A Howlin’ Good Time

River Park Off-leash News

APRIL 2008 River Park Update development process moves along

UPCOMING STUFF
Scoopy Doo Day
River Park
Sunday, April 20
9am - noon
It’s time for the annual clean-
up of Calgary parks, including
our beloved River Park.
Friends of River Park will
once again support this effort.
41st Annual Pathway and
River Clean-up
Sunday, May 4
10am - 1pm
Help clean up the pathways
and river near River Park and
Sandy Beach. Volunteers can
enjoy a free breakfast at the
Stu Peppard Arena at 8:30am.
Great draw prizes available.
Register for the clean-up at
civicaffairs@southcalgarycommunity.ca
Attention: Robin McLeod.
In December 2007, we learned that a City of
Calgary Park Planner was appointed the task
of hiring a consultant to develop a management
plan for River Park, Sandy Beach and the
Britannia escarpment.
On March 10, a City of Calgary Park Planner,
a Natural Parkland Management coordinator,
a Community Recreation Coordinator and
the Ward 8 alderman met with several
representatives from each River Park
stakeholder group at the South Calgary
Community Association.
Previous to the meeting, chairs of the various
stakeholder groups were asked to provide
the following:
• our roles and expectations
• our status and operating characteristics
On behalf of Friends of River Park Society, I
submitted our purpose/role, our commitment,
things we oppose and our expectations
and recommendations.
The hiring process has begun and $120,000
(considered an average amount to spend) has
been set aside for development of the
management plan. A consultant should be
hired within two months.
At the meeting, we were asked to provide
suggestions for the public consultation
process. Only a few points were mentioned:
• input from recognized groups
• senior citizen representation
• health and safety factors
• traffic and parking
After the meeting I emailed the following
suggestions to the planner:
• an open, transparent process
• accountable to the public
• minutes
• timely feedback made available through
different sources (website, bulletin board
display, community newsletters, booth
set-up in park at various times)
The process is expected to take 12 - 18
months, at which point, a detailed plan will be
taken to City council for funding as a capitol
project. Watch for upcoming opportunities to
provide input.

CLASSIFIEDS
Buff, her Blue Heeler and a
roommate are still looking for
a house with at least two
bedrooms and a fenced yard
by May 1. Ideal location would
be inner city Southwest - East
or West of Crowchild Trail.
Please contact Buff at
bslaney21@gmail.com.
Please feel free to share
this newsletter with
friends. If at any time you
no longer wish to receive
communication, just let
me know.
River Park Tidbits
The Park Grass Needs our Help
At this time of year, the grass in River Park is
sparse and sensitive, so lend a hand. Please
use the trail as much as possible until the
grass gets established.
Motorized Vehicles in the Park Mar 9/08 - middle of the park
After recently watching the bylaw truck
driving through River Park, Susan S and I
had a discussion with the bylaw officer about
the damage caused to the grass. He was
quite receptive. Later in the month, I saw
the bylaw truck driving slowly along the
north/south trail.

Candice Lee Thanks Team!

