Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society

Good Grief - Summer 2024
2024-08-21 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-08-14 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-08-07 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-31 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-24 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-17 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-03 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Edmonton) | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek Provincial Park, 15979 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 5E8
Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss in Fall — Summer 2024
Thanks to a long-standing partnership with Mount Royal University Professor Sonya Jakubec, Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss will be offered in Fall 2024. This program is aimed at providing support to those experiencing grief, loss or major life transition.
This eight-week program simply provides an opportunity for participants to connect with nature while connecting with others who share similar experiences. Although not a grief therapy program, Good Grief may provide valuable connection and healing for both participants and volunteer companions. Companions are not providing counseling or therapy; they simply share a common goal of connecting with nature as a place of refuge in acceptance of our journeys of life transition.
Regardless of the transition you are experiencing – be it the loss of a loved one, job or relationship, a significant change in health or mobility, or other deep changes in your life – spending time in nature with people who are on a similar journey might be just the support you need.
We invite you to come walk with us. We are going to have two separate sessions this Fall.

Wednesday Evening: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, From July 3 to August 21

Registration required. Outings will run in a variety of weather conditions, but may be canceled if severe weather is in the forecast. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers.
Register Here

Each outing will begin with a reading or a shared experience, followed by a walk on a fairly easy 1.5-2 km route. Each of the four routes will be repeated once during the eight-week program – a chance to reflect on the changes in the landscape and ourselves over time. Time, nature and low pressure companionship can be our best supports.
If you would like to learn more about the Good Grief program or discuss the program goals and discoveries from previous Good Grief programs, please feel free to contact Sonya Jakubec, our partner at Mount Royal at sjakubec@mtroyal.ca. Inquiries regarding program accessibility can be directed to Rose Ratliffe, Friends of Fish Creek Volunteer Good Grief Companion at ratliffe@shaw.ca.
Thank you to our Partners and Volunteers for keeping the Good Grief program going! Proceeds support the Friends of Fish Creek’s ongoing efforts to engage the public in responsible stewardship of Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Photo courtesy of Sandi Riemersma.

Trans Canada Trail Plant Salvage
2024-07-06 10:00 - 15:00 | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek Provincial Park, 15979 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 5E8

Good Grief - Spring 2024
2024-05-22 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-05-15 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-05-08 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-05-01 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-04-24 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-04-17 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-04-10 10:00 - 11:30, 2024-04-03 10:00 - 11:30 | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek Provincial Park, 15979 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 5E8
Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss in Spring, 2024
Thanks to a long-standing partnership with Mount Royal University Professor Sonya Jakubec, Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss will be offered in spring 2024. This program is aimed at providing support to those experiencing grief, loss or major life transition.
This eight-week program simply provides an opportunity for participants to connect with nature while connecting with others who share similar experiences. Although not a grief therapy program, Good Grief may provide valuable connection and healing for both participants and volunteer companions. Companions are not providing counseling or therapy; they simply share a common goal of connecting with nature as a place of refuge in acceptance of our journeys of life transition.
Regardless of the transition you are experiencing – be it the loss of a loved one, job or relationship, a significant change in health or mobility, or other deep changes in your life – spending time in nature with people who are on a similar journey might be just the support you need.
We invite you to come walk with us.

Wednesday Morning: 10:00 am – 11:30 am, From April 3 to May 22, 2024

Registration required. Outings will run in a variety of weather conditions, but may be canceled if severe weather is in the forecast. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers.
Registration is now open.
Register Here

Each outing will begin with a reading or a shared experience, followed by a walk on a fairly easy 1.5-2 km route. Each of the four routes will be repeated once during the eight-week program – a chance to reflect on the changes in the landscape and ourselves over time. Time, nature and low pressure companionship can be our best supports.
If you would like to learn more about the Good Grief program or discuss the program goals and discoveries from previous Good Grief programs, please feel free to contact Sonya Jakubec, our partner at Mount Royal at sjakubec@mtroyal.ca. Inquiries regarding program accessibility can be directed to Rose Ratliffe, Friends of Fish Creek Volunteer Good Grief Companion at ratliffe@shaw.ca.
Thank you to our Partners and Volunteers for keeping the Good Grief program going! Proceeds support the Friends of Fish Creek’s ongoing efforts to engage the public in responsible stewardship of Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Photo courtesy of Stan Kwasniowski

The Impact of Urbanization on Plant-Pollinator Relationships
2024-05-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Online, Canada
Speaker Series – The Impact of Urbanization on Plant-Pollinator Relationships

Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Online Only
Presented by Justine Doll, University of Calgary
Free for Friends members and $10 for non-members. Registration required.

