Scene 7: Gas City Campground

From this excellent family campground you can view northwards across the river and see the Redcliff hills. Underground mines in these clay deposits provided raw material for the first pressed brick factories in Redcliff.

The Medicine Hat Heritage Trail Network is adjacent to this campground and extends west to Echo Dale Regional Park that has both swimming and boating lakes. The Trail Network also extends northeast to the river and connects with the Harlow Berm trails.

In the winter, hundreds of overwintering waterfowl including Canada Geese and Mallard Ducks frequent the open water on the river below the city water treatment plant and electric generating facility.

South Saskatchewan River

Gas City Campground

Enjoying Birding

A. Flying High

In the spring, a treat to discover migratory swans and during the summer Turkey Vultures circling skyward on rising columns of warm air “high in the thermals”.

Tundra Swans – Photo by Dan Schiebelbein

Turkey Vulture

B. Poor Choice for Parking

This rusty, red truck has been parked here a long, long time.

End of the Road

C. Shaggy “Rooms”

A Shaggy Mane mushroom pokes its head up through the ground. If you know your mushrooms (others can be poisonous), a most enjoyable eat.

Shaggy Mane Mushroom

D. Nature’s Wood

Dead and decaying trees continue to provide values such as homes for wildlife and enjoyment to the observer.

Nature’s Values Continue

E. Invasive Species

Russian Olive (RO) is a tall, silvery-leaved invasive species. This non-native tree is deceiving as it is attractive, but it chokes out native plants. It spreads quickly, and reduces nature’s biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Its leaves contribute to water pollution. Even Beaver prefer to not utilize this invasive as a food source nor dam material. We can help control the spread of this plant in our city’s green spaces by choosing to not plant Russian Olive (RO) in our home properties. Local nurseries and garden stores have many other non-invasive horticulture and native trees to “Grow-Me-Instead”.