Bearspaw is rural area in southern

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada within in

Rocky View County Rocky View County is a municipal district in southern Alberta, Canada that is named for its views of the nearby Rocky Mountains to the west. It surrounds most of Calgary, forming the city's northern boundary and most of the city's western and e ...

. It has a population of 5,567 (2018). The original inhabitants of the Bearspaw area were the Niitsitapi or Blackfoot nation. The Blackfoot nation consisted of four different tribes,

Siksika The Siksika Nation ( bla, Siksiká) is a First Nations in Canada, First Nation in southern Alberta, Canada. The name ''Siksiká'' comes from the Blackfoot language, Blackfoot words ''sik'' (black) and ''iká'' (foot), with a connector ''s'' bet ...

Piegan Blackfeet The Piegan (Blackfoot: ''Piikáni'') are an Algonquian-speaking people from the North American Great Plains. They were the largest of three Blackfoot-speaking groups that made up the Blackfoot Confederacy; the Siksika and Kainai were the oth ...

Piikani Nation The Piikani Nation (, formerly the Peigan Nation) ( bla, Piikáni) is a First Nation (or an Indian band as defined by the ''Indian Act''), representing the Indigenous people in Canada known as the Northern Piikani ( bla, script=Latn, Aapátohsipi ...

and Kaninai (Blood Indians). To the south-east of Bearspaw is the City of Calgary, and the Town of Cochrane is to its west, along Highway 1A. The area of Bearspaw is north of the

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

and directly east of Glendale Community within Rocky View County. Bearspaw-community center

The zone for Bearspaw schooling is under the Rocky View Schools which is made up of the Bearspaw School which admits students from kindergarten to year 8 and Cochrane High School for students years 9 to year 12. Bearspaw falls under the Cochrane Minor Hockey Association for their local hockey league.

History

The Canadian Pacific Railway Station was built in 1909, when the area was officially named Bearspaw. The origin of the name derives from the head of the Stoney Nations, Chief Masgwaahsid, also known as Bears Paw. Masgwaahsid is famous for his significance as a delegate along with other First Nations people for when they met with representatives of the Queen of Britain on the 22nd September 1877 to sign Treaty No.7. There was a total of five different First Nations tribes involved these were, Stoney-Nakoda, Piikani (Peigan), Kainnai (Blood), Tsuut'ina (Sarcee) and the Siksika (Blackfoot). The treaty included terms which agreed to portions of land given to the native people, varying on the size of each family, payments were also made to every individual, both immediately and annually. The government also provided tools and cattle to each family. Dairy farmers initially established the location of Bearspaw. It wasn't until 1920 when Bearspaw had its first schoolhouse constructed, containing a single classroom which was functional for forty-five years until being closed in 1965. Bearspaw gradually attracted an increasing amount of residents through the combination of ranches, farms, planned subdivisions and large private acreages.

Climate

Bearspaw has an annual average temperature of . On average the warmest month is July, when Bearspaw has an average of , and the coldest month on average is January, with an average temperature of . In Bearspaw, overall the average precipitation in a year is . The highest average amount of precipitation for one month occurs in June with and the lowest average amount of precipitation for one month occurs in January with . Bearspaw also has an average of 125cm of snow, with the most snowfall occurring in March with an average of .

Hydroelectric Facility

In 1954 Bearspaw has a hydroelectric power plant built, the main objective was to prevent the City of Calgary's Bow River from flooding during winter and ice packing. On average the plant produces around 70,000 megawatt hours per year. The hydroelectric facility was developed by TransAlta and was the final expansion downstream on the Bow River in Alberta. The Bow River has a total of four hydro plants run by TransAlta, making up the Bow Rivers Electric System. This provides steadiness of electricity at phases of the highest electrical requirements, decreasing effects of shortages.

