Willow Park Natural Area - Interpretive Signage

W I L L O W P A R K N A T U R A L A R E A

The Willow Park Natural Area is home to a variety of birds, nesting waterfowl, small wildlife and native plants, shrubs and trees. In 2009, the Town of Stony Plain designated the area as an urban natural reserve.

The Town also uses this area as a naturalized method of improving and enhancing storm water run-off water quality. Regular maintenance involves inspections of the pond and upkeep of the area, including removal of trash and debris, weed management and ensuring the integrity of the pond structure.

Please help protect the biodiversity of this delicate and important ecosystem, which provides significant benefits to our community.

Please treat the Natural Area with respect. • Please stay on designated trails.

• No unauthorized vehicles, open fires or overnight camping.

• Do not litter. Please use garbage receptacles.

• Injuring, removing or damaging any plants, birds, nesting waterfowl or wildlife is prohibited.

Welcome!

Willow Park Natural Area Boundary

Trail

Stream Course #2

Drainage Ditch

Existing Treed Area

Storm Pond Low Water Level

Storm Pond High Water Level

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Trees and brush in the Willow Park Natural Area range from young seedlings to those that have taken decades to grow. The greater the variety of species, the more stable and healthy the ecosystem is and the better it is able to support life. Trees and brush provide water retention, shade, shelter and protection for a diversity of birds, small wildlife, flowers and other plants - including the Alberta Wild Rose, wild raspberries and fireweed.

Dead trees provide nourishment, shelter and homes for various species. As insects feed on deadfall, they decompose the trees’ tissue into rich soil and nutrients for the next generation of trees and plants. We can help protect this ecosystem by being careful where we walk and leaving plants and flowers for others to enjoy.

Woodlot



Native grasses provide food and shelter for a wide variety of birds, animals and insects. Birds use grasses for their nests and to camouflage nesting parents and their young. As the grasses mature, the seeds provide food for hatchlings and for birds that spend winter here. These grasses also provide shelter and food for small rodents, who, in turn, become food for birds of prey or wildlife.

The boundary between the water and the grasses is especially sensitive. Species moving between these regions use both areas for shelter and food. Please help protect this fragile ecosystem by staying on designated paths.

Grassland



Abundant, clean water is essential for all life. Although many organisms within this storm water pond are not visible to the human eye, they provide essential food and oxygen for a very complex ecosystem.

Garbage, fertilizers and pesticides contaminate organisms at the base of the food chain, affecting the ability of other organisms and nesting waterfowl to survive. Help protect this pond by cleaning up garbage in the area and watching birds, waterfowl and animals from a distance. Use binoculars – you’re sure to see some action!

Aquatic



Unauthorized vehicles in the Willow Park Natural Area can harass nesting waterfowl and wildlife and can cause vegetation damage and destroy native habitat and biodiversity.

Thank you for your cooperation.

For more information, please contact the Town of Stony Plain.

No Unauthorized Motor Vehicles



Many beautiful native plant species, unique to the climate and soil conditions of the region, grow in the Willow Park Natural Area, but these ecosystems are threatened. Often mistaken for wildflowers, alien plant species are spreading through the ecosystem. Free from their natural ‘enemies,’ non-native plants can out-compete native plants for space, moisture and nutrients.

When invasive plants enter an ecosystem, they can disrupt natural balance, reduce biodiversity, degrade habitats, alter native genetic diversity, transmit diseases to native species and jeopardize plants, birds and wildlife. The Town works hard to keep invasive plants under control, so they do not take over and dominate the landscape.

The Town monitors and controls weeds and invasive species using mechanical, biological or herbicidal controls. Mechanical weed control involves pulling or cutting weeds with special equipment.

Photo: Common Tansy (invasive plant)

Invasive Plants



Storm water ponds help safeguard water quality by collecting and treating storm water run-off and protect against flooding. Run-off is conveyed to storm water ponds by a combination of overland flow, ditches, swales and underground pipes. Once run-off reaches the pond, the sediment settles to the bottom. The water that enters as polluted run-off leaves the pond gradually through an outfall structure, resulting in cleaner water entering the receiving creeks, rivers or other water systems.

Well-designed and maintained storm water ponds help reduce the amount of non-point source pollutants that reach our waterways. Well-managed, these ponds serve as a community amenity and provide habitat for a variety of birds, vegetation and small wildlife. A vegetated buffer of native plants along the fringe of the pond attracts wading birds, nesting waterfowl, turtles and small wildlife. Vegetation along the banks also makes the area more attractive.

Aquatic plants are essential to the balance in the storm water pond ecosystem; however, without proper management, these plants become unsightly and degrade the overall quality of the pond. If not adequately maintained, storm water ponds can become an eyesore, breed mosquitoes and create odours.

The Town of Stony Plain conducts regular maintenance of this pond and its immediate surroundings, including removal of trash and debris, monitoring aquatic plant growth, assessment and control of weeds and invasive plants and ensuring the integrity of the pond’s structure. Regular maintenance, annual inspections and periodic dredging are necessary for proper pond management and to ensure an attractive environment for the community and a long storm water pond life.

Storm Water Ponds


Willow Park Natural Area - Interpretive Signage

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