EcoSask News, January 25, 2022

Upcoming Events 

PCAP-SK is hosting a webinar on habitat occupancy by breeding Pied-billed and Horned Grebes in Prairie Canada: correlates of pond use and breeding success at noon, Jan. 27. 

Nature Regina is hosting a winter bio-blitz at various times on Jan. 29. Register on their website. 

EMTF-SK will host an online breakfast presentation on Saskatchewan's Energy Storage Advantage: Compressed Air Energy Storage in Salt Caverns on Feb. 2. 

PCAP-SK is hosting a webinar on a watershed stewardship approach to invasive species education and management at noon, Feb. 2. 

The Institute for Environmental Sustainability is hosting a webinar on the importance of peatlands for nature and people on Feb. 2. 

Full details of all upcoming events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Low Tech 

A low-tech solution – hot water bottles. [Low-Tech Magazine] 

Zero Waste 

British Columbia leads the way on recycling and composting programs, but more is still needed. A plan to get BC to zero waste by 2040 emphasizes reducing waste production, repair & maintenance, extended producer responsibility, and closing disposal loopholes. [The Tyee] 

A frying pan made from recycled aluminum cans, bicycle parts, and other recycled metal can be manufactured using 95% less energy than a conventional aluminum frying pan. [Kuhn Rikon] 

Energy 

Carbon capture at Shell’s blue hydrogen facility near Edmonton is capturing less than 50% of the facility’s total emissions. [Gizmodo] 

Satellites can play an important role in identifying methane emissions, the first step in tackling a key source of GHG emissions. [Smithsonian] 

Turning big box store rooftops into solar farms could generate a lot of electricity. [Gizmodo]

 

We Can Make a Difference 

A new conservation foundation plans “to provide Indigenous and other land-based communities with funds to protect endangered ecosystems and build economic alternatives to the logging of at-risk old-growth forests.” [CTV] 

A low-energy kitchen, carpets made from recycled fishing nets, solar panels, and bees and wildflowers on the roof – this hotel is paying more than lip service to environmental sustainability. [The Guardian] 

John Stimpson has built 30,000 nest boxes for swifts, not to mention the nest boxes he’s built for barn owls, blue tits, finches, blackbirds, and thrushes. [The Guardian] 

Tips to help you clear dangerous pollutants out of your home (and your body). [The Guardian]

The hidden cost of fish oil pills to personal and environmental health. [The Guardian] 

On the Bookshelf 

Though the Earth Gives Way, a novel by Pullitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark S. Johnson, shares the stories of individuals fleeing a climate apocalypse. “We are good at divorcing ourselves from consequences,” Johnson says. “I wanted readers to feel as if they’d glimpsed the other side, the world to come.” [Madison Magazine] 

Nature’s Wonders 

A rare sighting of blanket octopus. Males are 2.4 centimetres – females grow up to 2 metres! [The Guardian] 

When large numbers of snowy owls appear in southern Canada and the US, we assume they’re starving. Not so, according to SK researchers. “It’s due to a bumper crop of young snowies during a very good breeding season.” [All About Birds] 

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

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Introducing the Belted Kingfisher

“A kingfisher’s burnished plunge, the color of felicity afire” (The Kingfisher, Amy Clampitt)

 

A swift flash of colour over the water and a loud rattling call – the Belted Kingfisher has moved on before you’ve really seen it. Fortunately, you’ll have better luck spotting them when they’re perched on a branch looking for fish or diving headfirst into the water below in search of fish or crayfish. 

Belted Kingfisher can be found near lakes, rivers, and ponds across Canada during the summer breeding season and year-round along the coasts where there is open water year-round. They have a blue-grey body (11-14 in, wingspan of 19-23 in), a white chest, and a large head with a shaggy crest and dagger-like bill. Females have blue and chestnut bands across their breast; males only have a blue band. 

These experts fishers can fly very fast in a straight line but may hover for extended periods over water as they search for prey. Once the prey is spotted, they dive headfirst into the water to catch their meal. 

Belted Kingfisher dig a tunnel 1-8 ft deep in the banks of rivers or streams with a nesting chamber at the far end. The tunnel slopes upwards so that rainwater won’t collect inside.

 

Did you know? 

There are nearly 100 species of kingfishers, but the Belted Kingfisher is the only one seen in most areas north of Mexico. The greatest variety of kingfishers are found in the tropical regions of Asia, Australia, and the Pacific islands. 

The Laughing Kookaburra (second photo) is the heaviest member of the kingfisher family. Unlike other kingfishers, it’s a social bird. Older offspring, usually males, live with the mated pair and help with feeding and protecting the nestlings. 

Despite their name, not all kingfishers eat fish. Others, particularly forest-dwellers, eat frogs, lizards, snakes, and even small mammals. 

Once Belted Kingfisher catch their prey, they return to their perch and beat it against a branch to soften it. Sometimes they throw the prey into the air to reorient it for easier swallowing. They regurgitate pellets of food they can't digest (fish bones and scales, shells). 

