Latest news with #AssiniboineParkConservancy
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
Hundreds of trees to be planted in Assiniboine Park with new funding
The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is getting a boost from the federal government to plant more trees in the park. The Assiniboine Park Conservancy is getting a boost from the federal government to plant more trees in the park. Hundreds of trees are coming to Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park with the help of some new money. On Tuesday, the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities announced joint funding of nearly $17 million to plant over 77,000 new trees around the country. The money will go towards 27 projects, including $150,000 to Assiniboine Park Conservancy, which will use the funds to plant 600 trees in Assiniboine Park. According to the government, the new trees will improve Assiniboine Park's biodiversity and forest health, while addressing the loss of trees from Dutch elm disease. It will also help the city achieve its target for tree canopy coverage. Gerald Dieleman, senior director of horticulture, said the news is exciting for the team at Assiniboine Park Conservancy. 'It's a goal here to increase our tree coverage across the park, and this funding helps support that,' he said. Dieleman said the conservancy plans to plant tree species that will thrive over the next 25 years, including mountain ash, Manitoba maples, lindens, and hackberries. He added the planting will take place over the next three years. 'Losing trees to Dutch elm disease, elm trees in particular, is a large concern because elms are the dominant species across the city and in the park too,' he said. 'These replacement trees are different species, and that's one of the goals of this program—to diversify the plantings across the park and the zoo, which is what we are doing here.' The government money will also be used to plant more than 19,000 trees in Kitchener, Ont.; 1,200 trees in Charlottetown, PEI; and 3,750 in Ottawa.
Global News
4 days ago
- Science
- Global News
Manitoba researchers look at potential impact of wildfires on polar bear denning habitat
Some Manitoba researchers are looking into the potential impact and overlap of wildfires with polar bear denning habitat. 'We have a warming climate, we have the subarctic drying out, and that's increasing fire risk,' said Stephen Peterson, the director of conservation and research with Assiniboine Park Conservancy. 'And where those fires occur where there's polar bear denning, we have this problem where the fires can impact the quality of that den habitat.' Much of Petersen's research is focusing on Wapusk National Park, a core polar bear denning area situated along the shore of the Hudson Bay where the boreal forest ends and the arctic tundra begins. View image in full screen Stephen Peterson, the director of conservation and research, points to a map showing the level of wildfire risk near polar bear denning areas. Marney Blunt / Global News 'Polar bears tend to be on slopes where they have trees and there's some permafrost structure and they dig in,' Petersen said. Story continues below advertisement 'And when a fire comes through it burns the peat and the trees that give that area structure, (and make) it the perfect denning habitat. So we want to look at where is the overlap between fire risk and polar bear denning.' Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy According to the province's FireView map, there is currently one smaller wildfire burning inside Wapusk National Park. There are a few other fires being monitored south of the Kaskatamagan wildlife management area, a polar bear denning habitat that runs along the Hudson Bay from the mouth of the Nelson River to the Ontario border. Petersen said the intent of the research is to create a map that can help inform wildfire fighting efforts in the future, to help protect and preserve a species that's already threatened in Manitoba. 'We're seeing more fires, they're burning hotter, and at the same time, we're getting changes in sea ice,' Petersen said. 'And it looks like the western Hudson Bay (polar bear) population that we have in Manitoba – their population was stable and now it's declining. So as those fewer bears are looking for places to den, we want those denning places to be intact.' Petersen adds it's still largely unknown what the overall impact would be if wildfires do encroach significantly into polar denning territory. Story continues below advertisement 'We don't really know what the bears are going to do if that happens,' he said. 'Some of them might be able to shift their distribution to other places, but others might just waste a lot of energy coming back to the same place, and then being unsuccessful in denning.' Justina Rayes, the president and senior scientist with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, says the intensity of the widespread wildfires across the country is having impacts on other northern wildlife, including caribou. 'Caribou are a species that need older forests or larger expanses of older forests, particularly to calve in,' Rayes told Global News. 'So they will be affected by this kind of disturbance that's happening with this much intensity, right during a period when you've got newborn calves struggling to survive in any case.' Rayes adds it's hard to know the full extent of what's happening to wildlife caught up in the wildfires. 'People can't see it, so we have to imagine what's happening,' she said. 'And it's cumulative in nature, so while wildlife have lived with fire forever, when it's this intense, this much expansive of land being affected, then it really becomes too much, and that's what we have to be concerned about.'