Parks and Outdoor Recreation

The RGE RD 30 provides an entrance into the Bearspaw loop which is a natural civic reserve location which has a constructed pathway for walking, it follows along the natural habitats of the local area. Big Hill Springs Provincial Park is position in a northeast direction of Cochrane along Range Road 34A off Highway 567, it has natural areas of foothills, parklands and a large swing with a sequence of waterfalls. Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park is made up of over 1,300 hectares of foothills parkland, it is found between Calgary and Cochrane, along the North edge of the Bow River. Situated far to the northwest of Calgary at Tuscany is the twelve mile Coulee, it is a total of 190 hectares of natural park with several hiking tracks.

Flora

Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) is a shrub-like tree about 5-10m in height, but at times can reach up to 20m in height depending on surroundings. The bark of a Jack Pine is a reddish brown colour which separates into either furrows or irregular scaly ridges. The leaves are between 2-4cm long of a yellowish-green colour and of an atypical shape, generally curled. Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo) grows up to 12m tall, possess coarse grey bark and its trunk quickly separates into widely distributing branches. Its trigs are covered with fine soft hairs and of a light green colour. The Manitoba Maple has leaflets which are seen before the leaves from lateral buds. Laurel Leaf Willow (Salix pentandra) either seen as a small or medium sized tree that commonly appears shrub-like. It has bark of a greyish-brown colour with branches that are elastic, long and ascend upwards. Laurel Leaf Willow is known to leaf out in early Spring, typically it is one of the first trees to do so, and the last in Autumn to go through

abscission Abscission () is the shedding of various parts of an organism, such as a plant dropping a leaf, fruit, flower, or seed. In zoology, abscission is the intentional shedding of a body part, such as the shedding of a claw, husk, or the autotomy of a ...

. Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea) can reach up to 18m tall, its leaves are between 18-25mm long with the apex of the leaves being jagged or rounded. Baked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta) is a 1-3m shrub, its leaves are ovate-oblong to oblong-obovate, while being circular to relatively heart-shaped at the base. They are known to flower in early Spring. Tamarack (Larix laricina) generally grows to around 20m and considered to be of medium size. An adult Tamarack has scaly, reddish-brown bark, compared to a young Tamarack which has bark that is smooth and grey. Its leaves tend to reach between 10-25mm in length and are a pale green colour, except during fall when they become bright yellow. Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) is a tall tree, normally of between 20-30m but can exceed this height. Leaves tend to form thick groups when reaching the ends of the twigs and are normally less curled and longer than that of the Jack Pine. Pink False Dandelion (Agoseris lackschewitzii) is a pink colour both while in bud and when flowering, they can grow anywhere between 6-35cm tall and have hairs along their entire length. Long-Leaved Arnica (Arinca longifolia) is an orange or yellow, 8-11 petalled flower head with a diameter of 2cm, the Long-Leaved Arnica grows leaves in pairs that are on opposite sides to each other with the largest growing towards the middle of the stem. It can grow anywhere between 30-60cm when fully grown.

Fauna

Herbivores

Cervus canadensis (North American elk) 3 (8291421602)

White-tail deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

(''Odpcoileus virginianus'') have a defining characteristic of the underside of their tail having white fur, the rest of their coat is reddish brown during summer and a greyish brown in winter. The males also have antlers which grow between Summer and Autumn. The average weight of a White-Tail Deer is between 50-136kg.

Mule deer The mule deer (''Odocoileus hemionus'') is a deer indigenous to western North America; it is named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. Two subspecies of mule deer are grouped into the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related whi ...

(''Odocoileus hemionus'') is recognised by their black tipped tail and large ears. are medium sized, with their name originating from their "mule-like" ears. They are known to have prominent fur and the males, large antlers. The Mule Deer in Alberta on average weigh around 113-136kg.

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

(''Alces alces'') are easily distinguishable by their flat, wide sideways shooting antlers and huge front muzzle. It is black, has immense size and long legs which make it the largest member of the deer family. Male Moose weigh an average of 450kg whereas the females have an average weight of 350kg. Elk (''Cervus canadensis'') normally are located along the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, following the Moose, the Elk the second largest member of the deer family. Their colours can vary, they tend to have dark brown fur in Winter and reddish brown fur during Summer. The males have a lighter coat of fur on their rump compared to the darker colour on their head and neck. Male Elk also grown very large antlers. The average weight of Elk in Alberta is anywhere between 300-350kg.