We still don’t know why the females have the more distinctive markings when in most species the males are the one with brighter colours. Various hypotheses have been put forward. Males are highly territorial, often remaining on their territory year-round to guard it, and the females’ chestnut-coloured stripe may help males to identify them as a welcome visitor to their territory rather than a rival that must be chased away. On the other hand, the added band of colour may be related to the fact that female kingfishers tend to be more aggressive than males and their high testosterone levels may have influenced their colouring. 

Charlie Hamilton James started photographing kingfishers when he was 13 years old, and they inspired him to become a photographer. He published Kingfisher: Tales from the Halcyon River in 1980. 

Robert Fuller, another British artist, replaced a waterside bank with a garden shed containing a hide and an artificial nest chamber so that he could watch kingfishers inside their underground nest. 

For more information on Belted Kingfishers, take a look at EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion app/website for Canada’s four western provinces. Download it for free to your phone or tablet.

EcoSask News, December 14, 2021

Song Sparrow make short, fluttering flights pumping their tail up and down. They prefer areas with low shrubs and bushes. [Nature Companion] 

Energy 

“Saskatchewan has a tremendous opportunity to use energy efficiency to achieve our climate commitments … every electron saved through energy efficiency results in fewer emissions from carbon-emitting coal and gas plants.” Martin Boucher outlines 5 effective options. [Martin Boucher, Regina Leader-Post] 

Calgary-based Canadian Premium Sand is shifting from providing fracking sand for the oil patch to producing solar panels. [CBC] 

Airports’ flat roofs, parking garages, and open spaces are an ideal location for solar panels. And, as many airports are connected to the municipal grid, they may even be able to feed energy back into the system. [Gizmodo] 

Making Choices 

Cities world-wide are beginning to employ sensor technology to monitor and minimize urban noise. [Bloomberg CityLab] 

I don’t want to leave children a future “full of cement, full of destruction”. The Austrian government halts 8 highway projects in an effort to slow climate change. [France 24]

Most coniferous trees keep their foliage all year round, adding a welcome touch of green to a snowy winter landscape [Conifers of Western Canada, EcoFriendly Sask] 

Maintaining Biodiversity 

Yellowknife to Yukon is an ambitious project designed to protect an interconnected series of wildlands. A research team has concluded that this is an effective conservation strategy. Compared to neighbouring areas that weren’t part of the project, the protected area gained more land, more grizzly bears, and more wildlife crossings. The project also received mention in popular media (Gray’s Anatomy) and scientific publications. [Anthropocene] 

Environmental DNA (fragments of aquatic creatures floating in the water) can provide an early warning of invasive species entering new regions or threatened species moving outside their expected range. eDNA “could shape policy for protected regions and help monitor population shifts on a rapidly changing planet, but it may ultimately prove only as revolutionary as it is widely available and usable across the globe.” [JSTOR Daily] 

Nature-based solutions “can be highly effective in building long-term resilience for nature and people. It is a valuable asset in our toolbox for linking biodiversity and climate and addressing these twin crises.” However, care must be taken to recognize the inherent value of nature, to avoid treating nature-based solutions as offsetting, and to include stakeholders in developing countries. [International Institute for Sustainable Development] 

That’s Amazing! 

“Migrating birds push their bodies to the physiological limit, which creates excess heat. Some species cope by ascending to cooler air during daytime.” Many species also have lighter-coloured feathers, another way to stay cooler. [Science News] 

Snow Geese eat grasses and can often be spotted grazing on leftover grain in farm fields. They root in the mud for food so their faces are often stained a rusty orange. [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Saskatchewan Christmas Bird Counts 2021

In 2020, almost 15,000 people participate in 469 Christmas Bird Counts across Canada. They recorded sightings of more than 3 million birds belonging to 296 different species. The annual count is the longest-running citizen science project in North America (2021 is the 122nd count) and plays an important role in tracking changes in the numbers and varieties of birds in different locations. 

For example, Canada Geese were notable by their absence from the river in Saskatoon in 2020, but participants spotted 2 female or juvenile Hooded Merganser for the first time in 15 years and Gray Partridge were at a 15-year high. House Finch numbers were higher than the previous year but still below the long-term average. House Finch are susceptible to Avian Conjunctivitis; the local population has declined in recent years and has yet to recover. 

In 2019, Saskatchewan participants spotted 126,813 birds, slightly higher than the century average of 125,000. This was partly due to a record high count of 33,735 Canada Geese in Estevan. Rarities included a Pacific Loon, a new species for Saskatchewan, a Double-crested Cormorant at Gardiner Dam, and a Northern Cardinal at Prince Albert. 

There are plenty of opportunities for people to participate in this year’s Christmas Bird Counts. Dates are listed below for Regina and Saskatoon. Elsewhere in the province, we recommend you contact your local nature society. Contact Nature Saskatchewan to find out if there will be a Christmas Bird Count for Kids in Regina.

