Endangered Species - What Can I Do To Help?

It can be really discouraging to read about birds, reptiles, or animals that are threatened with extinction. We want to help, but what can we do as individuals with no formal training or resources? We did some research and spoke with Melissa Ranalli, Species at Risk Manager, Nature Saskatchewan, and found some helpful information. 

1. Habitat Enhancement

Habitat loss or degradation is almost always one of the reasons a species is at risk. Any efforts you take to create a wildlife-friendly habitat on your property will be hugely beneficial. Add a pond or water feature, install nest or bat boxes, or plant wildflowers. Each of these actions will help a variety of different creatures. 

Swallows: Swallows are in rapid decline. If you find them nesting under your eaves, don’t stop them. You’ll be grateful when you see how many insects they can eat in just a few hours. 

Bats: Do you have a bat house in your garden? By monitoring and uploading the results to iNaturalist, you can provide valuable information about the best bat house design. 

Insects: Insects are particularly valuable as they are the primary food source for so many reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even some animals. They’ll really appreciate it if you keep your yard on the wild side. Don’t rake the leaves in autumn. Don’t mow the grass in early spring. Build an insect hotel. Leave a pile of detritus in an out-of-the-way corner. You’ll be creating cozy spots where insects can live and over-winter. 

You’ll gain lots of information and probably native seeds and plants by joining the Butterflyway Project in your local community, which encourages individuals and families to plant pollinator-friendly gardens. 

Dead Trees & Fallen Logs: We tend to remove dead trees or fallen branches from our private and municipal properties, but they play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity. From 10-40% of birds and mammals nest and raise their young in holes in trees. By maintaining multi-age ecosystems, we’re providing a habitat for birds, insects, and animals as well as maintaining the nutrient cycle. 

Pesticide-free: The pesticides and herbicides that you spray on your grass and lawn are poisons and will also harm insects, birds, and other wildlife that eat sprayed vegetation. 

Clean Up Litter: Removing litter from shorelines and other natural areas protects wildlife from hazards (such as ducks getting tangled in fishing line) and the soil and water from contaminants (cigarette butts leach toxic chemicals).

 

Farms & Acreages: If you live on a rural property, you have a fantastic opportunity to protect and maintain the wildlife that share your land. Nature Saskatchewan offers 5 stewardship programs that engage rural landowners in conserving habitat to protect species at risk. 

You can also make sure any water running through your property isn’t contaminated and take steps to prevent run-off and erosion. One couple whose homes fronts onto a lake stopped weeding their shoreline last year and have noticed that they have far more wildlife – beavers, killdeer, and turtles. 

Katie and Aaron Suek of the Restoring 71 Project believe that acreages are a missed opportunity as they have so much potential for positioning the protection and restoration of natural areas as a convenience rather than an added effort. “It’s so much less work and you’ll see so much more wildlife if you let it go wild,” Katie says. 

The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan offers a guide to acreage living that you may find useful.

 

2. Species Reintroduction 

It can be tempting to attempt to reintroduce a wild creature such as a frog or lizard onto your property, but it’s risky. The habitat may be wrong or it may be the wrong species for your particular area (for example, there are several different varieties of northern leopard frog). A more effective approach is to volunteer or donate to support a professional reintroduction project. 

Volunteer: If your primary interest is plants, why not volunteer with the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan and help pull out invasive species or plant native plants along roadsides? Volunteers with the Nature Conservancy of Canada help with tree planting, reducing barriers and hazards to wildlife, installing nest boxes, and many other projects. There have been opportunities in the past to assist with wildlife reintroduction projects at Grasslands National Park. 

Donate: Conservation projects are always looking for additional funds and would welcome your support. Here are just a couple of local programs. 

The Calgary Zoo’s conservation research team is using science to sustain threatened wildlife. They are breeding whooping cranes, northern leopard frogs, swift foxes, and various other species for reintroduction into the wild. 

The Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre offers displays and educational programs to promote the conservation of this endangered owl and its habitat. A similar program in British Columbia, the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society of British Columbia, has a captive breeding program and creates and maintains a system of artificial burrows for released owls. 

Organizations such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada play an important role in preserving and restoring ecologically significant areas by planting trees, restoring wetlands, and removing invasive species and wildlife hazards. They offer a variety of volunteering, donation, and legacy options.

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).

Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan

In 2006, a group of wildlife rehabilitation professionals established a provincial wildlife rescue association. Animals were being picked up unnecessarily and the rehabbers wanted to stop that happening by establishing a telephone hotline to provide members of the public with advice on what to do about an injured or possibly abandoned animal.

From its humble beginnings, the Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan has expanded unimaginably. Calls in the last two years have doubled with just under 5,000 calls in 2020. There were days last summer when they received 50 calls in a single day. Bonnie Dell, president of WRSOS, was monitoring the hotline one day this spring and noted 20 major calls involving a beaver, a grey horned owl, a saw-whet owl, a moose, and a goose. 

It’s not just members of the public who are calling in. It’s also municipalities and provincial wildlife conservation officers. “It’s really a community service,” explains Bonnie. “If it weren’t for us, there would be no one to call.” And all this work is being done by volunteers, with help from students in the summer. Here’s how it works. 

Obtaining Help for an Injured or Abandoned Wild Animal 

If you’re concerned about a wild animal, a good place to start looking for help is on the WRSOS website. Wildlife 911 provides detailed information about what to do in a wide variety of different situations, from a bat in the attic to a bird that is unable to fly. The website also provides tips on when to call the hotline (e.g., the animal is bleeding or a dead parent is lying nearby). 

Volunteers answer calls on the WRSOS hotline (306-242-7177) 12 hours a day, 365 days a year. Leave a message and your call will be answered immediately. “You’ll rarely wait more than 10-15 minutes for a call back,” Bonnie says. 

Volunteers have received training and can assist you in deciding what needs to be done. The Society has over 150 volunteers from every part of the province who go out of their way to capture and transport sick or injured animals. It’s a huge undertaking as the need is often urgent. Some volunteers are driving up to 10,000 km a year. 

Rescued animals are taken to a designated veterinary clinic or to a licensed wildlife rehabilitation professional. The veterinary clinics generously provide their services free of charge as do the wildlife rehabbers. It can still be an expensive proposition with some animals requiring surgery while others are over-wintered and eat enormous amounts of food. 

The volunteer’s role is often demanding. “There are things I’ve seen and done that haunt me,” Bonnie says. “But I also know I’ve saved a lot of suffering that was caused by human activity.” And sometimes, when things work out, volunteers have the ultimate reward of returning a rescued animal to the wild. 

A Job for Professionals 

The individuals who run wildlife rehabilitation facilities are professionals. They’ve received extensive training and are licensed by the provincial government. It may look like an easy task and you may be tempted to look after an injured animal yourself, but it can go very, very wrong. Young rabbits and deer may appear to be abandoned, but their mothers have deliberately left their babies in a safe place while they go off to look for food. Animals can die if you don’t feed them the right food. A moose calf will grow up and no longer fit in your spare room but will have to be euthanized as it’s unfit to return to the wild. One family tried to raise a turkey vulture, then dumped it on the side of the road with a pile of food. The bird had a badly broken wing, was too far gone to be rescued, and had to be euthanized. 

Peaceful Coexistence 

A condo association in Saskatoon kills any wildlife that comes on their property. A farmer who shot a coyote in the winter using lead shot also poisoned two bald eagles who fed on the carcass. Gophers are a keystone species and an important part of the food chain for larger wildlife, and yet municipalities consistently poison them because the burrows may damage lawn mowers. 

“Phone us before reaching for poison or a gun,” Bonnie pleads. “We’ll help you come up with a plan to help you coexist. Everything has a place. We can live with animals in cities, at the lake, and in rural areas.” 

We slaughter coyotes in Saskatchewan, and Bonnie believes it’s got to stop. Coyotes are another keystone species and help maintain a balance in nature. Studies have shown that 88% of their diet is rodents so we should be happy to see them on our farms. And killing a coyote can exacerbate the problem. “If you have a family of coyotes on your land, you won’t have a problem as they’ll teach their young how to coexist,” Bonnie says. “But kill that established family unit and you’ll get newcomers on your land that haven’t learned their boundaries.” 

WRSOS volunteers are currently receiving canid response training from Coyote Watch Canada and expect to be the first province with fully trained volunteers to help Saskatchewan residents coexist with foxes and coyotes. “We have people all over the province who can help you resolve a problem,” Bonnie says. 

Lend a Hand 

The WRSOS welcomes new volunteers and will try and identify a role that individuals are comfortable with. For example, you may be prepared to drive but don’t want to handle animals. Training is provided. Volunteers sign up for 4-hour shifts on either the hotline or wildlife rescue. In the busy summer season, the Society applies for grants so that the phone line can be run by summer students while the volunteers are assigned to wildlife rescue. 

Money as well as time is hugely appreciated. WRSOS relies on donations to cover costs associated with the hotline, summer student wages, rescue equipment, and educational initiatives, so give generously. 

Photo Credits: WRSOS

See Also 

Rita’s Re-Cooperation (2021) 

Wildlife Vet in the Making (2018) 

Wildlife Rehabilitation: Knowledge, Expertise, Hard Work - and Love (2012)

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 by email (top right corner).

EcoSask News, August 18, 2020

Upcoming Events
Bird Tours, Aug./Sept. (Saskatoon) 
Stan Shadick is offering physically distanced bird tours with proceeds to Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation:
Shorebird driving tour - Aug. 1-Sept. 15
Pelican driving tour - Aug. 15-Sept. 15
Warbler walking tour - Aug. 20-Sept. 15

Let’s Talk Outdoors, Aug. 20 (online)
SaskOutdoors is launching a podcast on Aug. 20 – Let’s Talk Outdoors: Environmental Enjoyment and Education – with new episodes every third Thursday.

Climate Strike, Aug. 21 & ongoing (online) 
The YXE Youth Climate Committee is hosting a digital Fridays for Future Climate Strike on Fridays from 12-1 pm starting Aug. 21.

Flight of the Monarch, Aug. 22 (online)
Join Nature Saskatchewan in celebrating Flight of the Monarch Day on Aug. 22.

Mini Outdoor School Conference, Aug. 24 (online) 
The Early Childhood Education Council is offering a virtual mini outdoor school conference for its members from 1-2 pm, Aug. 24. Register by emailing saskecec@gmail.com.

SOS Trees Coalition AGM, Aug. 27 (Saskatoon) 
SOS Trees Coalition will hold their annual general meeting outdoors in Victoria Park close to the pagoda at 6:30 pm, Aug. 27.

Backyard Bioblitz, Aug. 24-30 (Saskatchewan) 
Nature Conservancy of Canada is inviting the public to contribute to online community science by searching for plants, animals, and insects in your backyard or local green space and tracking your observations with iNaturalist.

Looking Ahead 
Project WILD, Sept. 16, 23, 30 (online) 
SaskOutdoors is hosting a Project WILD training online from 7-9 pm, Sept. 16, 23, and 30.

George Genereux Park Clean-Up, Sept. 19 (Saskatoon) 
Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas are inviting volunteers to join them in removing garbage in George Genereux Urban Regional Park from 9 am-5 pm, Sept. 19. Volunteers with trucks, wheelbarrows, etc. are encouraged to bring it with them. Disposal bins will be on site in August and September if you want to help out at a different time.

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

Local News
Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas will deliver your recyclables to SARCAN and provide you with a charitable receipt. Call 306-380-5368 to arrange a pick-up.

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Society of Saskatchewan has responded to over 3000 calls to their wildlife hotline this year. Your donations can help support the work of WRSOS and wildlife rehabilitators throughout Saskatchewan (Living Sky in Saskatoon, Salthaven West in Regina, Silverwood in southeast Saskatchewan to name just a few).

Meewasin Valley Authority’s functional study to help minimize the environmental impacts of the proposed Saskatoon Freeway recommends shifting the route by 200-300 metres to the north and a causeway to reduce impact on wetlands. Recent focus groups also expressed concerns and recommendations regarding environmental issues.

Parks Canada has installed EV charging stations in Prince Albert National Park, Batoche and Motherwell Homestead National Historic Sites. Grasslands National Park will have one soon.

From Information to Action
The UK is testing the viability of noise cameras to cut down on noise pollution.

Lower speed limits – on the highway and in town – reduce greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

Having an impact: how to practice science that influences environmental policy and management.

Volunteers are plugging abandoned oil wells in Montana and returning the land to its pre-drilling condition.

The environmental footprint of paper vs electronic books – it depends how much you read.

Efforts to protect the nests of Western Painted Turtles have resulted in almost 200 hatchlings at Elizabeth Lake near Cranbrook.

A 22,000 sq. m. green roof on a university campus in Thailand mimics local rice terrace landscapes, collects rainwater, and grows up to 135,000 rice meals and vegetables each year.

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).

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

One Hour for Nature

Since 2007, people around the world have been turning out their lights for nature on March 28 from 8:30-9:30 pm. Why not go one step further and spend that hour protecting and supporting the natural environment?

1. Are you concerned about light pollution, pedestrian safety, the lack of organic recycling options? Write a letter to City Council or your local Councillor outlining your concerns (Lloydminster, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Regina, Saskatoon, Swift Current, Yorkton).

2. Make a donation to a local nature or environmental organization.

3. Pick up litter around your neighbourhood.

4. Look for and eliminate phantom energy sources in your home.

5. Sit down as a family and share stories about your favorite experiences in nature.

6. Make a wildflower seed bomb or plant some herb or lettuce seeds indoors.

7. Go for a walk away from street lights to count the stars and identify the constellations.

8. Prepare an eco-friendly meal together as a family.