Tuesday 25 August 2015

EcoSask News, August 25, 2015

Franklin's Gull

Upcoming Events
Cycle4Recycle, Aug. 26
Yana & Slav are cycling from Alaska to Argentina. Join them during their stop in Saskatoon to hear tales from their journey exploring how people view the culture of consumerism in the Americas. Cycle4Recycle will start at 6 pm, Aug. 26, at Le Relais.

Tree ID Workshop, Aug. 27
Polish your tree identification skills with a one-hour tour of the trees in Nutana organized by SOS Elms Coalition. Meet at D’Lish by Trish at 7 pm, Aug. 27.

Line in the Sand, Sept. 10
Line in the Sand, a full-length documentary about the opposition to the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline, will be showing at 7 pm, Sept. 10, at Broadway Theatre.

Camera Club Field Trip, Sept. 25-27
The Saskatoon Camera Club is holding their fall field trip in Waskesiu from Sept. 25-27.

Community-Based Social Marketing, Oct. 29
The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council is offering a full-day workshop on Designing and Implementing Community-Based Social Marketing Campaigns. The interactive seminar will focus on practical design and implementation practices in order to develop campaigns that work.

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


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News
A new permaculture group has been established in the Parkland/Prince Albert area. You can follow Parkland Permaculture Guild on Facebook.

The City of Saskatoon has decided not to adopt energy efficiency standards that might clash with future provincial building rules. “Peter Prebble, the director of environmental policy for the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, said he would like to see Saskatoon have its own regulations, and make them stronger than what the province brings in. I would prefer to see a position where we took the lead," Prebble said.”

Oil development is having a negative impact on Saskatchewan’s songbird populations.

The Nature Conservancy of Canada is building an interpretive trail on its Fairy Hill property in the Qu’Appelle Valley. The 6.5 km trail will wind through the hillsides like a wide deer path.

14 reasons why cargo bikes are better than delivery trucks.

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 18 August 2015

EcoSask News, August 18, 2015

chipmunk

Upcoming Events
Volunteer Ferret Monitors, Aug. 18-30 
Grasslands National Park is recruiting volunteers for their annual Black-footed Ferret Monitoring Volunteer Program, August 18-30.

Crooked Lake Fen, Aug. 22 
Join Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan at Crooked Lake Fen, a unique habitat with birds, unusual native plants, and sweeping views of the Qu’Appelle Valley, on Aug. 22.

Aloha Fest, Aug. 28-30 (Regina) 
Saskatchewan Eco Network and Eat Healthy Foods Regina are hosting Aloha Fest – the Antidote to Overshoot from Aug. 28-30 just outside of Regina. There will be skills workshops, a community harvest, nature walks, music, and more.

Environmental Engineering for Kids, Sept. 8 – Oct. 6
A six-week Environmental Engineering for Kids course will be held at the Crossmount Arts Barn from Sept. 8 to Oct. 6 for 7 to 11 year olds. The hands-on classes will introduce students to green engineering, covering topics such as sustainability, durability, and environmental permanence.

Nature Saskatchewan Fall Meet, Sept. 25
Nature Saskatchewan’s Fall Meet will be held Sept. 25 & 26 in North Battleford and will include a visit to Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve.

World Rivers Day at Nuit Blanche, Sept. 26
Saskatchewan Eco Network is presenting World Rivers Day at Nuit Blanche Saskatoon. Contact SEN if you’re interested in participating.

Field Trips
Young Naturalists
Sept. 26, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm – Sandhill Crane Field Trip
Space is limited; register early to avoid disappointment.

Golden Eagles
Aug. 27, 8 am – Birding and exploring a new trail at Redberry Lake

Other Nature Society Field Trips 
Aug. 30, 8 – 11:30 am – Warbler Walk at the Forestry Farm
Sept. 7, 7:30 am – 10 pm – Last Mountain Lake Sanctuary Visit
Check the Saskatoon Nature Society’s website for full details (e.g. some trips require rubber boots, others will be cancelled if the weather is bad).

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

News 
The price of wind energy in the US has hit an all-time low thanks to technological advancements and now compares favourably with gas-fired generation.

Unbridled development comes at a price. Cuthand says the oilsands are the elephant in the bedroom.

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 11 August 2015

EcoSask News, August 11, 2015

water lily

Events
Old Man on His Back, Aug. 13 (Val Marie)
Natalie Nikiforuk will speak on conservation and management at Old Man on His Back at 7:30 pm, Aug. 13, in Val Marie.

Wildlife Rehab Volunteer Orientation, Aug. 16 
The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan is holding a volunteer orientation session from 1-3 pm, Aug. 16, at Cabela’s in Saskatoon.

Wascana Purple Loosestrife Pull, Aug. 19
Help protect Wascana Marsh by participating in their annual Purple Loosestrife Pull from 6-9 pm, Aug. 19. RSVP if you plan to attend.