 

Regina 

Nature Regina will be organizing the following Christmas Bird Counts. If you are interested in volunteering, contact natureregina@gmail.com 

Saturday, December 18 – Craven 

Sunday, December 26 – Regina 

Sunday, January 2 – Balgonie (includes White City and Pilot Butte) 

Saskatoon 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is organizing the following Christmas Bird Counts in the Saskatoon area. To register for a count, complete the online form on the Saskatoon Nature Society’s website

Saturday, December 18 – Clark’s Crossing (Warman, Martensville, Osler, NE Swale) 

Sunday, December 19 – Qu’Appelle Dam (Elbow) 

Monday, December 27 – Saskatoon (city and south) 

Tuesday, December 28 – Christmas Bird Count for Kids (Saskatoon Young Naturalists) 

Monday, January 3 – Pike Lake/Chief Whitecap 

Berries: Wildlife's Winter Pantry

Nature provides year-round food for many birds and animals. While insects may be plentiful in spring, it’s persistent berries that are an important food source in winter. Unlike raspberries or blueberries, persistent berries ripen later in the year and remain on the bushes and trees even after the leaves have fallen. The berries on native trees and plants such as buffaloberry and red osier dogwood are high in fat and carbohydrates, offering birds plentiful energy for their migratory journey or to weather the cold. 

Bunchberry 

Bunchberry is a low-lying plant found in the cool coniferous forests of Canada’s northern and mountainous regions. The red berries, which ripen in late summer, are a tasty snack for bears, hares, and songbirds. They contain two hard, crunchy seeds, hence the plant’s name of kawiscowimin in Cree, which can be translated as “gravel inside.” It’s also known as dwarf dogwood with similar leaves and flowers to the Pacific dogwood tree.

Common Juniper 

Common juniper is a spreading shrub that often forms a low-lying mat but can grow to 3-4 ft tall. What appear to be blue berries are actually cones with very tightly packed miniature scales. The fleshy covering on the cones is popular with robins, black-capped chickadees, cedar and Bohemian waxwings. American robins often devour large quantities in spring and fall.

 

Mountain Ash 

A highlight of a Prairie winter’s day is when a flock of cedar waxwings swoops in to feast on mountain ash berries. Despite its name, mountain ash belongs to the rose family and its closest relatives are apples and hawthorns. Humans find the berries bitter and unpleasant, but they are very high in vitamin C and birds love them. 

Wild apple and crabapple trees are also popular with wildlife – from deer and bears to birds and squirrels.

Oregon Grape 

Oregon grape can be found in mountainous areas of the Pacific Northwest from British Columbia and eastern Alberta to northern California. The dark blue berries grow in clusters and bear some resemblance to grapes. Wildlife benefit from Oregon grape in all seasons of the year as the bright yellow flowers attract pollinators, the fruit is enjoyed by robins and waxwings as well as some mammals, and some butterfly and moth species rely on Oregon grape plants to host their larvae.

Red Osier Dogwood 

Red osier dogwood is a many-branched shrub about 6 ft tall. Its red stems and branches are particularly noticeable in winter. The white, waxy berries are high in fat and popular with migrating birds, bears, and grouse. The stems and winter buds provide valuable forage for deer, moose, and snowshoe hare, and the plants often suffer from overbrowsing. 

Silver Buffaloberry 

Silver buffaloberry (shepherdia argentea) is a thorny shrub often found growing along rivers and streams, especially on the northern Great Plains. It's slow to lose its leaves in autumn. The clusters of red berries ripen in late summer and are a favorite food of many songbirds and sharp-tailed grouse. 

Snowberry 

Snowberry, a native shrub found across western Canada, has white, waxy berries that persist into winter. The berries are toxic to humans as they contain saponin, a foaming compound used to make soap. They are, however, appreciated by over-wintering birds such as robins and thrushes, as well as chipmunks.

Springtime Follies 

As the weather warms up in the spring, overwintered berries can ferment and birds, particularly cedar waxwings and robins, that eat a lot of fruit can become intoxicated.

 

See Also 

Conifers of Western Canada 

Early Flowering Trees and Shrubs on the Canadian Prairies 

Dead Trees Full of Life 

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

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, October 19, 2021

Upcoming Events 

City of Regina residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, Oct. 23. 

Meewasin is looking for volunteers to wrap trees to protect them from beavers from 1-3 pm, Oct. 23, and from 4-6 pm, Oct. 25. 

Families are invited to enjoy guided and self-guided nature activities in Little Red River Park, Prince Albert, the afternoon of Oct. 24. Sign up for a time slot. 

Cinema Politica will be showing Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers at 7 pm, Oct. 27, in Regina. 

