Experience the Weaselhead
Photo Courtesy of Tanya Koob
Photo Courtesy of Tanya Koob
The Weaselhead Natural Environment Park was created in the early 1980s. It encompasses 237 hectares of natural land and is located in SW Calgary. There are two entrances, one in the north in the community of Lakeview and one in the south near Oakridge and Glenmore Landing. This wildland park is a great example of a “riparian” habitat, or a landscape that is greatly influenced by a stream, river or lake. In this case, the park is located in the Elbow River Valley and the trees, plants, and animals that live there are directly influenced by the river. Ancient spruce, some well over 150 years-old, live in the river basin. You won’t find pines here as they prefer dry soil. The Weaselhead contains wood frogs, muskrats, moose, coyotes, beaver, and hundreds of migrating bird species, including ducks and raptors. Rose-breasted grosbeaks, mergansers, and swans are also species that are regularly seen in the region. The Weaselhead is a sanctuary for kayakers, cyclists, birders, and dog walkers. The Elbow River was dammed in 1933 to make the Glenmore Reservoir and this created a lake and an area known as “the mud flats.” The mud flats support shore birds, muskrats as well
as under-water life. The entire natural area acted as a sponge and a strainer during the 2013 flood. The willows and other shrubs strain out debris and the oxbows and the back-channels absorb excess water. Although the origin of the name is uncertain, the park is most likely named after the Tsuu T’ina Chief, Weaselhead, who was in power at the time of European contact. The park borders thier treaty lands, creating a wilderness riparian corridor from Calgary west to Bragg Creek and on to Elbow Lake, which is the source of the Elbow River. Weaselhead is a natural treasure in Calgary and, not surprisingly, its wilderness qualities are protected by city bylaws. The river basin provides household water to tens of thousands of Calgarians. If you need to reconnect with your deeper self, the Weaselhead provides that sanctuary for everyone. Whether you are watching the cliff swallows, skipping rocks, sitting under a 200 year-old tree, or pausing on your bike ride around the reservoir, you’ll certainly be enriched by the untamed, natural world around you. This beautiful riparian valley is vital to our health, our water supply, and the plant and animal species that Calgarians have come to love! By: Julie Walker
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