Register through Eventbrite

Gratitude Tour
2024-04-21 13:00 - 15:00 | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek, 15975 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, T2P 2M7
Join us to meet our team, learn about the park, and appreciate the hard work going on in Fish Creek. This is a free event. Registration is required.
Register Here

All About Calgary Wildlife
2024-04-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Provincial Park, 13931 Woodpath Rd SW, 13931 Woodpath RD SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2W 5R6, Canada
All About Calgary Wildlife

Tuesday, April 11, 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre, Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Provincial Park
Presented by Beki Hunt, Executive Director, Calgary Wildlife
Geared towards young adults and adults, the All About Calgary Wildlife presentation takes you behind the scenes at Calgary Wildlife. Learn about our history, our programs, who we treat, how you can live in harmony with urban wildlife, and some of our rehabilitation case studies. Beki Hunt is Calgary Wildlife’s executive director and has been in the role for two years. Prior to that, Beki was the Deputy Director (and co-founder) of Taiwan Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Taipei, Taiwan. Beki’s love and respect for animals has been a constant thread in her life since she was a child, putting her on the trajectory of working with animals in the non-profit sector.
Free for Friends members and $10 for non-members. Registration required.

Register through Eventbrite

Read more about Calgary Wildlife
Photo courtesy of Calgary Wildlife

Rocky Voices – Geological Stories from the Rocky Mountains
2024-03-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Online, Canada
Rocky Voices – Geological Stories from the Rocky Mountains

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Online
Presented by Dr. Eva Enkelmann, Associate Professor at the Department of Earth, Energy and Environment, University of Calgary
Do you ever wonder what rocks would tell you if they could talk? Dr. Enkelmann is the author of “Rocky Voices: The memories of minerals that form the Rocky Mountains” – a roadside geology book for all ages. The presentation will show how she combined scientific facts about the millions-of-years long history of the Rocky Mountains with creative writing to tell entertaining short stories. Her presentation will highlight some well-known locations such as Lake Louise, Canmore, or Mount Yamnuska. The presentation is followed by a Q&A period with the author.
Dr. Eva Enkelmann is a geology professor at the University of Calgary and researches mountain-building processes and educates the next generation of scientists. She has been studying mountain evolution in the Himalayas, Alaska, and Western Canada for more than 20 years. She was born and raised in Germany and worked in the US for ten years before she moved to Calgary, in 2017.
Free for Friends members and $10 for non-members. Registration required.

Register through Eventbrite

Connect with Eva!
https://www.enkelmann.org
X: @GeoEnkelmann

Photo, Lake Louise at Night by Brian Zurek

Volunteer Open House
2024-03-18 15:00 - 19:00 | Fish Creek Environmental Learning Centre, 13931 Woodpath Rd. SW, Calgary, Alberta, T2W 5R6, Canada

Good Grief - Winter 2024
2024-02-28 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-21 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-14 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-02-07 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-01-31 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-01-24 13:00 - 14:30 | Bow Valley Ranch Fish Creek Provincial Park, 15979 Bow Bottom Tr. SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2J 5E8
Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss in Winter, 2024
Thanks to a long-standing partnership with Mount Royal University Professor Sonya Jakubec, Good Grief: Nature Walking Through Grief and Loss will be offered in Winter 2024. This program is aimed at providing support to those experiencing grief, loss or major life transition.
This eight-week program simply provides an opportunity for participants to connect with nature while connecting with others who share similar experiences. Although not a grief therapy program, Good Grief may provide valuable connection and healing for both participants and volunteer companions. Companions are not providing counseling or therapy; they simply share a common goal of connecting with nature as a place of refuge in acceptance of our journeys of life transition.
Regardless of the transition you are experiencing – be it the loss of a loved one, job or relationship, a significant change in health or mobility, or other deep changes in your life – spending time in nature with people who are on a similar journey might be just the support you need.
We invite you to come walk with us. We are going to have two separate sessions this Winter.