Winnipeg Free Press
28-06-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Perennial favourites
It's perennials season, not only in our gardens but at local garden centres, where fresh shipments are arriving weekly. While annuals bring vivid colour to containers and brighten borders, perennials are garden essentials. Each year, Craig Gillespie, horticulture supervisor of the outdoor gardens at Assiniboine Park Conservancy, orders 300 to 400 perennials to add to the English Garden. Craig Gillespie photo Prized for its unique colour combinations, Callie's Memory Itoh peony blooms with peach, pink and yellow flowers with dark pink striping. 'I'm always looking for something different,' he says. This year he was thrilled to find Dictamnus albus, commonly known as the gas plant. 'I purchased both the pink and white varieties.' Gillespie is still searching for great burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), which has deep red bottle-brush flowers, and Knautia macedonica (Macedonian scabious), which has deep crimson pincushion-like flowers. The thrill of the hunt in finding plant varieties we long for is familiar to all gardeners. Need some inspiration for choosing beautiful perennials that are dependable performers? I asked Gillespie to share the names of some of his favourites. 'Callie's Memory peony is fantastic,' says Gillespie. 'It's just a gorgeous peony.' Prized for its unique colour combinations, this impossibly beautiful Itoh peony blooms with peach, pink and yellow flowers with variable dark pink striping. Itoh peonies, also known as intersectional peonies, are a cross between a tree peony and an herbaceous peony. They combine the best characteristics of both and typically do not require any staking. Callie's Memory was introduced in 1999 by Roger F. Anderson, a renowned peony hybridizer, and was named for his beloved dog. Callie's Memory has large semi-double to double flowers. Callie's Memory peonies are planted together in a large grouping in one area of the English Garden. They were in full bloom last week. You may still be able to catch the finale of their spectacular show. Craig Gillespie photo Versatile perennials, astrantia (left) and astilbe go well together in the garden. Back row standouts Backdrops, of course, set the stage in any garden design to enhance the visual impact of flowering displays. Behind the sweep of Callie's Memory peonies in the English Garden stands the mighty giant fleece flower (Persicaria polymorpha) which is currently in full, majestic bloom. Featuring large plumes of creamy white flowers and dark green, lance-shaped leaves, giant fleece can grow to 1.8 metres or more, which is contrary to the smaller size (90 to 120 cm) suggested by some nursery catalogues or plant tags. 'I am over 1.8 m. tall and the giant fleece flower plants in the English Garden tower over me,' says Gillespie. 'If you have space, it is definitely a plant to have.' Placement is an important consideration, he says. 'Giant fleece flower performs best in full sun but is tolerant of dappled light. The heavier the shade, the weaker the growth will be.' Hardy to Zone 3, giant fleece flower blooms for several weeks. It is tolerant of wet sites. Gillespie is fond of daylilies for their easy care and colourful flowers. He likes to plant a single cultivar in masses of 25 for impact. Craig Gillespie photo Provide plenty of space for giant fleece flower — it truly is a giant among perennials. 'For the home gardener, planting a single specimen or in groups of three can provide impact, but the English Garden is so big that a lone specimen does not work unless it is a tree or something huge.' This year, Gillespie has added a mass planting of Hemerocallis Pansy Face Charmer in the English Garden. A reblooming daylily, Pansy Face Charmer has flowers that can reach 14 cm across. The bright yellow green throat pattern with a dark maroon ruffled edge is reminiscent of a giant pansy, says Gillespie. He started Pansy Face Charmer daylilies as bare root perennials in the greenhouse at Assiniboine Park. One of Gillespie's favourite perennials is Phlox paniculata, which will begin blooming around mid-July. 'Last year we planted Phlox paniculata Jeana, a tall (60 to 120 cm) garden phlox which was the 2024 Perennial Plant of the Year. It did very well as a first-year plant and this year the plants have come back nice and bushy, so it should provide a much stronger show. But that said, phlox probably must be one of the absolute favourites of deer, which nip off the buds at the first opportunity.' Fencing protects some areas of the English Garden from deer browsing, says Gillespie, and so far, there has been minimal deer activity. Gillespie would prefer to not use an organic deer repellent because of its strong odor. 