The Pulse: May 5, 2023

Birders in the Edmonton area can watch the snow geese return to Beaverhill Lake instead of chasing around to catch a glimpse, now that the once-dry site of the Snow Goose Festival is wet again.

The festival took place for the first time in 21 years on April 22 and 23. Chris Chang-Yen Phillips of Let's Find Out was there to talk to some of the people who were excited to see the migratory birds return.

"In the early 2000s when the festival stopped, the lake was virtually dry. It was a giant grassland — great for Sprague's pipits and short-eared owls, but not so good for ducks and geese," said Snow Goose Festival chair Geoff Holroyd.

In the absence of a lake, the Edmonton Nature Club ran tours known as the Snow Goose Chase. That was the subject of the very first episode of Let's Find Out in 2016.

Holroyd, a retired wildlife biologist, has been involved since before the festival's inaugural edition in 1993. He explained how Beaverhill Lake, which is an attractive place for snow geese to gather, regained its previous form.

"There were two factors that dramatically affected Beaverhill Lake in the last almost 10 years. One was large summer rainfall events," he said. "The other factor that affects us is how wet or dry the autumn is."

Though it was "natural phenomena" that led to the refilling of Beaverhill Lake, Holroyd believes there's more to be done to protect natural areas like this one and the nearby recreation area.

"We definitely need to talk to our politicians more and have more protected spaces," he said. "One thing I've noticed over the last four or five years through the pandemic is the number of visitors we're getting at the Beaverhill natural area and the Blackfoot Recreation Area has increased dramatically … It's good news that people are coming out, (but) we don't want to suffocate our natural spaces by having too many people."

• The city launched the Clean City Initiative, which puts $2.5 million toward the clean-up and "beautification" of downtown and runs until February 2024. The initiative directs resources and staff toward garbage collection, litter pick-up, green space maintenance, and cleaning graffiti. An additional 23 parks and road services staff, for a total of 84, have been assigned to core neighbourhoods. Puneeta McBryan, executive director of the Edmonton Downtown Business Association, applauded the investments, calling them "desperately needed" after two or three years of cleanliness issues.
• Another wildfire broke out along Anthony Henday Drive in west Edmonton on May 4 in the same area where a wildfire shut down the ring road on May 1. The fire happened in a grassy area between the Henday and 184 Street and between 105 Avenue and 111 Avenue. Edmonton Fire Rescue Services was called at 12:36pm and had the blaze under control around 3:17pm, but traffic remained slow due to emergency vehicles on scene. It is unclear whether the fire is a flare-up of the earlier fire or a separate event.
• After being permitted to return to their homes May 3, residents of several communities in Yellowhead County and Parkland County were once again ordered to evacuate on May 4 due to wildfires in the area. The communities of Entwistle, Evansburg, Wildwood, Lobstick, and Hansonville were included in the orders. Alberta Emergency Alerts have been issued for several other parts of the province due to wildfires, including an out-of-control blaze in the northern Alberta community of Fox Lake that has forced 3,700 members of the Little Red River Cree Nation to flee their homes. The 4,400-hectare wildfire has destroyed 20 homes, the community police station and the Northern Store.
• Edmonton-based dance group Cool Giraffes has been voted by Canadians to be a finalist on Canada's Got Talent. They will compete against other finalists, including Calgary magician Atsushi Ono, for a $150,000 grand prize and a chance to perform on America's Got Talent Presents: SUPERSTARS Live in Las Vegas. The live finale airs May 16 on Citytv.
• Former Edmonton Oilers forward Petr Klíma has died at the age of 58. Klíma played for the Oilers from 1989-93 and 1996-97 and is best known for scoring a triple-overtime goal against the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the 1990 NHL playoffs final, which was the longest game in Stanley Cup finals history.
• The Edmonton Elks announced a series of transactions on May 4. The team has signed Canadian defensive lineman Olivier Charles-Pierre and American wide receiver Cam Sullivan-Brown. It also released kicker Sergio Castillo and defensive lineman Avery Ellis, who are both American.

This weekend offers a glamorous fundraiser, a beloved crafters' show, a gathering of fibre and textile artists, an emergency preparedness event, and a couple of film festivals. And don't forget Jane's Walk!

• May 5, 6pm: Art on the Block at the Art Gallery of Alberta
• May 5-7: Royal Bison Art and Craft Fair at the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre
• May 5-7: Gathering Threads Festival at the Edmonton Expo Centre
• May 6, 10am: Get Ready in the Park at the Edmonton Expo Centre Grounds
• May 7, 2:45pm: Edmonton Jewish Film Festival: Rose at the Stanley A. Milner Library
• May 7, 4pm: Perspective Alberta Series at NorthwestFest

Find even more things to do in the Arts Roundup.

Photo: Art on the Block is the Art Gallery of Alberta's largest fundraising event, auctioning off original work donated by some of Alberta's top visual artists. (Supplied)