ENG has a new brochure - Common Wildflowers of the Edmonton Area.
It will be available for $2.00 at: Wildbird General Store (4712-99 Street), Nature Alberta (3rd Floor, Percy Page Centre 11759 Groat Road) and Arch Greenhouse (3151-97 St.).

Harry Stelfox has organized some naturalization plantings (primarily native trees and shrubs) to create a better transition zone between the man-made Twin Brooks District Park and the lower Blackmud Creek Ravine. On the mornings of May 30 and 31, Grade 5 and 6 students from the local school will be planting 6 small areas. He is looking for a handful of 'knowledgeable' volunteers to help oversee the student's effort; if you might be interested in helping out and encouraging the students in this type of activity, please contact Harry at hstelfox@telus.net.

After more than 75 years of managing fragile grasslands as productive rangelands for livestock grazing, the federal government announced in the spring of 2012 that it was transferring control of the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) pastures back to the provinces. This was done with no public consultation and little advance warning. In Saskatchewan the PFRA lands comprise 62 pastures totaling 1.8 million acres. The Saskatchewan government has announced it plans to sell or lease the land to farmers and ranchers who have been grazing livestock on the pastures. However, many patrons have indicated they are not in a position to buy the pastures. The Province has also said that it does not want to manage the pastures.

Preservation of the natural landscapes and ecology of the pastures is important at a World level. They contain the largest contiguous blocks of original prairie grasslands in the Northern Great Plains and are essential for maintaining prairie biodiversity, including the 32 species at risk found in 55 of the pastures. The pastures are also important for locally-owned livestock operations; hunting; nature hikes; archeological heritage, sacred and ceremonial First Nations sites; tourism; and scientific study and in preserving the traditions of working cowboys and ranching communities.

Public Pastures – Public Interest http://pfrapastureposts.wordpress.com/ was formed to keep these pastures in the public domain. They are asking for the support of groups and individuals to achieve this goal.
http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=68&ea.campaign.id=16737

The issue has also been reported on in a number of newspapers including this Trevor Herriot article in the Globe and Mail on 6 April 2013:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/why-is-ottawa-abandoning-swaths-of-prairie-grassland/article10823827

June 1, Saturday - Environment week Celebration - City of Edmonton. ENG will be giving away starter plants and seeds and will have colouring sheets for the kids.
Cost: Free for both events

Muttart Conservatory - ‘Go Wild’ books, wildflower brochures and cards will be available for sale at Muttart
Time: Noon - 4 pm
Location: Muttart Conservatory 9626 - 96A Street

Old Strathcona
Time: 9 am - 2 pm
Location: Green space at 104 St. and 85 Ave., just north of the Old Strathcona Library, close to the Farmers Market.


June 2, Sunday - Wagner Natural Area Society - Celebrate Environment Week with a launch of the new Marl Pond Trail Guide, and guided walks of the trail. Please wear sturdy footwear as the trail may still be muddy. Insect repellant is desirable. Displays and light refreshments.
Time: 10 am - 2 pm - Assemble in the picnic shelter in the Centre Field
Location: Wagner Natural Area - To reach the parking lot, turn south off Yellowhead Highway 16 at RR 270 (Atim Road). Turn left onto the access road that parallels Hwy 16 and follow it east to the gravel parking lot and the entrance gate to the Natural Area.
Cost: Free

June 8, Saturday- Join the City of Edmonton and ENG for another Great Garlic Mustard Pull.
Garlic Mustard is a very invasive plant in Eastern Canada, but it has also shown up in Edmonton growing in the wild. We are going to stop it in its tracks by pulling out the plants before they go to seed. Garlic Mustard has a shallow root system and is easy to pull - and it's edible too!
Time: 9.30am to 11.30am
Location:Mill Creek Ravine - meet at 77 Avenue and 91 Street

You can also check out the different plants here, on our website.
Check out the index to search for a specific plant.

Want to attract butterflies and bees to your garden? Here's a list of native plants adapted from Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies by The Xerces Society.
The book is available from the ENG Library.

ENG has a number of books, magazines and other publications on native plants and related subjects that are available for borrowing.