Tuesday 1 September 2020

EcoSask News, September 1, 2020

Tricolored Bumblebee on globe thistle

Upcoming Events
Lightspark, Sept. 2 (online)
Energy Management Task Force is hosting an online presentation on Lightspark, a digital platform measuring community carbon reduction from 7:30-9 am, Sept. 2.

Migrating Shorebirds, Sept. 3 (online)
Watch migrating semi-palmated sandpipers and other shorebirds as they congregate on the Bay of Fundy and hear the most up-to-date research on the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s webinar from 12-12:30 pm, Sept. 3 (SK time).

Climate Adaptation, Sept. 10 (online)
Partners FOR the Saskatchewan River Basin will be holding a series of monthly webinars in lieu of an annual conference. The first, from 12-1 pm, Sept. 10, is a report on the City of Saskatoon’s Climate Adaptation Strategy.

Sheep Grazing Demonstrations, Sept. 10-13 & 17-20 (Saskatoon)
View how a herd of sheep are managed as they practise targeted conservation grazing at Beaver Creek Conservation Area from Sept. 10-13 and 17-20.

Electric Vehicles & their Health Benefits, Sept. 11 (online) 
Climate Reality Canada is hosting a webinar on the health benefits of electric vehicles at 9:30 am, Sept. 11 (SK time).

Saskatoon Nature Society Field Trips
Saskatoon Young Naturalists
Nov. 14, 1-2:30 pm – Bird Feeder Workshop
Dec. 6, 1-3 pm – Paper Making Workshop
Space is limited; register early to avoid disappointment.

Golden Eagles
Sept. 3, 9 am – Gabriel Dumont Park
Sept. 10, 9 am – Cranberry Flats & Beaver Creek
Sept. 17, 9 am – South Saskatchewan Ferry
Retirees and partners who are interested in birds and the natural world are invited to participate.

Other Saskatoon Nature Society Field Trips
Sept. 12 – Fall Bird Count (volunteers needed)
Sept. 21, 6-8 pm – Sandhill Crane Viewing
Field trips are currently for members only, so sign up now. Full trip details are available on the Saskatoon Nature Society’s website.

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

Jackrabbit

Local News
Congratulations to the Saskatchewan Environmental Society on 50 years of standing up for the environment.

Saskatoon Nature Society is working with Nature Conservancy of Canada to develop/conserve a site near Asquith. The Society’s president says, “Portions of the land are perfect examples of prairie habitat and others seem promising for management to return it to its native roots.”

Birds in Real Danger, Saskatoon is looking for volunteers to check for birds and feathers in downtown Saskatoon indicating window strikes during fall migration. Window strikes can also be posted online.

Tourism Saskatoon invites you to take a tour of Saskatoon’s trees.

From Information to Action
“Wildfire is just a natural part of the dynamics . . . . I would love to see the day when we give these severely burned forests the protections that they deserve.”

TikTok has 800 million users, many of them conscious young eco-influencers campaigning on issues from climate change to biodiversity . . . . People are genuinely learning things they never learned in school or from their communities.”

“Any creature that appears indoors these days is greeted with fear, hysteria and calls for extermination. . . . ‘Gardens’ are now treated as outside rooms and sterilised in the same way as houses, with the result that tiles, decking, and artificial grass have all but wiped out urban wildlife.”

Earthworms are invading the Arctic.

Can we justify mothing? “They’re delicate creatures being drawn into unnatural conditions for what often is a significant percentage of their adult lives. All is not as harmless it seems at first glance.”

Treeline: The Secret Life of Trees, available on YouTube, follows a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists, and healers to the birch forests of Japan, the red cedars of British Columbia, and the bristlecones of Nevada.

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

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Check out EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces