r/RedDeer

Hey Red Deer,

I'm looking to hire an outgoing, friendly person for some casual, super flexible part-time gig work around town. It's mostly just connecting with people locally, so no crazy experience is needed—just a good personality. It’s perfect for a student because they can completely make their own hours around school.

Besides standard FB groups, where is the best place to post this locally to reach people? Or if anyone here is looking for some extra cash on the side, feel free to shoot me a message for the details. Thanks!

What are some amazing vendors, or conversely venders to avoid at the red deer market @ RDP on Saturdays?

Is there a reason why they cant run all day?

Please tell me about things to do and best parts of Cyprus hill interprovincial park. I want a little solo adventure while my wife has flown to BC for work.

I'm heading there rn now from Lacombe and I'll read and do whatever comments say when I get there. Thanks in advance !

I’m wondering if anyone has ever been ticketed in the Red Deer Superstore Parking lot. I’m planning to shop at Superstore and then walk to another business for a couple hours. Will I get ticketed for leaving my vehicle there? Anyone have experience with this?

Good day everyone, just a question about anyone who has had experience with any Tai Chi classes in Red Deer. I see online there is one at St. Lukes Church, beginner class starting in September, but no one is getting back to me and wanted to see if it still exists.

I see there is one north Red Deer as well...

Any info or experience anyone has to share would be amazing, thanks in advance!

In recent weeks, there have been news reports in Alberta about the explosion of the forest tent caterpillar population in some areas. The forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) is a pest of broadleaved trees and shrubs. When young, they’re black, hairy and about 3 mm long. When mature, they are about 50 mm long, with wide blue bands along the sides of the body, and a row of white keyhole shaped spots along the back. 

Forest tent caterpillars have currently been popping up mainly in forested areas, camping grounds, parks, and in backyards in Alberta. Though large, the numbers still pale in comparison to the massive population explosion that occurred in central Alberta in the late 80s. Any Albertan who lived in this region at the time remembers; in 1987 and 1988, the furry little creatures literally took over entire areas, engulfing trees and clustering in massive groups on buildings and the ground. 

“My friend’s house in Athabasca backed onto a forest and when the caterpillars came they were piled 4 feet high on the sides of the house and on the doors, and had to be shovelled daily to even open the door,” said LeeAnna Binder, of Sherwood Park, AB.  “The dead ones at the bottom of the pile smelled so bad. It was unbelievable.” 

Entire woodland areas back then would be decimated by the caterpillar’s voracious appetites, trees and shrubs would appear to be moving as thousands would overtake each plant, stripping the foliage. The roads and walks weren’t spared either, as hundreds of thousands of caterpillars met an untimely end, inadvertently at the bottom of vehicle tires and pedestrian shoes. 

Though essentially harmless to humans, forest tent caterpillars can cause some physical discomfort to people, as rashes on the skin can form caused by direct contact. Their bodies are covered in tiny, stiff hairs that can cause mechanical irritation or mild allergic reactions.

“I remember my buddy in school back then covering himself in caterpillars and getting a rash,” said former longtime Alberta resident Robert Gettman, currently living in Wollongong, Australia. “He ended up missing school.”

Questionable youth behaviour aside, a child having the ability to cover himself with large amounts of caterpillars exemplifies the population explosion central Albertans faced at the time, having only dealt with them occasionally to varying degrees since. 

 ”FTC (forest tent caterpillar) populations naturally exhibit cyclic dynamics, with outbreaks occurring every 10 years or so and lasting a few years,” said Dr. Leah Flaherty, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences at MacEwan University in Edmonton.

When asked about the outbreak in Alberta in the late 80s, Dr Flaherty replied “For the 1987 Edmonton outbreak, the most likely explanation is that several factors aligned just right to create conditions favourable for rapid population growth. FTC populations had likely been increasing for several years, weather conditions were probably favourable for survival and development, and Edmonton has an abundance of trembling aspen, the preferred host of FTC in western Canada.”

Adding, “At the same time, natural enemies had likely not yet increased sufficiently to suppress the growing population.”

As the river valley and park areas in Edmonton and surrounding communities currently get inundated by the caterpillars, it’s notable to point out that these population booms are temporary, usually lasting only a few years. Eventually, natural controls such as parasitic wasps, viral diseases, and starvation cause the caterpillar populations to crash, allowing the ecosystem to recover. 

“Populations increase when natural enemy pressure is low, but high densities are eventually followed by increased mortality from pathogens and parasitoids, whose populations lag behind those of FTC. This leads to the characteristic outbreak-and-collapse cycle,” Flaherty explained. 

As for the late 80s outbreak, Dr.  Flaherty not only knows why the caterpillars showed up in abundance, but also why they seemed to be more noticeable and prevalent in certain areas during that time. 

“The 1987 event likely represented the peak of a regional outbreak cycle affecting much of central Alberta, not just Edmonton,” Flaherty said 

“The city (of Edmonton) simply made the outbreak more visible because so many caterpillars were concentrated around people, homes, and streets.” 

 

  

Trent McMartin 

https://preview.redd.it/hgd4c7evhpah1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c425e9cc30f17a2d59a7c0f7f1b54b107fe738b2

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I'm wondering if anyone might know of something I can do.

So my son and my daughter both have birthdays super close to each other. A two day difference.

I unfortunately do not have the money right now to celebrate them. I'm in calgary and couldn't post on that subreddit. I've posted on the airdrie one and got a couple suggestions and one guy said he could help with 2 calaway park passes but we were hoping to find something this weekend to do because one kids birthday is today and the other is saturday.

They both really want to do calaway park but I told them after just having had to move and pay deposit on a new place and also with my mom passing away and having to help pay into her creamation I just can't do it right now. I can't get the admission and the gas to get there.

We've had things pretty rough for us the last little bit with a few things out of my control so im hoping maybe someone might have ideas for me and anything maybe I can do for my kids this weekend that doesn't cost anything?

We are in calgary not airdrie nor red deer i tried posting in that page but it wouldn't let me. But I'm hoping maybe someone knows some things about calgary?