Tuesday 30 June 2020

EcoSask News, June 30, 2020

gopher

Upcoming Events
Youth Activities, Fridays - July & August (Yorkton & area - online) 
The Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association’s summer student is posting activity sheets for ages 4-12 every Friday over the summer months on YFBTA’s Facebook page and blog.

Nature Exploration Activities, July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 (Yorkton & area - online) 
Talia from Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association will be sharing her favorite activities for ages 3-10 to get outside and explore nature every Friday in July. Sessions are pre-recorded and sent by email so you can participate at your leisure.

Household Hazardous Waste, July 5 (Saskatoon)
You can dispose of household hazardous waste at City of Saskatoon’s Civic Operations Centre from 9 am-3:30 pm, July 5.

Identifying the Big Weeds, July 7 (webinar)
Melanie Toppi will discuss some of the main species of weeds that can be found in Saskatchewan in a noon-hour webinar sponsored by PCAP-SK on July 7.

Pause with Nature, July 9 (online) 
Find out how you can reduce stress and increase well-being with a dose of nature in a Nature Conservancy of Canada webinar at 11:30 am (SK time), July 9.

Hidden Valley Picnic & Wildflowers, July 12 (Regina) 
Join Nature Regina for a picnic and wildflower field trip at Hidden Valley from 4-8 pm, July 12.

gopher

Looking Ahead
Nature Exploration Camp, Aug. 4-7 (Yorkton - online) 
Yorkton Family Resource Centre is hosting a virtual nature exploration camp for ages 3-12 at 3 pm, Aug. 4-7, with Talia from Yellowhead Flyway Birding Trail Association.

Generating Momentum, Aug. 6-7 (online) 
Registration is now open for Generating Momentum, an activist leadership training camp, to be held online on Aug. 6-7.

Bird Count, Sept. 12 (Saskatoon) 
The Saskatoon Nature Society is looking for volunteers to help with the Sept. 12 Fall Bird Count. If you would like to help, phone Stan Shadick at 306 652-5975 or email trips@saskatoonnature.org and provide your contact information and times that you are available to count birds.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News
A new technology being piloted in Saskatchewan aims to extract hydrogen from beneath the earth and has the potential to repurpose abandoned oil wells

Saskatchewan uranium mine tailings could become a source of rare earth minerals

Global warming, urban growth and spring run-off from farm fertilizers have increased pollution levels in southern Saskatchewan lakes, leading to a build-up of blue-green algae that produce a cancer-causing toxin

gophers (Richardsons ground squirrels)

From Information to Action
Tackling inequality could be a primary tactic for effectively fighting climate change

In 2015, Wales passed the Future Generations Act, making it the first country in the world to write responsibility for future generations into law [book review]

“Simply protecting more land will not necessarily preserve more biodiversity in the future—but protecting currently underrepresented types of land might”

Indigenous land guardian programs are an “expression of Indigenous governance over land

10 storage options for renewable energy

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Tuesday 23 June 2020

EcoSask News, June 23, 2020

moss & lichen

Upcoming Events
Climate Change & Prairie Water Resilience, June 23 (online) 
A panel from the University of Regina will discuss future needs and the opportunities for prairie water, climate, and environmental research from 1:30-3 pm, June 23.

Reclaiming our Relationship to Mother Earth, June 24 (online) 
Mother Earth Justice Advocates is hosting a webinar on building a new normal rooted in kinship relationships and our duty as stewards of Creation and visitors of Mother Earth at 3 pm, June 24.

Recovery & Resilience in the Grasslands, June 25 (online)
Learn how the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Calgary Zoo, and Alberta Environment and Parks are working together to save the greater sage-grouse at 11:30 am (SK time), June 25.

Sustainable Jobs, June 26 (online) 
Climate Reality Canada is hosting a webinar on a just transition and sustainable employment at 9:30 am (SK time), June 26.

EnviroCollective Summer Meeting, July 2 (online) 
EnviroCollective is meeting online from 7-9 pm, July 2.