North American beaver The North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') is one of two extant beaver species, along with the Eurasian beaver (''Castor fiber''). It is native to North America and introduced in South America ( Patagonia) and Europe (primarily Finland ...

(''Castor canadensis'') in North America are the largest rodent, since they can grow between 16-30kg and 80cm in length. Beavers have fur which is a greyish brown colour on the outer, with thick underfur to keep the water off their skin. They are common to areas with rivers, lakes, streams, marshes or ponds.

Carnivores

Coyotes (''Canis latrans'') are normally sized between that of wolves and foxes, the average weight of the males is between 9-23kg and for females is 7-18kg. They have long fur which generally resembles grey, yellowish brown or a russet colour. Coyotes also have large pointed ears, hairy tails, flat foreheads and a slim muzzle. Cougars (''Puma concolor'') can have differing colours of fur, from dark brown to orangish brown, but usually with white fur on their throat, chest and stomach. They are identified for their long tails which have a black tip and large front paws. The average weight for males is anywhere between 60-100kg and for females 35-60kg.

Canada lynx The Canada lynx (''Lynx canadensis''), or Canadian lynx, is a medium-sized North American lynx that ranges across Alaska, Canada, and northern areas of the contiguous United States. It is characterized by its long, dense fur, triangular ears ...

(''Lynx canadensis'') have thick silvery brown fur, they have small bodies, long legs and short tails which have a black tip. They can be distinguished with their triangular ears which have long tufts of hair on them. The approximate average weight for Lynx is between 8-14kg. Grizzly bears (''Ursus arctos horribilis'') were once common to many areas of Alberta but are now restricted to zones in forested areas and the Rocky Mountains. They are of a larger size than black bears, normally with a lighter brown colour. They have a big shoulder lump and curved claw. They can weigh amounts exceeding 315kg, males can reach 770kg and females can reach 360kg. American black bears (''Ursus americanus'') have a more extensive area in which they live compared to grizzly bears but are normally located in forested areas. They are of a smaller size than that of the Grizzly Bear, their fur is a dark colour and they have claws which are straight. The average weight for males is between 115-270kg and for females is 92-140kg.

Birds

Common redpoll The common redpoll or mealy redpoll (''Acanthis flammea'') is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. Taxonomy The common redpoll was listed in 1 ...

s (Carduelis flammea) can be easily spotted because of its bright red feathers on its forehead and black feathers on its chin. Males have a patch of pink on their chest with the rest of their feathers made up of streaks of brown compared to the females which lacks only the pink chest. Both of the sexes have an average weight of 11-20g and a length of 12-14cm

Snowy owl The snowy owl (''Bubo scandiacus''), also known as the polar owl, the white owl and the Arctic owl, is a large, white owl of the true owl family. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic regions of both North America and the Palearctic, breeding m ...

s (''Bubo scandiacus'') can be found within the Bearspaw area during the winter; they have circular heads with large bodies and are covered with thick feathering. They are primarily white but also have brown or black spots and the females tend to have more spots than the males which are normally paler. They can weigh up to an average of 1.6-2.9kg with a length of somewhere between 52-71cm. Bald eagles (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') have physical characteristics of sharp talons and a yellow, curved beak. The adults have white feathers covering their heads and tails with brown feathers covering their bodies. The males can grow to 76cm in height and normally weigh between 3-4kg. The females can reach 102cm in height and have a weight of up to 7kg.

Pine grosbeak The pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Pinicola''. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Can ...

s (''Pinicola enucleator'') have grey feathers covering their bodies, with the males also having the addition of red feathers covering them, in contrast to the females, who instead have the addition of yellow feathers. On average the pine grosbeak will grow to a length of 20-20.5cm and weigh between 52-78g.

Downy woodpecker The downy woodpecker (''Dryobates pubescens'') is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Length ranges from . Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deser ...

s (''Picoides pubescens'') have wings with black feathers and white spots; they have black and white lined feathers on their heads and a central white stripe down their chests. The males also have a red patch towards the back of their heads. Both of the sexes have an average weight of 21-28g and can grow to a length of anywhere between 14-17cm.