Editing Edmonton (section)

=== Parkland and environment ===
{{See also|North Saskatchewan River valley parks system}}
[[File:Edmonton River Valley and Dawson Bridge.jpg|thumb|Edmonton River Valley and Dawson Bridge]]

Edmonton's river valley constitutes the longest stretch of connected urban parkland in North America, and Edmonton has the highest amount of parkland per capita of any Canadian city; the river valley is 22 times larger than New York City's [[Central Park]].<ref name="River Valley">{{cite web |url=http://www.edmonton.com/for-visitors/scenic-settings.aspx |author=Edmonton's Official Tourism Website |title=Scenic Settings |publisher=Edmonton Economic Development Corporation |access-date=May 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131025214420/http://edmonton.com/for-visitors/scenic-settings.aspx |archive-date=October 25, 2013}}</ref> The river valley is home to various parks ranging from fully serviced urban parks to campsite-like facilities with few amenities. This main "Ribbon of Green" is supplemented by tributary creeks and ravines, particularly the Whitemud Creek, Blackmud Creek, and Mill Creek Ravine. There are also numerous neighbourhood parks located throughout the city, to give a total of {{convert|111|km2|acre|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} of parkland.<ref name="River Valley"/> Within the {{convert|7400|ha|abbr=on}}, {{convert|25|km|abbr=on}}-long river valley park system, there are 11 lakes, 14 ravines, and 22 major parks, and most of the city has accessible bike and walking trail connections.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/RoadsTraffic/CycleEdmontonMap_13092013.pdf |title=Edmonton Bicycle Map |author=City of Edmonton Transportation |date=September 13, 2013 |publisher=City of Edmonton |access-date=July 19, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064806/http://www.edmonton.ca/transportation/RoadsTraffic/CycleEdmontonMap_13092013.pdf |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> These trails are also part of the {{convert|235|km|abbr=on}} [[Waskahegan Trail|Waskahegan walking trail]]. The City of Edmonton has named five parks in its River Valley Parks System in honour of each of "[[The Famous Five (Canada)|The Famous Five]]".<ref name="The Famous Five">{{cite web |url=http://www.abheritage.ca/famous5/leadership/individually.html |author=Heritage Community Foundation |title=Parkland and environment |publisher=Alberta Online Encyclopedia |access-date=February 27, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023025153/http://www.abheritage.ca/famous5/leadership/individually.html |archive-date=October 23, 2007 }}</ref>

[[File:North Saskatchewan River Valley Edmonton Alberta Canada 04 A.jpg|thumb|left|A trail in the [[North Saskatchewan River valley parks system]] ]]

Edmonton's streets and parklands also contain one of the largest remaining concentrations of healthy [[Ulmus americana|American elm]] trees in the world, unaffected by [[Dutch elm disease]], which has wiped out vast numbers of such trees in eastern North America. [[Jack pine]], [[lodgepole pine]], [[Picea glauca|white spruce]], [[Betula pubescens|white birch]], [[aspen]], [[Sorbus|mountain ash]], [[Acer ginnala|Amur maple]], [[Eleagnus|Russian olive]], [[Fraxinus pennsylvanica|green ash]], [[Tilia|basswood]], various [[Populus|poplars]] and [[willow]]s, [[Malus|flowering crabapple]], [[Prunus padus|Mayday tree]] and [[Acer negundo|Manitoba maple]] are also abundant; [[bur oak]], [[Acer saccharinum|silver maple]], [[Crataegus|hawthorn]] and [[Aesculus glabra|Ohio buckeye]] are increasingly popular. Other introduced tree species include [[Fraxinus americana|white ash]], [[Picea pungens|blue spruce]], [[Acer platanoides|Norway maple]], [[Erythrobalanus|red oak]], [[Acer saccharum|sugar maple]], [[Aesculus hippocastanum|common horse-chestnut]], [[McIntosh (apple)|McIntosh apple]], and [[Evans cherry]].<ref name="Selection List of Common Tree Species">{{cite web |url=https://data.edmonton.ca/Environmental-Services/Trees-Species-Map-View-/cggb-hzzm |author=The City of Edmonton |title=Selection List of Common Tree Species |access-date=February 27, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331043913/https://data.edmonton.ca/Environmental-Services/Trees-Species-Map-View-/cggb-hzzm |archive-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref> Three walnut species—[[Juglans cinerea|butternut]], [[Juglans mandshurica|Manchurian walnut]], and [[Juglans nigra|black walnut]]—have survived in Edmonton.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barkley |first=Shelley |title=Juglans sp. (Butternut/Walnut) |publisher=Government of Alberta |date=May 22, 2007 |url=http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp4044?opendocument |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100506014916/http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/%24department/deptdocs.nsf/all/opp4044?opendocument |archive-date=May 6, 2010 |access-date=October 27, 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Several [[golf course]]s, both public and private, are also located in the river valley; the long summer daylight hours of this northern city provide for extended play from early morning well into the evening.<ref name="Golf Courses">{{cite web|url=http://www.edmontongolf.com/ |author=Edmonton Golf |title=Parkland and environment |access-date=February 27, 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301040419/http://edmontongolf.com/ |archive-date=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> Golf courses and the park system become a winter recreation area during this season, and cross-country skiing and skating are popular during the long winter. Four [[Downhill (ski competition)|downhill]] ski slopes are located in the river valley as well, two within the city and two immediately outside.<ref name="Edmonton Winter">{{cite web |url=http://www.edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/crosscountry-skiing.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100921151853/http://edmonton.ca/attractions_recreation/sport_recreation/crosscountry-skiing.aspx |archive-date=September 21, 2010 |title=Edmonton – Ice and Snow |publisher=City of Edmonton |access-date=November 21, 2009}}</ref>

[[File:Larch Sanctuary bridge.jpg|thumb|Entry to Larch Sanctuary]]

The [[Edmonton & Area Land Trust]] (EALT) is a charity focused on conserving natural areas in Edmonton and surrounding municipalities. Its first project in Edmonton was conserving Larch Sanctuary,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ealt.ca/larch-sanctuary/ |title=Larch Sanctuary|website=Edmonton & Area Land Trust|language=en-US|access-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190115122155/https://www.ealt.ca/larch-sanctuary|archive-date=January 15, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> via a {{convert|59|acre|km2|order=flip|abbr=on}} [[conservation easement]] with the city, straddling Whitemud Creek south of 23rd Avenue, and containing the only [[oxbow lake]] in the city. EALT works with many organizations in Edmonton, and is working to conserve the {{convert|233|acre|km2|order=flip|abbr=on}} of forest and farmland<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ealt.ca/potential-forest-and-farmland/|title=Potential Forest and Farmland|website=Edmonton & Area Land Trust|language=en-US|access-date=January 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105042904/https://www.ealt.ca/potential-forest-and-farmland/|archive-date=January 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> in a loop of the river in northeast Edmonton.

A variety of volunteer opportunities exist for citizens to participate in the stewardship of Edmonton's parkland and river valley. Volunteer programs include River Valley Clean-up, Root for Trees, and Partner in Parks.<ref name="volunteer opportunities">{{cite web|url=http://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/volunteer-opportunities.aspx |author=City of Edmonton |title=volunteer opportunities |access-date=March 4, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128152319/http://www.edmonton.ca/programs_services/volunteer-opportunities.aspx |archive-date=January 28, 2015 }}</ref> River Valley Clean-up engages volunteers to pick up hundreds of bags of litter each year.