Saskatoon Nature Society
The Saskatoon Nature Society has begun planning members-only field trips for this summer. Sign up now as a member if you're interested in wild orchids, warblers, and shorebirds. Additional trips are being planned for their members by the Golden Eagles

Looking Ahead
Nurturing Nature on Farms, July 10 (online) 
SaskOrganics is offering a webinar on fostering biodiversity on farms from 9:30-10:30 am, July 10.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News
“I want to help both myself as well as others retool or reshape our life on the planet so that we’re not putting as much in peril as we currently are,” says Jim Elliott, Regina

“It is absurd for Saskatchewan to prop up oil and gas through this health crisis when that same industry is hastening an even greater crisis in the long term”

5 equity-focused steps to prioritize in developing Regina’s renewable energy framework

The City of Regina is looking for greater public input and an expansion of their plan to transition to 100% renewable energy so that it includes everyone working and living inside the city rather than simply municipal operations

lichen

Greening Energy
What can Canada learn from Germany’s solar energy regulatory system?

Community ownership is delivering wind power to municipalities around the world

Construction is beginning on the world’s largest liquid air battery, which will store renewable electricity and reduce carbon emissions

The International Energy Agency says post-pandemic economic incentive packages should focus on reforms to energy production and consumption as well as green jobs

From Information to Action
“The key to resilience is thinking about how we thrive under uncertainty, surprise and change. . . . The transformative component wasn’t just in the typical focus on restoring mangroves to provide storm buffering, but in livelihoods – enabling women to transform their lives and create new, resilient opportunities in an uncertain future”

To actually save birds, the Migratory Bird Convention Act requires enforcement and habitat protection

Architects, builders, urban planners: “whatever situation you find yourselves in you need to look at the reduction of all new incoming resources and the reuse of existing ones

The Healthy Pregnancy Guide includes tips on avoiding plastics and toxic chemicals that affect the human body, and particularly developing babies

Find out how to be safe in bear country in a Fur-Bearers’ podcast

Wonders of Nature
Humans are not the only ones who have beliefs; animals do too

Hawk moths tend to move pollen farther than bees or birds, helping plant populations to remain viable in the face of habitat degradation

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Sunday 21 June 2020

What a Great Dad!

seahorse

These fathers are wild and wonderful!

Seahorse
It’s the male seahorse that gets pregnant and gives birth to baby seahorses. The males and females spend several days dancing around each other and fluttering their fins before they mate. Once they’re ready, the couples swim towards the surface of the water and the female places the bright orange eggs into the male seahorse’s pouch. The male then adds his sperm and seals up the opening to the pouch.

Over the next 20 days, the baby seahorses develop eyes, snouts, and tails. Once they’re fully grown, the male opens the hole in the pouch and gives a violent shake to squeeze all the babies out. After that, the babies are on their own and they may not want to hang around Dad as he may decide they’d make a tasty meal.

Spotted sandpiper

Spotted Sandpiper
Female Spotted Sandpipers mate with up to 4 males, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and feed the young.

Wood frog

Frog
Some male frogs take care of the eggs. They may transport the eggs to a safe, wet place by putting them on their back, in a pouch on their belly, or even in their mouth. Or they may wait until the eggs hatch into tadpoles before transporting them from a wet place on land to a body of water. Most often it’s the father who takes care of these tasks but, depending on the species, the mother or both parents may look after these responsibilities.

Tuesday 16 June 2020

EcoSask News, June 16, 2020

elk
 
Upcoming Events 
Ours to Save, Ours to Lose, June 18 (webinar) 
Join Dan Kraus, Nature Conservancy of Canada, as he discusses the plants and animals that are unique to Canada at 11:30 am (SK time), June 18. 

Summer Solstice, June 21 (Regina) 
You’re invited to gather on Wascana Hill to greet the sunrise and the beginning of summer at 4:45 am, June 21. 

Nature Sask AGM, June 22 (online) 
Nature Saskatchewan will be holding its annual general meeting online at 7 pm, June 22. 

Wildlife Research during a Global Quarantine, June 22 (webinar) 
Ryan Brook will discuss wildlife research during a global quarantine: tracking the rapid spread of invasive wild pigs during a noon-hour webinar on June 22. 

Group Excursion Leadership & Preparedness, June 23 (online) 
SaskOutdoors and Back40 Wilderness First Aid are hosting a webinar on group excursion leadership and preparedness from 7:30-8:30 pm, June 23. 

Women & the Energy Transition, June 23 (online) 
Pembina Institute is hosting a webinar panel discussion on the role of women in a changing energy economy from 11 am-12:15 pm (SK time), June 23. 