SK-PCAP is hosting a presentation on the biology and ecology of snakes in southwest Saskatchewan at 7 pm, Oct. 28, in Val Marie. 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

Peatlands play a significant role in managing floods and wildfires, in storing water and carbon, and in supporting insects, plants, and animals. But they’re still under attack in Canada. [The Conversation] 

Youth in Fort Belknap, Montana, are collecting and planting seeds to help restore degraded grasslands. The program offers the youth self-empowerment, cultural knowledge, and a new appreciation for the land around them. [High Country News] 

Photographers from BC, Manitoba, and Quebec are among the award winners in this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards. [CBC]

 

Energy Choices 

“When people hold on to their vehicles for longer, the reduced emissions from manufacturing more than cancel out the increased emissions from driving a slightly less fuel efficient older car.” [Anthropocene] 

In an electrical grid based on renewables, consumers will have an active role to play in balancing supply and demand by shifting heating and cooling usage to times of day when there is peak availability (e.g., based on the availability of solar energy during the day but not at night). [Undark] 

Women currently face significant challenges in obtaining employment in the energy field. A recent report “documents the biggest barriers to women’s participation and opportunities for change to ensure the clean energy economy is more equitable and inclusive.” [Pembina Institute] 

Sharing the Earth 

“The loss of wildlife connectivity is the result of fragmentation by a thousand cuts. In a world that is rapidly changing through habitat loss and climate change, we need to develop and implement a vision of wildlife connectivity across our country.” [Wildlife Conservation Society Canada via Nature Conservancy of Canada] 

“Only humans own their homes. What if other species could own theirs as well?” In Wildlife as Property Owners, Karen Bradshaw argues that “wild animals should be integrated into our system of property law to prevent further habitat destruction — the leading cause of species extinction.” In Bradshaw’s view “an interspecies property system would be more flexible and pluralistic than the anthropocentric concept of property. Not only would it need to take account of how multiple nonhuman species use a space, but also how those uses intersect with human ones.” [The Revelator] 

Have you ever spotted a large flock of vultures and wondered what had died? Maybe nothing. Vultures swoop and circle even when migrating from southern Canada to their wintering area in Central or South America. [Cool Green Science] 

For more information about vultures, take a look at EcoFriendly Sask’s Nature Companion. 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, October 5, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Find out about all-season composting at an online Regina Public Library presentation at 7 pm, Oct. 7. 

Join Meewasin staff in removing invasive European buckthorn from Saskatoon Natural Grasslands on Oct. 12 or 15 (morning and afternoon sessions). 

The Saskatchewan Association for Environmental Law is holding its annual general meeting online at 7 pm, Oct. 14. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from the back door in the alley from 1-4 pm, Oct. 15. 

Looking Ahead 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society is offering online training on Nov. 5 & 19 to help non-profits and small businesses operate their buildings more efficiently. 

Full details on all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

Local News 

Iain Phillips, Saskatchewan’s senior ecologist for aquatic macroinvertebrates, says that climate change and environmental degradation are playing havoc with aquatic insects. “And what happens to the insects he studies can be a valuable early warning sign of environmental problems.” [CBC News] 

The City of Regina is exploring noise reduction options in response to residents’ complaints about noise on the Ring Road. [Global News] 

Making Smart Choices 

“Pumped hydro has an important role to play in the renewable energy transition, but only where projects cause minimal harm to people and nature” [The Conversation] 

In the last 3 years, 10% of Vancouver’s building permits were in areas prone to flooding. Warmer temperatures will strain electrical distribution systems and transportation systems throughout the country. We need to publicize the risks, build for resilience, and take climate change into account [Canadian Institute for Climate Choices] 

Bad for us and bad for the planet – traces of 122 different pesticides in the 12 most polluted fruit and vegetable products, many with links to cancer and groundwater contamination [The Guardian] 

Canadians who purchase cheap fast fashion from online retailers may be exposing themselves to potentially toxic chemicals. For example, a jacket for toddlers contained almost 20 times the amount of lead that Health Canada says is safe for children [CBC Marketplace] 

An international review of the cruise ship industry “finds that cruising is a major source of environmental pollution and degradation, with air, water, soil, fragile habitats and areas and wildlife affected” [Science Daily]

 

Read, Watch, and Play 

A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird by Rosemary Mosco is “part field guide, part history, part ornithology primer, and altogether fun” [Saskatoon Public Library] 

You may also enjoy 10 Surprising Facts about Pigeons and Rita’s Re-Coop-eration 

11 new bird- and nature-themed books for kids – from hummingbird migration to dandelion seed travels and piping plover parents [Audubon] 

Orphaned, an hour-long documentary, examines Alberta’s ‘orphaned’ wells. “Thousands sit idle, ‘orphaned’ by companies that went bankrupt and left the pricey cleanup for taxpayers to take care of." A problem but also an opportunity for new purposes and new jobs [Calgary Herald]

In Season, a new video game, you’re invited to join a bicycle-riding woman as she travels around the world documenting plants, animals, and cultures before a mysterious cataclysm washes them away [Season]

Free! In honour of our 10th anniversary, we’re giving away individual or sets of our souvenir glasses. Email us if you’re interested. Supplies are limited, so act fast :-)

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

Our Magpie Neighbours

 

With a loud voice, a long tail, and distinctive black and white markings, black-billed magpies are easy to spot. They are large birds (1.5-2 ft) living year-round in northwestern Canada and the United States. You won't find them along the west coast, but you will find them in the interior of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. 