Passive House Training Opportunities
The Canadian Passive House Institute West is offering three Passive House training opportunities in Saskatchewan this fall. The courses will be conducted by Michael Nemeth, a mechanical engineer and Passive House designer.
Sept. 11, Saskatoon1 Day Introduction to Passive House Design and Construction
Sept. 18, Regina1 Day Introduction to Passive House Design and Construction
Oct. 19 – Dec. 1, SaskatoonPassive House Night Class at Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Waste Reduction Council Regional Workshops
The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council will be hosting regional workshops in September. Topics will include landfill bans, littering and illegal dumping, options for dealing with wood waste, a review of the Dishing the Dirt program, and solid waste strategies.
Sept. 15Melfort
Sept. 21North Battleford
Sept. 22Moose Jaw
Sept. 24Yorkton

dragonfly

Sustainable Gourmet Dinner, Sept. 19 (Saskatoon)
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is hosting their 10th Annual Sustainable Gourmet fundraising dinner on Sept. 19 at Marquis Hall, University of Saskatchewan.

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

News
The City is building roads through the North East Swale. Is there adequate protection for wildlife? Here are two points of view:
Ask your City Councillor for wildlife corridors
Wildlife corridors aren’t necessary; wildlife-friendly cross sections are sufficient

Redberry Lake Biosphere Reserve is working with local municipalities and First Nations reserves to establish a regional waste management facility

University of Saskatchewan scientists are flying kites on Athabasca Glacier for water resource and climate change research

"If Canada wants to get serious about energy conservation, all new homes should be built to Passive House standards"

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).

Thursday 6 August 2015

St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Eparchial Camp: Experiencing and Exploring Nature


St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Eparchial Camp received a $500 EcoFriendly Action Grant to support nature activities at their Summer 2015 camp. They sent us the following report on their activities. 

Thank you so much Eco Friendly Sask for supporting St. Volodymyr Ukrainian Catholic Eparchial Camp! Our purpose is to offer children an opportunity to experience God through nature and the companionship of others. We were able to bring in some great guest presenters on topics about the environment and go on an excursion to Pike Lake Provincial Park because of your support.

We had a great experience with Father Ivan Nahachewsky who came out to talk about how to experience God through nature. We explored the entire park and took the time to see, smell, hear, touch, and even taste the wonders of nature.

One of our most popular activities at camp is learning about horses. We hope that through learning about respecting all living things we can build an appreciation for nature in our youth so they create a passion for preserving it.


Speaking of respecting all living things, we brought in a bat specialist from the U of S Ecology Camp to teach us all about BATS. Sometimes bats get a bad reputation but we learned why bats are so awesome! We also built some bat boxes in hopes to attract more bats to the park.

We had a presentation from Star Man Ron Waldron about astronomy and the effects of light pollution and how we can prevent it. The sky was cloudy so we didn’t get to do any star gazing but the presentation was very interesting.


Thanks to our amazing nature trail guides, we got to learn a ton about the ecosystems in the Pike Lake area. It was so fun to adventure around the park and learn about the different plants and animals that live there.

Thanks to the Little Green Thumbs program we were able to offer a hands-on workshop all about composting!!


Spending 10 days in the beautiful camp site at Ukrainian Park makes it easy for us to want to help preserve nature and be environmentally friendly! Our swimming pool is fed by a natural spring which attracts a lot of frogs and makes all of us appreciate all nature has to offer us.


Thanks again for your generosity.
St. Volodymyr Camp

Tuesday 4 August 2015

EcoSask News, August 4, 2015

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Events
Southwest Soiree & Stargazing, Aug. 15-16 
Join Nature Conservancy of Canada at Old Man on His Back, Aug. 15-16. You'll help staff count bison calves, check hawk nests, place caps on fence posts, and star gaze. RSVP by August 5.

Edenwold Fence Pull, Aug. 22
Join Nature Conservancy of Canada at its Edenwold property on August 22 and help remove obstacles dangerous to wildlife. Sign up if you’d like to carpool to the event.

Saskatoon Curbside Swap, Sept. 12
The City of Saskatoon is sponsoring a city-wide curbside swap on September 12. This is an opportunity to give unwanted but still usable items a second life instead of sending them to the landfill. Put unwanted items out on the curb, mark them free, and give them away. Unclaimed items should be returned to your home at 6 pm.

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

News 
The federal government is transferring control and administration of the Govenlock Community Pasture to Environment Canada. They intend to build long-term partnerships with community groups and ranchers. Govenlock Pasture provides suitable habitat for quite a few species at risk.

Regina released strained sewage into Wascana Creek in an effort to avoid a backup of the city's sewer system following a heavy rain. Green roofs and other green stormwater management techniques help cities avoid this sort of situation.

Will bladeless turbines save wind power? “opposition to wind projects is grounded in complex emotional and societal considerations that have very little obvious direct connection to the physical structure of the turbine.”

“How can we be healthier, saner, better human beings through connections with water, and how can we be better stewards of our ocean and water environments?”

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).