Answering the purple martin’s call
The Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society hosts nature walks and presentations over the summer
Established to ensure that green space in Camrose is effectively organized while keeping wildlife considerations in mind, the Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society hosts weekly presentations on Tuesday nights at 7 p.m. from late May to the end of August each year. While presentation topics for this summer have not been finalized, last year's list included everything from owls in Alberta to summer stargazing and identifying edible plants. Glen Hvenegaard, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Alberta on the Augustana campus in Camrose, is one of the founding members of the society, and he is passionate about what he does. Hvenegaard said that for each of the summer presentations, an expert is brought in to speak.
“Most presentations have a local connection and some kind of promotion to ensure that (environmental stewardship) continues for future generations,” said Hvenegaard. “We didn’t want to see our city being developed in ways that would reduce wildlife habitats and populations. We work on ways that we can meet both needs.”
Creating comfortable spaces
The Camrose Wildlife Stewardship Society’s flagship project is its work with the purple martin swallow. The largest swallow in North America, the purple martin is almost solely dependent on human assistance due to habitat change, competition for nesting box sites and pesticide use. Hvenegaard said purple martin populations throughout Canada are declining, but the swallows are abundant around Camrose because of the assistance they receive.
“We build and manage purple martin nest boxes all over the city,” said Hvenegaard. “(By helping our) flagship species, we help a whole bunch of other species. They live in people's backyards, they catch insects by the millions, and they are an enjoyable bird to have around. We have landlords that make sure there are no competitors in their nest boxes and that the boxes are clean every year. Some people even supplement feed them if it’s a nasty May or June.”
Camrose celebrates its winged friend
Just last year, Hvenegaard said, a purple martin festival was established. This year, the festival will be on June 5, and the day will consist of nature walks, demonstrations, bus tours, booths, activities for children and presentations about purple martin nest boxes.
For more information, go to the Tourism Camrose website.