Western Canada’s black-billed magpies are one of 17 different species of magpies around the world. They are almost identical to Eurasian magpies. However, magpies found in South and East Asia have vivid blue and green feathers. 

“In ancient Rome, the magpie was associated with magic and fortune telling, while in Scandinavia some witches rode magpies or turned into them. In Germany, the bird was considered a bird of the underworld and in Scotland it was said that magpies had a drop of the devil’s blood on their tongues. 

"Outside of Europe, the magpie has a much more positive image. In Native American legends, the magpie was considered a friend of hunter-gatherer tribes. In Korea, the magpie is thought to bring good news and in China it is a symbol of happiness, foretelling and good fortune.” [Horniman Museum & Gardens] 

Magpies are omnivorous, eating everything from insects, grains, and berries to small rodents, other birds’ eggs, and even young chicks (although eggs and chicks make up only a very small portion of their diet). They’ve adapted well to urban living, helping themselves to leftover food scraps. In rural areas, they pick the ticks from the backs of large mammals such as moose and deer. The ticks they don’t eat immediately are tucked away for future meals. “Most of the ticks, however, are cached alive and unharmed, and may live to reproduce later.” 

Magpies belong to the corvid family along with crows, ravens, and jays and are some of the most intelligent birds in the world. Magpies “can use tools, play games, work in teams, and even mimic human speech.” 

“One of the most notable Black-billed Magpie behaviors is the so-called ‘funeral’—when one magpie discovers a dead magpie, it begins calling loudly to attract other magpies. The gathering of raucously calling magpies (up to 40 birds have been observed) may last for 10 to 15 minutes before the birds disperse and fly off silently.” [All About Birds] 

Unlike other crows, magpies have a very long tail. In fact, it’s the same length as their body. Scientists aren’t sure why they have such a long tail, “but it may provide magpies with the ability to make swift turns while in the air. This would allow the birds to evade larger predators and make up for rather average flying abilities.” 

Magpies spend up to 40 days constructing large, solid domed nests roughly 30 inches high and 20 inches wide. They are so well constructed they can last for many years. “The male gathers sticks for the exterior. The female tends to the interior, forming a mud cup and lining it with grass.” 

Photographer Ron Dudley has been photographing one nest for over 7 years and shares some of his photographs. [Feathered Photography] 

Magpies are vocal, social birds. You’ll often find them sitting in groups calling loudly. A group of magpies is known as a parliament, possibly because they often gather in large groups to converse among themselves. They will also band together to chase away a raptor. In the spring, you may hear large groups of birds cawing loudly as younger birds try to chase away and take over the territory of more established pairs. 

“Magpies are very curious, just like their relatives, the jays and crows. They may sometimes pick up shiny things, but they don’t show any preference for shiny over dull. A magpie’s more likely to grab your sandwich than your silver.” [Audubon] 

Magpies often perch on poles or the tops of trees to provide a visual display of their territory. The males establish dominance over other males by stretching their neck and flashing their white eyelids. Magpies mate for life. The females initiate the mating display by begging for food from the male. They lay one brood of 1-9 eggs each year. The fledglings learn to fly when they are about a month old but may stay with their parents for a year before flying away to find a mate. Magpies are non-migratory and normally stay within a 10 km radius of where they were born.

 

See Also 

Eagles of Western Canada 

Falcons of Western Canada 

Hawks of Western Canada 

Owls of Saskatchewan

Check out EcoFriendly Sask's Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada's 4 western provinces

EcoSask News, September 14, 2021

Upcoming Events 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on amphibians at 7:30 pm, Sept. 16. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from the back door in the alley from 1-4 pm, Sept. 18. 

Nature Regina is hosting a presentation on the Treaty Land Sharing Network at 7:30 pm, Sept. 20, at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is inviting the public to attend a Sandhill Crane viewing from 6-8 pm, Sept. 20. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library are offering an online presentation on Electricity in Saskatchewan: Current Status, Future Prospects from 7-8:30 pm, Sept. 21. 

The Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is hosting a video conference on nuclear development, communicating risk, and public engagement at noon, Sept. 23. 

There will be a global climate strike at noon, Sept. 24, in Saskatoon. 

 

Full event details can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News 

William Hale has opened a used electric vehicle dealership in Saskatoon. William says he’s driven an electric vehicle (EV), winter and summer, for 3 years and loves it. “The electrification of transportation is one of the principal pathways to a low carbon economy and I want to help with this transition in Saskatchewan,” he explains. The dealership offers a lower-priced entry into the EV market and an opportunity to ask questions and test drive the vehicles. They also sell and install EV chargers for home use. 

Green Shift Automotive in Regina sells a range of electric vehicles from bikes, scooters, and skateboards to hybrid and electric cars. 

Alberta Lake Management Society is offering a fall webinar series with applicability across Canada. 