Sask River Basin AGM, June 24 (Saskatoon) 
The annual general meeting of Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin will be held at 10 am, June 24. 

Carrot River Valley Watershed AGM, June 26 (Melfort) 
The Carrot River Valley Watershed Association is holding its annual general meeting at 1 pm, June 26, in Melfort. Email crwatershed@gmail.com by June 23 to register. 

Supporting Wild Bee Diversity, June 26 (webinar) 
Join SaskOrganics for a live webinar on supporting wild bee diversity on farms from 9:30-10:30 am, June 26. 

Zoo Training, June 29 (Saskatoon) 
The Saskatoon Zoo Society is looking for volunteer interpreters to help with their Wild Weekends programming. Find out more at the volunteer training session from 6-8 pm, June 29. 

Creating an Ecological Society, June 29 (webinar) 
This 2 ½ hour UK-based webinar on creating an ecological society will explore the relationship between social and ecological problems on June 29, 8-10:30 am (SK time). 

A full list of upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 
Explore Regina's green spaces with self-directed guides from Nature Regina 

Nature Saskatchewan is asking residents to post sightings of burrowing owls 

Prince Albert’s plastic bag ban has been put on hold until the end of the current state of emergency 

Burrowing owl

From Information to Action
 
A Yukon First Nation plans to open a native plant nursery to support mine reclamation work 

Could cabbages, rapeseed, and sunflowers replace mining as a source of lithium, a key component of electronics and electric vehicles? 

Carbon-neutral coffee via wind power: “Sometimes long-distance transport is necessary for a balanced and sustainable supply chain, so sail cargoes have a role to play in that” 

We’re drowning in light: human beings, when faced with the availability of a cheaper and more efficient lighting technology, simply use more of it 

“Spending time with wild animals and plants, observing them, considering what they need to survive and thrive, exponentially expands our sense of family. . . . All of these plants and animals, these urban trees, sidewalk beetles, pearl-winged pigeons, are our neighbors” 


5 inventions illustrating the future of solar energy [10-minute video] 

Natural Wonders 

Parenting helps shape bigger brains – in jays, crows, and ravens 

The Big Bat Year – 29 countries, 396 species 

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Tuesday 9 June 2020

EcoSask News, June 9, 2020

Golden bean

Upcoming Events
Young Naturalists Bluebird Trail, June (Saskatoon) 
Sign up to participate in the Saskatoon Young Naturalists bluebird monitoring trail program on June 15, 17, 19, 22, 23, or 24. Register early as dates are filling up fast.

Plants of the Opimihaw Valley, June 11 (online) 
Find out about the plants of the Opimihaw Valley from 12-12:30 pm, June 11, as part of Wanuskewin’s Snax & Facts series.

Teacher/Outdoor Educator Forum, June 11/12 (online) 
SaskOutdoors is hosting a follow-up forum for teachers and outdoor educators on June 11 and 12 with various time slots for different age groups.

Wascana Marsh Tour, June 13 (Regina) 
Take a guided tour of Wascana Marsh at 11 am, June 13, by emailing friendsofwascanamarsh@gmail.com or download a self-guided tour pamphlet.

Native Prairie Appreciation Week, June 14-20 (online) 
Native Prairie Appreciation Week 2020 is online with a video, webinars (including one with Candace Savage), a plant Id presentation and quiz.

Woodland Caribou, June 16 (online) 
There will be a webinar on the efficacy of habitat restoration for woodland caribou at 2 pm, June 16. Email Caribou.Webinars@gmail.com to participate.

Navigating Risky Play, June 16 (online) 
SaskOutdoors is hosting a webinar on navigating risky outdoor play from 11 am-noon, June 16.

Overnight/Emergency Preparedness, June 17 (online) 
Join SaskOutdoors and Back40 Wilderness First Aid for a webinar about overnight/emergency preparedness from 7:30-8:30 pm, June 17.

Teacher/Outdoor Educator Discussion Panel, June 18 (online)
SaskOutdoors is hosting an online panel discussion with experienced environmental educators sharing their tips for taking learning outside from 11am-noon, June 18.

