Submitted by Brenda Willman
Goats are not the first domesticated livestock to visit our bluff.
Once upon a time (very early 1990s) a small herd of llamas appeared next to our garage on Saturday morning, with side packs loaded with small evergreen trees.
These trees were planted beside the path and scattered along the bluff more or less between 5A Street and Centre Street. Some of them did not make it, but many of them are now stately evergreens, providing shelter from wind and snow and rain to animals and people alike.
I recently bumped into an old friend whose parents were highly involved in the preservation of the bluff during the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, my friend sent me a photo of “llama day” featuring his mom and dad, and a fellow from Alberta Forest Service who supervised the planting – along with 3 llamas wearing red packs – so I know this actually happened and wasn’t a dream. I haven’t got their permission to show their faces, so I’ve crossed out their eyes, but I do have permission to submit a brief announcement in the Sunnyhill Coop Newsletter, and so I am.
He also told me that a memorial bench, honouring his mom and dad (the Paulings), has been installed on the lower path near 5th Street. If you come across that bench be sure to give a silent thanks to those who came before us to save the bluff and all of its natural beauty.
Since then many more asphalt paths have been installed, a house has been demolished (and there is absolutely no trace of its having stood except for a rogue lilac bush growing just to the east of the path near our dumpster) and some paths have been widened or re-paved, but the area largely remains a natural space. We should do all we can to keep it that way. Momma and baby deer certainly appreciated (and might still) the venue this summer.
