sounds, slow and steady exchanges of air and water, and in sensations of calm belonging.”
The more difficult part of the service is spotting and reporting invasive species, said Munz Gue. They ask participants to document species using EDDMapS, an application that forwards the sighting to an expert who can verify the presence of said species, before alerting the relevant authority.
Grasslands Naturalists is hosting a weed workshop for those managing a pond, looking to get involved, or simply curious about how to spot and handle invasive species – Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon at Kin River Park in the Harlow District.
“This is the first of three workshops, the other two are June 8 in Riverside and June 25 at the Veiner Centre in North River Flats,” said Cathy Linowski from the Grasslands Naturalists. “There will be walks to identify weeds, ideas how to control them and info about invasive species like Russian olive trees. Thanks to the City of Medicine Hat for the microgrants to put on these workshops.”
Volunteers from Grasslands naturalists and the Medicine Hat Interpretive Program will be on hand to help and provide training for the app.