Wilderness First Aid, June 19-21 (Saskatoon) 
Back40 Wilderness First Aid Training is offering a 20-hour wilderness first aid training course in Saskatoon June 19-21.

three-flowered aven

Looking Ahead
Waste ReForum, July 14-16 (online) 
The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council has switched to an online format for this year's Waste ReForum from 10:30 am-3 pm, July 14-16.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News
Sign up for Nature Regina’s newsletter and receive information about self-directed family hikes, citizen science projects, and much more.

The University of Saskatchewan has been awarded a $2.5 million grant to increase climate change education, training and public awareness on a global scale.

University of Saskatchewan researchers have developed an app that shows the economic value of shelterbelts while helping landowners determine the best trees to grow.

Where you live in Saskatchewan has an impact on your attitudes towards power production sources.

Stories along the Qu’Appelle Valley offers land-based Indigenous wisdom from Treaty 4 territory, the land of the Saulteaux-Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, and Nakota peoples.

Jackrabbit at Innovation Place

From Information to Action
The incredibly biodiverse world of soil and how it connects to the ground above that we as humans inhabit

Back Market is an online retail platform for secondhand electronics. “They sell refurbished goods through a network of partners, with careful vetting to ensure quality. That allows them to offer a warranty and to provide customer service.”

Rattlesnake populations are declining, and that’s a problem because they’re “key players in grassland food chains, acting as mid-level predators that control rodent populations and serve as a food source for larger predators.”

Manitoba’s Boreal Wetlands Conservation Codes of Practice are designed to “provide guidance on how to avoid, minimize, and offset impacts to boreal wetlands that result from resource roads, access roads, and crossings.”

Austin, TX, is keeping racial equity front and centre in revising its community climate plan.

Conservation planning should ensure a network of protected areas that plants and animals can retreat to as their habitats are altered due to climate change.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).

Tuesday 2 June 2020

EcoSask News, June 2, 2020

Canada Geese goslings

Upcoming Events
Fridays for Future, June 5 (online) 
The Saskatoon Youth Climate Committee is hosting a digital climate strike from 12-1 pm on Fridays.

Just Recovery for Saskatchewan, June 4 (online) 
Find out how you can be part of the change for a Just Recovery at a 350.org teach-in event from 2-4 pm, June 4.

Virtual Trail Day, June 6 (online) 
Meewasin Valley Authority is hosting a virtual trail day on June 6 with activities to include a mindfulness nature walk and a photo challenge.

Permaculture Sask AGM, June 11 (online) 
Permaculture Saskatchewan will be holding an online annual general meeting at 5 pm, June 11.

Home Composting, June 13 (online) 
Regina Public Interest Research Group’s Green Patch is hosting an online home composting workshop from 3-5 pm, June 13.

Looking Ahead
Field Leader (Hiking) Course, July 9-10 (Saskatoon) 
The Outdoor Council of Canada is offering an outdoor hiking course in Saskatoon on July 9-10.

A full list of upcoming events (online and in person) can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News
The Saskatoon Youth Climate Committee provides Saskatoon’s youth with a platform to make a difference and take action on the climate crisis.

A ban on plastic bags received unanimous approval by Regina City Council and will come into effect in July 2021.

Does Saskatoon City Council want to protect wildlife and the Northeast Swale? It doesn’t look like it.

Starting in 2021, small teams of high school students from Saskatchewan and Manitoba will measure permafrost and track caribou around Churchill, MB, as part of a USask research project led by Ryan Brook.

Canvasback Duck pair

From Information to Action
Fertilizer and farmland drainage are damaging coastal ecosystems on a world-wide scale.

6 easy ways to stop light pollution from harming wildlife.

The world’s forests are getting younger and shorter leading to decreased biodiversity and less carbon storage.

Beavers keep things green: preventing beaver/human conflicts through proactive, non-lethal measures.

There’s room for conservation on every farm and ranch in the country – working with landowners to rebuild insect populations.

Heat pumps can play an important role in driving down carbon pollution and energy consumption in our homes and buildings.

Cities around the world are increasing pedestrian/cyclist opportunities. Will this post-pandemic trend affect Saskatchewan?

Good News & Natural Wonders
The Willowherb Review is a digital platform for nature writing by emerging and established writers of colour.

Sweden's first fleet of electric trucks will roll out in October.

Urban weeds transformed in black and white photographs.

EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. 

You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or by email (top right corner).