Dawson Park, Edmonton River Valley
Aug 16, 2025
On the morning of August 16th, ENPS Board member Daniella Liknes took part in a restoration event in Dawson Park, organized by the Edmonton River Valley Conservation Coalition (ERVCC).
A group of around 20 volunteers met up near the Dawson dragon boat launch and set to work. The goal was to revegetate an illegal trail that had been getting established in this area, which the group learned is a sacred site for various Indigenous peoples. ERVCC has been planting in this area since earlier this year and it was a pleasure to see the Canada violet, native grasses and goldenrod that had been previously planted.
The City of Edmonton naturalization team’s Root for Trees and the ERVCC joined forces for this event and provided plenty of trees and shrubs to plant. Among the genera we planted were species of Viburnum, Salix, Ribes, Rubus, Sambucus, Lonicera as well as other site-appropriate species. We also removed the non-native, invasive European Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) saplings as we planted, in order to give the planted saplings a fighting chance for growth over the summer.
A visit to the site in September showed that, despite the lack of rain, most of the planted trees have their leaves and look healthy. Asters are still blooming, and western Canada violet is spreading across the forest floor.
Editor’s note: Daniella lives fairly close by and has been watering the trees during this prolonged drought. Lack of subsequent watering seems to be a major factor in sapling death following transplant in our dry, continental climate.