287-1029 (home) River Park is looking quite clean, largely due to
703-1671 (cell) our efforts. Many thanks to volunteers for re-
leesmale@telusplanet.net
Mar 30/08 - near the fountain
stocking the bag dispensers.
Caring For Your Pet
Recall - Vitamin Care for Cats
On March 7, there was a voluntary recall
of Hartz Vitamin Care for Cats. Some
bottles within a particular manufacturing
lot may have been contaminated with
salmonella. Watch for the lot code SZ
22771, UPC number 32700-97701 or lot
code SZ-16371. Discontinue use of the
product and discard it in a proper manner.
Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-
275-1414 with any questions or for
reimbursement requests.
Salmonella Warning – Roll Over Treats
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is
warning consumers about salmonella
poisoning from handling Roll Over Pork
Tenders Premium Dog Treats. The item
of concern was sold across Canada in 50
gram packages. People may risk bacterial
infection by handling the treats directly or
by contact with pets that have eaten the
treats. Anyone who may have handled the
treats should wash their hands with warm
water and soap.
Bloat in Dogs
I received a message from someone who
wanted to inform dog owners about bloat
in dogs. I’ve edited some information from
Wikipedia.
Bloat occurs when the stomach becomes
overstretched by excessive gas content. In
dogs, gas accumulation in the stomach may
cause or be caused by twisting of the
stomach, which prevents gas from escaping.
Bloat causes blood circulation problems,
loss of blood supply in the stomach, shock,
decreased blood flow to liver and
decreases the ability of that organ to
remove toxins and absorbed bacteria from
For the love of all animals FIGHT BILL S-203
Animal welfare organizations urge you to
be a voice for animals at risk.
On February 14, 2008 Conservative,
Liberal and Bloc members of the House
of Commons Committee on Justice and
Human Rights passed Bill S-203.
Bill S-203 is proposed legislation that
leaves animals virtually unprotected
from heinous acts of cruelty because
it maintains loopholes and outdated
language that makes federal animal cruelty
legislation ineffective and largely
For the Health of It
the blood. The spleen can also be
damaged if the twisting interrupts its blood
supply. If not quickly treated, bloat can lead
to blood poisoning, peritonitis and death
by toxic shock.
Several factors contribute to bloat,
including increased age, breeds with a
deep and narrow chest, stress, foods such
as kibble that expand in the stomach,
overfeeding, and other causes of
gastrointestinal disease and distress.
Symptoms are sometimes hard to
distinguish from other kinds of distress. A
dog may appear uncomfortable or in
extreme discomfort. Other symptoms
include firm distension of the abdomen,
weakness, depression, difficulty breathing,
hypersalivation, and retching without
vomiting. A high rate of dogs with bloat
have cardiac arrhythmias. Chronic bloat
may occur in dogs, symptoms of which
include loss of appetite, vomiting, and
weight loss.
This emergency medical condition can
become fatal within a matter of minutes.
Surgery is performed to place the stomach
into its correct position, attaching the stomach
wall to the body wall to prevent it from twisting
again. Recurrence of bloat is very high in
dogs treated without surgery.
With treatment, mortality rates in dogs
range from 10 to 60 percent. Surgery
further reduces the mortality rate to 15 to
33 percent.
Prevention measures include feeding
small meals throughout the day instead
of one big meal and not exercising
immediately before or after a meal.
unenforceable. In other words, offenders
merely get a slap on the wrist.
Opposing S-203 is an opportunity to change
these archaic laws. In April, all MPs can
represent their constituents and vote against
the bill.
What can you do? Please take a few
moments and write a letter to your MP.
Express your opposition to the bill’s
contents and give voice to the many
animals that need our support.
River Park Education
On behalf of Friends of
River Park Society, Linda S
and I met recently with Off-
leash Calgary Society
members to gain expertise
with respect to working with The City to
maintain off-leash access. We also did a
walk-through in River Park with an envi-
ronmental planner/wildlife biologist and a
geophysicist on March 23. It was a good
opportunity to ask questions.
Q. Is it prudent to pursue the possibility of
planting tougher grass in River Park?
A. It wouldn’t work because the three
grasses observed (Kentucky Bluegrass,
Smooth Brome and Crested Wheat
Grass) are not native and are far too
invasive with other grasses.
Q. Is it possible to detemine whether or
not dog feces is the leading cause of high
E coli content in the river?
A. Since the water outfall drains 900 acres
of land from the Altadore area and pours
untreated water into the river, it’s unlikely
that dog feces is the sole cause of E coli.
Beavers, ducks, geese and coyotes as well
as cattle farming upstream are contributing
factors. Water samples from future testing
can be sourced to determine the E coli
contributors, so dogs should not be blamed
as the main cause.
Q. Can we avoid further degradation to the
escarpment and river bank?
A. The fence along the east side of River
Park helps to keep people and dogs from
further eroding the escarpment, but natural
causes such as the steep grade and snow
or rain will continually cause erosion. Along
the escarpment and river, plants with deep
root systems such as willow, work well to
stabilize the land. Park managers would do
well to make some dedicated access routes
to the river to promote less wear and tear.
Q. Is the new French drain near the parking
lot working properly?
A. Although pooling of water from freezing
and thawing will occur, it should drain better
than it is.
Off-leash access is continually an easy
target by competing interest groups. As
always, FRPS leadership members hope
to educate fellow dog owners and have a
positive impact on all of the people who
use it.