Get ready to clean and green the Sturgeon River this Mother's Day, St. Albert – it's time to sweep up the Sturgeon.
Hundreds of city residents are expected to come down to the Sturgeon River this May 12 for the 16th annual Clean and Green Riverfest. Featuring free food, crafts, exhibits and tree plantings, the event is meant to remove trash from and bring birds and animals back to the Sturgeon's shores.
Formerly known as Clean Up (or Sweep Up) the Sturgeon, the event changed its name this year at the suggestion of volunteers to better reflect its scope, says city community recreation co-ordinator Erin Gluck.
"The 'clean' part is the traditional clean up the Sturgeon part," she explains, where volunteers will get free bags and gloves with which to pick up trash from the Sturgeon and its tributaries.
The "green" bit is the River Edge Enhancement Project (REEP) – an ongoing initiative where locals plant trees and shrubs to enhance the Sturgeon's riparian vegetation, helping to shelter animals and intercept pollutants.
The "fest" reflects the event's environment fair and free face-painting and barbeque, Gluck says – all part of efforts to turn it into more of a community festival.
This year's event falls on Mother's Day, Gluck says, and will give kids a chance to paint a pot as a gift for Mom. "The kids can do the cleaning and the mothers can do the relaxation."
Residents consistently put the environment and parks at the top of their priority list during the city's annual surveys, notes REEP spokesperson Nicholas Batchelor, and this event is their chance to contribute to both. "They can, as the saying goes, put down roots in St. Albert."
This year's festival will be on the banks of the Sturgeon south of St. Albert Centre, Batchelor says. The REEP planting will be just behind Canadian Tire.
Registrants will get bags, gloves, and a section of the riverbank to clean, Gluck says. High water levels might mean there's less junk to find, but there should still be quite a bit of paper and plastic to pluck.
There will be about 500 willows, aspens and other plants for volunteers to plop into the ground at the REEP event, Batchelor says. Each comes with a copper tag residents can use to keep track of what they plant. Residents can also sponsor and plant a big tree for $250.
The city also plans to announce the winners of its garbage-can painting contest next week, Gluck says. Winning teams will get to plant a big tree as part of REEP, and will see their fancy cans set out at future community events.
With the sponsorship of local businessman Ron Hodgson, the REEP team plans to set up its own tree nursery near Meadowview Drive and the grain elevators later this summer, Batchelor says.
"A lot of the stuff we plant, even though it's native, doesn't do well where we plant it," he says. Saskatoons have struggled in the wet conditions along the river, for example. The team hopes to use this site to field-test plants for future plantings and to stockpile the ones that work.
Last year's REEP event saw volunteers plant willows close to the water's edge in hopes of fending off canary grass, Batchelor notes. Team members will check on the plants' survival rate this year, and, if the willows thrived, add more later this summer.
Gluck says she hopes to see about 400 people come out to this year's event.
The Riverfest runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this May 12 at St. Albert Centre. Registration is at the centre or St. Albert Place. Visit www.stalbert.ca/spruce-up-st-albert for details.
Compost and barrel time
City residents can also get cheap barrels and free dirt in the days before Riverfest.
City staff will once again be selling rain barrels at $50 a pop from May 1 to 31, says city environmental co-ordinator Kalen Pilkington. There are 400 available, and they usually sell out fast.
"Lots of people water their lawns with hose water," Pilkington says, but grass actually prefers untreated rainwater. Rain barrels let you collect and use that water for your lawn, reducing your water bills. "Not only is it a great water-saving initiative, but your plants like it better."
The rain barrel program has sold out every year since its introduction in 2006, reports the Office of the Environment. About 17.5 per cent of St. Albert homes now have a barrel.
Rain barrels can be ordered at the customer service desk on the main floor of St. Albert Place.
Residents can also line up at the public works yard in Campbell Park at 8 a.m. May 11 for the semi-annual compost giveaway, says city solid waste programs co-ordinator Christian Benson. Crews will have about 1,500 bags of compost to give away, and residents can get two each if they bring proof of residence – three if they also bring an empty bag from last year.
"A couple of different municipalities in Canada give (compost) away on a full-time basis," Benson notes, so the city is looking at creating a permanent give-away site at the recycling depot. Expect a pilot project later this summer if it proves possible.
The giveaway runs until 1 p.m. or supplies run out. Call 780-459-1557 for details.
