Green Up on Bunchberry Meadows

This joint conservation property between the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Edmonton & Area Land Trust is a refuge for plants and wildlife. The property is the last large block of natural habitat left on the southwest edge of Edmonton. The landscape is made up of a unique mix of upland meadows, wetlands, jack pine, tamarack and black spruce.

The wetlands at Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area cover close to 20 percent of the land and create important habitat for waterfowl, such as bufflehead duck. The mature forest stands are home to species like wood frog and boreal chorus frog. Having been virtually untouched for 40 years, the trees at Bunchberry Meadows Conservation Area are old and beautiful. You’ll find some of the only true old-growth forests remaining in Central Alberta. Many jack pines with a girth of over two metres have been discovered on the property.

NCC acquired Bunchberry Meadows with the assistance of the Government of Canada’s Natural Areas Conservation Program (NACP), a unique public-private partnership to accelerate the pace of land conservation across southern Canada.

There are two main areas that we will be planting. Around the picnic site volunteers will help us plant trees and shrubs. Near the dug out, we will be planting willow live stakes to help strengthen the banks and bring back native vegetation.

Kristen Anderson from the University of Alberta will be joining us to lend her expertise and share her knowledge on bioengineering. Oh the possibilities!

Contact Zoe Arnold: alberta@conservationvolunteers.ca