Transportation 

Exposure to traffic noise is associated with a range of health problems, including dementia, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. [The Guardian] 

The six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero: 1. fuel; 2. non-CO2 impacts, such as nitrogen oxides and contrail clouds; 3. frequent flyers; 4. policy development; 5. the new middle class; and 6. supersonic planes. [The Guardian]

Wildlife 

Wildlife rescuers are the first to provide medical care for injured or sick animals and could provide an early-warning system for illnesses that also affect humans. [The Revelator] 

“Mountain and boreal caribou are on a long-term slide to extinction; not because of what wolves and other predators are doing but because of what humans have already done.” [Raincoast Conservation Foundation] 

“Rebugging is looking at the ways, small and large, to nurture complex communities of these tiny, vital players in almost all the natural and not-so-natural places on earth. It means conserving them where they are managing to hang on, and restoring them where they are needed as part of a rewilding movement. And it means putting bugs back into our everyday lives, our homes and where we play and work.” [The Revelator, an excerpt from Rebugging the Planet: The Remarkable Things that Insects (and Other Invertebrates) Do – And Why We Need to Love Them More by Vicki Hird) 

When they’re not looking for a mate, some female hummingbirds are adopting the same brightly coloured ornamentation as males as it “helps them avoid aggressive male behaviors during feeding, such as pecking and body slamming.” [Science Daily] 

Energy 

“Air conditioning is the most obvious immediate response to the dangerous warming of the planet. It’s also making it worse. … People are going to keep buying air conditioners … so we need to offer them better, safer, cleaner devices … We’re doing a disservice to our citizenry when we let them buy something that is so expensive to operate, and so polluting that cooling is actually adding to the warming of the planet.” [The Guardian] 

Coal-fired plants made up 40% of global energy output in 2010. Here’s a breakdown of consumption on a country- by-country basis as well as a look at steps that could be taken to end coal use. [Climate Solutions] 

Despite what oil and gas companies would have you believe, blue hydrogen isn’t clean or economically viable. [DeSmog] 

Did you know? Wood Frog hibernate under logs or leaf litter and can tolerate below-zero temperatures by increasing the amount of glucose in their blood, which lowers the freezing point and stops ice crystals from forming. [Nature Companion] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, September 7, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting a fall bird count on Sept. 11. Register by Sept. 10 if you’re interested in participating. 

Nature Regina is hosting a native plant sale from 9 am-1 pm, Sept. 11. 

The City of Prince Albert is hosting a household hazardous waste day from 9 am-4 pm, Sept. 11. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Sept. 12. 

There will be an online federal election forum on climate, energy, and environment with Saskatoon candidates at 7 pm, Sept. 13. 

Nature Saskatchewan is hosting an online presentation on the migration and winter habitats of burrowing owls and monarch butterflies at 7 pm, Sept. 14. Register to participate. 

Looking Ahead 

Climate Reality Leadership Corps is offering online training from Oct. 18-24. 

Full event details are available on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

How We Build 

The City of Saskatoon is now offering a home energy loan program (HELP) to help residents make their homes more energy efficient. “HELP loans are repaid through property taxes over five-, 10-, or 20-year terms, and remain attached to the property. If someone moves before the loan is repaid, the new homeowner will take on loan repayment.” [CBC Saskatoon] 

Energy-efficient buildings in combination with improved indoor air quality could prevent 2,900 to 5,100 premature deaths annually. [Anthropocene] 

PFAS are used to make products water-, stain-, or heat-resistant and can be found in thousands of everyday consumer products, such as stain guards, carpeting, floor wax, and non-stick cookware. They are linked to various serious health problems and significantly contaminate indoor air. [The Guardian] 

An ice box demonstration highlights the effectiveness of passive house design for providing more comfortable homes with lower costs. [Inhabitat]

 

Wild Lives 

“So many people think about species in terms of how close to endangerment or extinction they are, but actually, what we want to do is recover species.” The goal should be measuring what we want to achieve as well as what we want to avoid. [Yale Environment 360] 

Wanted – conservation champions for rodents, evolutionary marvels that have adapted to almost every region on earth, serving as food for larger animals while their eating habits disperse seeds, pollinate plants, and recycle soil nutrients. [The Revelator] 

Making a Difference 

Don Kowalski of Griffin, SK, has donated 800 acres to the Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation’s Habitat Trust Program. The land will be managed as a wildlife sanctuary and vehicles aren’t allowed. [Discover Weyburn] 

Climate cafés come in all shapes and sizes, providing an opportunity to support people as they acknowledge climate change exists and manage their feelings about it. [The Guardian] 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, August 17, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Help Meewasin protect wildlife in Saskatoon’s Northeast Swale by fence tabbing from 6-9 pm, Aug. 18. You can also protect birds during fall migration by applying stickers to the rink in downtown Saskatoon from 9-11 am, Aug. 21. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from the back door in the alley from 1-4 pm, Aug. 21. 

