SEN Film Night, Dec. 10
The Saskatchewan Eco Network is hosting a monthly film night at The Root Down Cooperative Café. The first film, Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home, will be shown on December 10 at 7 pm. There is no charge. Check out the preview of this documentary about a family that saves every scrap of garbage for 3 months and then explores where it goes and what it does to the earth.
Life, Legumes & Nitrogen, Dec. 13
Saskatchewan is the world’s largest exporter of lentils, and commercial lentil varieties bred at the U of S account for a third of global production. Best of all, lentils and other legumes add nitrogen to the soil where it can be used by other plants. Bert Vandenberg, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Lentil Genetic Improvement, U of S, will talk about the importance of legumes in the wider ecosystem and the ecological virtues of pulse crops at the Saskatoon Nature Society's monthly meeting: 7:30 pm, December 13, Room 106, Biology Building, U of S.
Christmas Bird Counts
Christmas bird counts have been a holiday tradition for over 100 years. Set aside some time this holiday season to count our wintering birds. The Saskatoon Nature Society welcomes everyone to take part, especially beginners.
Saturday, December 15: Clark’s Crossing
Sunday, December 16: Qu’Appelle Valley Dam
Wednesday, December 26: Saskatoon
Saturday, January 5: Pike Lake
New for this year: no fees! Audubon and BSC will no longer be charging a $5 fee. Other regional counts are planned. For more information, check the SNS website.
We’re Wild About Saskatoon
We share our city streets with coyotes; birds nest in our gardens; and we harvest saskatoon berries along the riverbank. Join with other nature lovers to celebrate the nature that surrounds us. Wild About Saskatoon, a brand-new collective, will be hosting a festival to celebrate Nature in the City in May 2013. Why not plan an activity and join the celebration?
Heritage Rivers
Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin is overseeing the research required prior to the Saskatchewan sections of the South Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Rivers being designated as Heritage Rivers. The goal of the research is to identify the values to be conserved, protected and promoted, and how this might be accomplished through existing and future management plans. You can comment online.
Environmental Code Review
The public review of the draft Saskatchewan Environmental Code has concluded and a complete summary of all comments received, along with the ministry's responses, is now available on the Ministry of Environment's website.
Greener to the End
Saskatchewan is the first province in Canada to approve alkaline hydrolysis, a highly accelerated version of natural decomposition, for the disposal of human remains. It has a much smaller carbon footprint than cremation.
Green Roofs in Winter
Green roofs aren’t just for temperate climates. They’ve tested it in Ottawa and found that green roofs increase conservation of heat by reducing wind speeds and modifying the microclimate above the roof.
Winter at Old Man on His Back
There’s a familiar routine as The Nature Conservancy of Canada prepares for winter at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Conservation Area: calling the cows, rounding up the bison, and preparing the winter supply of water.
EcoSask News is a weekly round-up of local news and events. Email us if you have items you would like us to include. Additional upcoming events can be found on our Calendar.
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