'Phlox has a sweet fragrance and you kind of lose that if you spray the plants.' Jeana phlox has tiered layers of lavender pink blooms on sturdy stems. In extensive plant trials, Jeana demonstrated exceptional powdery mildew resistance. This unique variety offers an impressive floral display that extends from mid-July to early September. A fine pair The Lily Nook photo More than pretty faces, daylilies like this Pansy Face Charmer are the workhorses of the summer garden. Astrantia major, commonly known as great masterwort, draws high praise from Gillespie. A garden ornamental that has umbel-like clusters of tiny flowers on wiry leafless stems above a thick basal skirt of deeply lobed palmate leaves with toothed edges, astrantia is an upright clump-forming perennial with a moderate height of 60 cm. It spreads slowly by underground stolons and will self-seed in optimum conditions. If this is not desired, remove the flowers after blooming. 'Astrantia works well in sunny locations, dappled shade or full shade,' says Gillespie. A member of the carrot family, astrantia is a trouble-free perennial which blooms for several weeks starting in early summer. In the English Garden, astrantia has been paired with astilbe beneath a rosy bloom crabapple where it receives dappled light. Astilbe has a greater presence in the English Garden today than has been seen in past years, says Gillespie. 'Astilbe looks fabulous in a mass planting. We planted numerous astilbes last year in the English Garden. Now that there are varieties with dark burgundy foliage — Dark Side of the Moon, for example — it's possible to create a different look.' Varieties to look for include Colour Flash Astilbe, which boasts colour-changing foliage that starts out bright green in spring, maturing to a rich green with hues of burgundy and purple in summer and red in fall. Chocolate Shogun Astilbe has chocolate bronze foliage and pale pink flower plumes. Monthly What you need to know now about gardening in Winnipeg. An email with advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing. 'Even when astilbe is not in bloom, the fern like foliage provides great texture,' says Gillespie. Craig Gillespie photo Tall garden phlox Jeana, a mid-summer bloomer, was named 2024 Perennial Plant of the Year for its superior performance and sturdy stems. What makes astrantia and astilbe such a workable combination in the garden? Both share similar traits such as deeply cut, toothed leaves and a preference for moist soil. The frothy, colourful plumes of astilbe provide a striking contrast to the domed umbels of astrantia. 'We are constantly adding more and more perennials to the English Garden and not relying on quite so many annual flowers,' says Gillespie. 'I know that perennials seem expensive at first, but they do pay for themselves in the long run, especially perennials that can be divided once they mature.' For inspiration, plan to experience the ever-evolving perennial display at the English Garden in Assiniboine Park throughout the growing season. colleenizacharias@ Colleen ZachariasGardening columnist Colleen Zacharias writes about many aspects of gardening including trends, plant recommendations, and how-to information that is uniquely relevant to Prairie gardeners. She has written a column for the Free Press since 2010 and pens the monthly newsletter Winnipeg Gardener. Read more about Colleen. Every piece of reporting Colleen produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Dog owner describes 'unnerving' encounter with aggressive deer in Winnipeg neighbourhood
A moment of fascination turned into discomfort and fear for a Winnipeg dog owner who encountered a deer Thursday. "At first it seems like it's really kind of this magical moment, this really interesting animal that we're making a connection with," Marlowe Hiebert told CBC News. "Then the next thing the deer gets aggressive. It's like, 'OK, this script is going off.'" Hiebert and his eight-year-old Sheltie dog, Macy, were walking down Browning Boulevard in the city's Westwood neighbourhood on Thursday morning when a deer darted out from in front of a group of parked cars. The deer came to a full stop almost two metres from them and locked eyes with Macy, before it started to stomp its hooves aggressively, Hiebert said. Hiebert and Macy began walking up the sidewalk, trying to get away for their own safety, but the deer tagged along, following them down the front lawns. "This little girl would probably be really hurt if a deer would attack," Hiebert said, referring to his dog. Left to their own, with no one else around to distract the deer, Hiebert stopped and stomped his own feet, trying to give the deer an aggressive posture, but the animal didn't flinch. "It wasn't until we came past pine trees and got some visual break between us that she did let us go," Hiebert said. It's not unusual to see a deer coming through the neighbourhood, Hiebert said. During the winter he has seen up to four deer laying under a pine tree on his front lawn. "They don't seem that big when you're standing near them," he said. "But you begin to look at the length of those legs and the speed with which they could likely move