Stan Shadick is offering 3 online workshops to assist with identifying warblers during fall migration from 7-8:30 pm, Aug. 22 & 29, and Sept. 6. There will be an optional field trip from 9-10:30 am, Aug. 29, in Saskatoon. Registration fees will support Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation. 

West Coast Environmental Law is offering a webinar on environmental justice in action at 1 pm, Aug. 26. 

Full event details are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News 

The Citizens Environmental Alliance says the proposed Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project comes at colossal expense and high environmental consequences. [Citizens Environmental Alliance]

Indigenous land users, scientists, and youth are rallying to protect northern Saskatchewan’s peatlands from harvest. [CBC News]

City of Regina will be scanning blue carts to check for items that can’t be recycled. Their goal is to reduce the number of wrong items placed in the carts, which can lower the value of recyclable goods, harm recycling facility workers, and damage equipment. [CJME]

 

Energy Options 

Carbon capture and storage technology “has been under discussion and development for decades and governments are increasingly relying on it to meet their climate goals. But . . . by early 2021 there were only 26 CCS plants operating around the world, capturing 0.1 percent of global yearly CO2 emissions at most. And most of the CO2 captured to date has been used to dig up more oil through Enhanced Oil Recovery.”  [Desmog]

A new report from the Pembina Institute “shows that the climate benefits of blue hydrogen vary depending on the technology used to create it.” [Pembina Institute]

What Can We Do? 

“The key to fighting [climate] despair is to think beyond the individual and seek community support and solutions — especially those that put pressure on governments and companies to make the large-scale changes that are necessary to truly curtail emissions.” [Vox]

Fall bird migration is just around the corner and with it an increased risk of birds fatally colliding with buildings. Here are 5 tips for educating building tenants about bird-safe best practices. [FLAP Canada]

The Cheakamus community forest near Whistler, BC, “is charting new territory when it comes to sustainable timber harvest that outlaws clearcuts, respects Indigenous governance and combats the climate emergency.” [The Narwhal]

The Comox Valley Regional District in British Columbia is considering phasing out gas stations. “Existing gas stations wouldn't be forced to close, but would be considered ‘legally non-compliant’ — and wouldn't be able to add new pumps. New service stations would be allowed to open, but not to provide petroleum-based fuels.” [CBC News]

New Approaches 

“If we want robust and meaningful science to reach the courts, we need to start thinking about how science and the law operate together.” [Union of Concerned Scientists]

Presenting 4 novels that explore climate change and the Anthropocene. [Cool Green Science]

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, August 3, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Join CPAWS-SK in inventorying species in the boreal forest pre- and post-fire on Aug. 8 and 10 from 5:30-8 pm. 

SK-PCAP is hosting an online webinar about research into where bats hibernate in Saskatchewan at noon, Aug. 10. 

Passive House Canada is hosting an online conversation with Harold Orr, passive house pioneer, at 10 am (SK), Aug. 11. 

Golden Eagles, a sub-group of the Saskatoon Nature Society, will be holding a variety of events on Thursdays in August. 

Aug. 12 - Fall shorebirds 

Aug. 19 - Pike Lake area 

Aug. 26 - Petrofka Orchard & Crooked Trees 

All events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

Back to the Future 

"Like the stone lined canals in Kyoto, the terraced rice fields of Java allowing for millennia of continuous rice growing, the sandstone aqueducts of Italy still able to transport water after two millennia, the ancient Greek amphitheater still in use for plays and concerts, the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen that haven’t been resurfaced in five hundred years, we need to go back to thinking about our infrastructure not in terms of five year plans and technical efficiency, but in long term sustainability. If a bridge cannot be built that will last a thousand years, why build it? Why not build one that will last, even if it will be a less efficient or more expensive in the short run?" [Wrath of Gnon] 

Regina is a dusty ghost town; the legislature has moved north of La Ronge where water still flows in the Cumberland River system. The main characters are close to developing a genetic cross of wheat and perennial native grass. As Canada confronts drought and wildfires, Dry, Barbara Sapergia’s futuristic novel published in 2005 rings true today. [book review, Niche] 

Urban Planning 

Re-thinking the 15-minute city – not as an entity created with stopwatches timing how long it takes us to get from one location to another but as places with streets where people gather and enjoy themselves. [Governing] 

Prairie Life 

The Government of Manitoba is asking its residents for feedback on a proposed water management policy. How could we adapt it for use in Saskatchewan? [Government of Manitoba] 

Fossil-fuel exporting countries could see a loss of jobs as a result of a switch to renewable energy but could more than make up for it by emphasizing renewables manufacturing. [Anthropocene] 

Biodiversity 

Is it time to put the brakes on beekeeping? “Campaigns encouraging people to save bees have resulted in an unsustainable proliferation in urban beekeeping. This approach only saves one species of bee, the honeybee, with no regard for how honeybees interact with other, native species.” [The Guardian] 

Firefly flashes – the ins and outs of how they create light and why. [Scientific American] 

Did you know? Goldenrod doesn't cause hay fever as the pollen is slightly sticky and can't blow on the wind. 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, July 27, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

With gratitude for the lifelong contributions of Stuart Houston, 1927-2021 [Bridges, Saskatoon StarPhoenix] 

Science magazine has published a special edition on plastics. Articles include The plastic eaters, Achieving a circular bioeconomy for plastics, and Toward polymer upcycling – adding value and tackling circularity. [Science] 

Upcoming Events 

Learn to orienteer with Nature Regina from 10-11:30 am or 10:30 am-noon, Aug. 2. 

