with Tako Koning and Steven Tannas
May 24, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.
Nose Hill Park
Difficulty – Easy

Join us to experience the unique geology, botany, history, and natural elements of Nose Hill Park.

The area is unique because it holds a large amount of native rough fescue grassland ecosystem, which is a rapidly vanishing ecosystem in the province. The planned ecology and vegetation topics of this hike will include a discussion of the fescue grassland ecosystem found on Nose Hill, its long-term ecological functions, key native species, along with threats to this unique ecosystem.

During the hike we will learn some of the defining geological features and history of the park, including glaciations, rock striations, the Nose Hill erratic, and various fossils that can be found. We will discuss how the hill came to exist on the landscape, and the historical uses of the region.

There is no doubt you will find fresh air, many spring flowers and other ecological surprises, and a sense of peace that the hills and time in nature can bring. Nose Hill is home to a wide range of species that we may encounter, such as white-tailed deer, coyotes, boreal chorus frogs, garter snakes, pollinators, and a diverse array of native bird species.

About the coordinators:

Tako Koning is an experienced geoscientist who holds a B.Sc. in Geology from the University of Alberta and a B.A in Economics from the University of Calgary. He has been working with the Adventures for Wilderness program since it began, and has an extensive knowledge of Alberta’s geology that he loves to share with others.

Steven Tannas is the owner of Tannas Conservation Services, Eastern Slopes Rangeland Seeds and GP Restoration Solutions. He has nineteen years of professional experience working in a wide range of technical areas with vegetation ecology as a central focus. He is a senior specialist in reclamation, environmental impact assessments, wetland science, regulatory approvals, research, rangeland management, bioengineering, and native plant propagation. Steven is regarded as a leading plant taxonomist and rare plant specialist who can spot ID over 1,000 species of plants and perform complex rare plant and vegetation inventories. His area of focus is western Canadian ecosystems (i.e., Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, N.W.T., Nunavut) but his work spans across Canada with clientele in the public, private, energy, agricultural, renewable, and environmental sectors. Steven has received recognition as an entrepreneur, for innovative reclamation protocols, research with native grasses, and using floating islands for bioremediation. Steven has sat on the Industry Advisory Committee with Olds College, the Registration Committee with the Alberta Institute of Agrologists, and has acted as a special faculty member for the University of Guelph and instructor at the University of Calgary.

Register below by donation