them. "It was a little unnerving to have an animal like that be that aggressive." A spokesperson for the province said they received several reports about the deer aggressively defending its fawn in the area, but there have been no reports of the animal making contact with residents. The protective behaviour of the deer is expected to be short-lived, lasting a few weeks until the fawn can move on its own, the spokesperson said. Relocation will only be used as a last resort, the province said, given it can cause stress to the deer and the fawn. In the meantime, warning signs have been installed by the province, and the public is urged to be cautious and avoid the area or use an alternate route. Deer sightings on the rise Wildlife encounters like this are very rare, only happening once every year or two, the province said. But Winnipeg is not isolated from having wildlife, especially when considering the city's design, said Barret Miller, manager of education and programming at Assiniboine Park Conservancy. Developments around the city are being built to co-exist with forested areas in open grasslands that sit along river streams, he said, making Winnipeg an ideal habitat for whitetail deer. "It's no longer just open yards and big houses, it's now a mix of shrubs, trees," he said. "It's not necessarily that the numbers are increasing. We're just seeing them more widespread across the city." Any animal species, regardless of how docile it might seem to be, can be aggressive, Miller said. Deer have tight and muscled legs designed to help them jump, but they can also be used to kick, Miller said. The same amount of force they use to jump three metres in the air can be used to kick. That's the reason Miller said it's best to be at least five to 10 metres away from a deer while keeping a smaller posture and making as little noise as possible. But if the deer starts "taking an unhealthy interest in you" and it is becoming a rather unsafe situation, he recommended to be large, loud and back away. "Just talk to that animal in a very deep, bassy voice. Puff up your shoulders, pull the dog in on the leash and skirt around that animal," said Miller. It is also important not to approach the fawn when the deer isn't around. People might think the animal has been abandoned, but the fawn was, in most cases, only left behind while its mother looked for something to feed it, Miller said. "Give them the space to be the mom they need to be, and they're going to give us the space we need to be human, and we'll get along," he said.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo welcomes family of 5 grey wolves from Vancouver
Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg is inviting guests to connect with and meet a new family of five grey wolves that it welcomed from the Greater Vancouver Zoo on Thursday. The pack includes the parents, seven-year-old Chinook and Gigi, and their three offspring — Comet, who is male, and Stella and Virgo, who are female — curator Shane Pratt told CBC News on Friday. The pups are three years old. "This is really big. They're very interactive animals," Pratt said. "We really like having people connect with our animals and inspire people to conserve," as well as "learn about how important they are for ecosystems," he said. The family's arrival follows the death of Bear, 14, in March, the last grey wolf in the zoo's original pack, the Assiniboine Park Conservancy said in a Friday press release. "Grey wolves are an iconic Canadian species that can be found across the country, including right here in Manitoba," Dr. Chris Enright, senior director of zoological operations, said in the release. "Unfortunately, fear and misunderstanding have led to instances of human-wolf conflict and, in some cases, over-hunting," he said. "Educating people about the critical role keystone species like wolves play in their ecosystems and why they should be protected is an important part of what we do here at the zoo." So far, the new pack appears to be adapting fairly well into their expansive boreal forest and grasslands habitat, Pratt said, with Gigi being the first to come out and showing the most confidence. Due to the ongoing wildfire situation, Pratt says they're keeping a close eye on air quality statements, especially for those animals with the most sensitive lungs, such as birds. The zoo has policies and protocols in place to help move animals into a cleaner air environment, Pratt said. "We haven't really seen any animals in distress yet," he said. "We're very thankful, because we like keeping animals outside as long as possible." The family of grey wolves joins other new additions at the zoo since last fall, including three red pandas, called Suva, Mei Mei and Kelly, and a Siberian musk deer named Ozzy, the conservancy said in the release. The zoo is also hosting an exhibit called the Survival of the Slowest featuring a hedgehog, a bearded dragon and two-toed sloths, along with other animals, until Sept. 1.