South of the Divide Conservation Action Program (SODCAP) will be holding its annual general meeting on Aug. 9 in Frontier. 

All events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar. 

Energy 

Greenland has suspended all new oil and gas exploration. Government officials said they believe the "price of oil extraction is too high," citing both economic considerations and the fight against climate change. [CBS News] 

Storing excess renewable energy in batteries and releasing it when needed is more effective with collective, neighbourhood battery storage. [Anthropocene] 

Conservation Needs & Successes 

Loss of habitat deprives woodland caribou of safety from predators, food, and safe nursing grounds and leads to increased competition and disease. [CPAWS-SK] 

A conservation agreement with Nature Conservancy and Ducks Unlimited of Canada will protect over 3000 acres in the Moose Mountain Natural Area. The landowners have agreed not to subdivide, develop the property, drain the wetlands, or harvest the trees. [Discover Weyburn]

That’s Amazing 

7 incredible moths - from one species that drinks the tears of birds to another that lives in the fur of sloths. [Smithsonian Magazine] 

Did you know? In very hot climates adult killdeer shade their eggs at midday and may soak their belly feathers to help cool the eggs. 

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribing by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, July 13, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, is reopening on July 17 from 1-4 pm. Pick up is by reservation only from the back door in the alley. 

Learn about bats from 7-8:30 pm, July 22, at Station 20 West in Saskatoon. Email communitygardens@chep.org to register (space is limited). 

Golden Eagles, a sub-group of the Saskatoon Nature Society, will be holding a variety of events on Thursdays in July and August. 

July 15 - Maymont area 

July 22 - Northeast Swale 

July 29 - Round Prairie 

Local News 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society has spoken out on the importance of ensuring the safety of the Line 5 pipeline: “The Governor of Michigan and its residents have legitimate reasons to be concerned about Enbridge’s safety record. . . . The governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Canada should not simply be asking for Line 5 to remain open, but should simultaneously be pressing Enbridge to greatly improve its attention to pipeline safety in the state of Michigan and ensure full compliance with its easement agreement.” [Saskatchewan Environmental Society] 

The Village of Riverhurst is restoring a wetland at the entrance to their village. “We're hoping to use this as a demonstration site for other landowners and municipalities so they can know how to protect their own wetlands. For school-aged kids, they'll be able to come to learn about all the different birds and plants that live in a wetland." [West Central Online] 

Energy

Canada spent $23 billion to support pipelines in just 3 years: “When government money is tied up in a polluting industry there’s less money to invest in clean energy.” [The Tyee]

James Glennie, formerly of SaskWind, says Saskatchewan will lose jobs and engineering innovation through its emphasis on oil rather than renewables: “We should be developing a local supply chain because we do have the best wind and solar resources in Canada . . . . We have nothing to deliver on that and I think that’s a shame, a real shame.” [Regina Leader Post]

Carbon capture isn’t the answer: “Our state is addicted to fossil fuels and, like many addicts, instead of seeking to break our addiction. We seek ways to become functional addicts.” [DeSmog] 

Sustainable Choices

Don’t (just) fight the plastic, challenge those producing it. Write to the companies that use plastic packaging and ask what they’re doing to reduce their use of plastic. [The Earthbound Report]

 

Renting clothes is not a sustainable fashion option after all due to dry cleaning, delivery, and packaging costs. “You want to be sustainable? Buy less, buy better.” [The Guardian] 

 

Connections

Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) proposes to preserve a 2,000 mile stretch of the Continental Divide eco-region by connecting recognized wildlife strongholds (Yellowstone, Banff, Jasper) with habitat bridges, wildlife corridors, and wildways. It’s an exercise in cooperation, “trying to blend conservation needs with the interests of local human communities.” [book excerpt, The Revelator] 

Florida has committed to establishing a wildlife corridor from the Alabama state line to the Florida Keys, nearly 800 miles. [New Yorker] 

Let's Hear It For the Birds!

The winners of the 2021 Audubon Photography Awards. And, advice from the award winners on how to become a better bird photographer. 

Two sandhill cranes in Alberta celebrate the birth of their young with song and dance. [Red Deer Advocate]

Did you know? Sandhill Crane mate for life and can live for up to 36 years.

EcoFriendly Sask supports Saskatchewan environmental initiatives through an online publication, an events calendar, small grants, and the Nature Companion website/app. You can follow EcoFriendly Sask by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter, or subscribe by email (top right corner).