Park-of-the-week-Pearce-Estate

Park of the week Pearce Estate Park

Calgary is filled with amazing parks. More than 8,000 hectares of parkland and natural areas are maintained by The City.

Things to keep in mind while enjoying the outdoors

  • Maintain physical distancing: minimum 2 metres​ or 6 feet  (the length of a bicycle) away from fellow explorers.
  • Take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints.
  • Only venture outside if you're feeling healthy and not exhibiting any symptoms

Pearce Estate Park is located in the South East of Calgary, and lies in a curve of the Bow River. This park contains a 15 hectare reconstructed wetland. You will find the Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery and the Bow Habitat Visitor Centre there.

Many of the trails at Edworthy Park are partially or fully snow-covered and are quite muddy. If you are planning to explore, please wear proper footwear. Choose shoes with a good grip that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Historic Value

The wetlands at Pearce Estate Park have gone through numerous transformations. They started as part of the riverine forest complex, then became a site for agriculture, then a recreational City park. They are now being re-naturalized to copy their original condition.

The park is named after William Pearce, who moved here in 1884, after accepting a position as Superintendent of Mines. He owned approximately 80 hectares of land in this bend of the Bow River. His house was built onsite in 1889 using sandstone (probably purchased from Thomas Edworthy, namesake of Edworthy Park), which was later torn down in 1957.

Pearce donated the land to the City of Calgary in 1929 and died a year later.

Be on the Lookout

Pearce Estate Park is home to very old Balsam Poplar trees. These trees have many cavities, making this park a great destination for the Northern Flicker. Northern Flicker are cavity nesting birds, meaning they build their nests in cavities in trees. They are a fairly large woodpecker (between the size of a Robin and a Crow) and can be identified by the red on the undersides of their wings, and black spots on their brown plumage.

No off-leash area

Remember to keep your dog on-leash at all times in Pearce Estate Park as there is no off-leash area. It is however, very close to the Albert Park Radisson Heights off-leash area.

Did you know?

The constructed wetland at Pearce Estate Park is home to many wetland plants. One of these plants is called the Cattail, named for how they resemble a cat’s tail. They are tall, reedy marsh plants that are often used by Red-winged Black Birds as perches. You will find many Cattails along the banks of the wetlands in Pearce Estate Park.

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