Wednesday Afternoon: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm, From January 10 to February 28

Registration required. Outings will run in a variety of weather conditions, but may be canceled if severe weather is in the forecast. Participants are encouraged to dress in layers.
Register Here

Each outing will begin with a reading or a shared experience, followed by a walk on a fairly easy 1.5-2 km route. Each of the four routes will be repeated once during the eight-week program – a chance to reflect on the changes in the landscape and ourselves over time. Time, nature and low pressure companionship can be our best supports.
If you would like to learn more about the Good Grief program or discuss the program goals and discoveries from previous Good Grief programs, please feel free to contact Sonya Jakubec, our partner at Mount Royal at sjakubec@mtroyal.ca. Inquiries regarding program accessibility can be directed to Rose Ratliffe, Friends of Fish Creek Volunteer Good Grief Companion at ratliffe@shaw.ca.
Thank you to our Partners and Volunteers for keeping the Good Grief program going! Proceeds support the Friends of Fish Creek’s ongoing efforts to engage the public in responsible stewardship of Fish Creek Provincial Park.

Photo courtesy of Stan Kwasniowski

Rare Plants in Alberta - Green Milkweed and Sticky Purple Geranium
2024-02-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Online, Canada
Rare Plants in Alberta – Green Milkweed and Sticky Purple Geranium
Assessing the Community Co-occurrence Patterns and Pollinator-mediated Relationships of Green Milkweed and Purple Geranium in Southern Alberta

Thursday, February 22, 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Online
Presented by Tory Blanchard, Masters of Ecology Student – University of Calgary
Conservation needs a greater focus on how rare species interact within their neighborhoods. Rare plants have been found to exist in areas that are positively associated. These are areas with plant communities that facilitate or help one another. One example of facilitation occurs through shared pollinators. Common plants may attract numerous pollinating species, such as bees and butterflies, to a community and the rare plants who rely on these pollinators for their reproduction will benefit indirectly from the common plants. Although studies have examined how pollinators can facilitate indirect relationships with other plants, few works have addressed how rare plants may benefit from pollination facilitation that does not involve co-flowering, such as sequential mutualism. Tory’s work will examine the distribution, assembly, and pollinator-mediated plant interactions of two rare species in southern Alberta: Green Comet Milkweed (Asclepias viridiflora) and Sticky Purple Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum). The study will involve collaboration with members of the Kainai First Nation and will use data from community science platforms such as iNaturalist to address these occurrences.
Tory Banchard is Ojibway from Batchewana First Nation. Their Anishinaabe name is Espana Eque. Tory grew up in various places—the Netherlands, Calgary, and Venezuela—but calls Calgary their home. Receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto, Tory completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts with a major in English Literature, and minors in Environmental Biology and Book and Media Studies, and is now pursuing a Master’s degree in Ecology from the University of Calgary. Tory is interested in studying plant ecology and pollinator relationships and working on projects that involve collaboration with Indigenous communities, and enjoys practicing the bass guitar, producing music, and skateboarding.
Free for Friends members and $10 for non-members. Registration required.

Register through Eventbrite

Photo courtesy of Tory Blanchard

Backyard Bird Watching
2024-01-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Online, Canada
Backyard Bird Watching

Thursday, January 25, 2024 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Online
Presented by John McFaul, Chair of Bird Friendly Calgary
Join us for a fun-filled online adventure and explore the fascinating world of birds right from the comfort of your own home! Whether you’re a seasoned birder or just starting out, this event is perfect for all bird enthusiasts. There are four parts to this talk – the first is a review of some of the interesting birds that might visit backyards or are seen while backyard bird watching. The second part describes the tools for identifying the avian visitors. You can learn how to attract birds to your backyard, and ways to keep the birds safe within the city.
John McFaul is the Chair of Bird Friendly Calgary, and past-president and an honourary member of Nature Calgary.
Bird Friendly Calgary works to support biodiversity in the City of Calgary. With the support of Nature Canada, they are working to identify and mitigate threats to birds. Bird Friendly Calgary is a group of NGOs that was formed to promote making Calgary a Bird Friendly City as certified by Nature Canada. For example it was through their efforts that the Black-capped Chickadee was accepted by City council as Calgary’s official bird. Read more at www.birdfriendlycalgary.ca
Free for Friends members and $10 for non-members. Registration required.

Register through Eventbrite

Photo, John McFaul
