EcoSask News, February 1, 2022

“It is good to have dreams to work towards. To desire a world that is once again full of life is to conjure a singing, bright planet of wonder, awe and fear. It is to yearn to be taken to where the heart leaps for joy or trembles in trepidation. To be awe-full. That has to be a goal worth striving for.” [Nearby Wild] 

Upcoming Events 

The WildEcol Seminar Series is hosting an online presentation on using movement data from brown pelicans to answer ecological questions at 3:30 pm, Feb. 4. 

SaskOutdoors is hosting an online Adventure Smart presentation by Saskatoon Search and Rescue at 7 pm, Feb. 8. 

Join Wild About Saskatoon and expert guests for a NatureCity Conversation about starting native plants from seed from 7:30-8:30 pm, Feb. 10. 

Looking Ahead 

Wetland Knowledge Exchange is hosting a presentation on the Canadian model for peatlands: a national scale peatland carbon accounting model from 1-2 pm, Feb. 16. 

As part of a webinar series on law’s relationship with the North Saskatchewan River, Cameron Jefferies will present ecological sustainability and intergenerational stewardship as preferable alternatives to sustainable development at 1 pm, Feb. 16. 

The Saskatoon Nature Society is hosting an online presentation on wetland drainage and its impacts on biodiversity in the prairie and parkland region at 7:30 pm, Feb. 17. 

Nature Regina is hosting an online presentation with updates on the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas at 7 pm, Feb. 21. 

Carole Tink and Greg Kuntz will discuss Regina’s energy and sustainability framework in an SES/SPL online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Feb. 22. 

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

 

Energy 

In-depth reporting provides a valuable explanation of the options and the issues involved in undertaking and financing carbon capture and storage on the Prairies. [The Narwhal] 

“A tax on emissions forces firms to internalize at least some of the costs of dirty production, which incentivizes them to find cleaner ways of producing in the most cost-effective way possible.” [Futurity] 

Natural gas cookers expose households to formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide. They also leak a lot of methane (comparable to the carbon dioxide emissions of 500,000 gas-powered cars) even when they’re off. [Futurity] 

Youth 

An activist youth group is calling on the Oregon government “to end freeway widening projects that contribute to increased congestion and carbon emissions.” They may be having an impact. [Planetizen] 

“If we are serious about tapping into education’s potential to help us achieve a more sustainable future, we need to recognize activists as educators and help build bridges between them and schools.” [Yes Magazine] 

Nature’s Wonders 

Joe Gray says he experiences pleasure when in the presence of insects and a sense of reverence. He reports on a two-part seminar in which he participated that discussed invertebrate animal sentience. [Ecological Citizen]

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). 

Sweat bees are extremely hard working and pollinate a wide variety of plants. [Nature Companion]

EcoSask News, January 18, 2022

Upcoming Events 

Wild Ecol Seminar Series is hosting an online presentation on the seasonal migration of Water Boatmen as a linkage between wetland and river ecosystems at 3:30 pm, Jan. 21. 

Catherine Beaudoin will discuss local food and reducing food waste in an online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Jan. 25, organized by the Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library. 

SaskOutdoors is hosting an online presentation on tools and resources for teaching about climate change and sustainability at 4 pm, Jan. 25. 

Looking Ahead 

The Citizens Environmental Alliance – Saskatchewan is hosting the second half of a virtual conference on Farmland Drainage and the Environment from Feb. 28 to Mar. 4. Topics include: does farmland drainage actually pay, wetland policies in the Prairie provinces, and landowner rights and responsibilities: laws, stewardship ethics, and conservation psychology. 

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

Energy 

Reinventing the electric grid is essential if we are to reach 100% renewable electricity. Storage, greater generation range and transmission, and managing demand to better match supply will be required to accommodate the variability of wind and solar energy. [Undark] 

Women who live closer to oil and gas drilling are at higher risk of pregnancy complications, while infants have a greater risk of health complications. The oil industry has fought the introduction of setback requirements. [DeSmog] 

The oil and gas sector accounted for 26% of Canada’s GHG emissions in 2019, while oilsands emissions rose by 137% between 2005 and 2019. To meet Canada’s climate goals, the government will have “to follow through on a series of increasingly stringent caps on emissions from oil and gas sources.” [Pembina Institute]

 

Fashion 

The New York Fashion Act will require large fashion companies to “detail the lifecycle of their garments: from the farms where the raw materials were extracted, through to factories and shipping. They must then identify the points where they have the greatest adverse impact on the environment and people. It will require them to examine fair wages, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, water and chemical management. They also have to make concrete plans to do better … Failure to do so will see the firms fined up to 2 per cent of their annual revenues.” [Euronews Green] 

Nature’s Wonders 

Giant millipedes as big as cars (2.7 m long weighing 50 kg) roamed Great Britain approximately 326 million years ago. [Euronews Green]

 

The Yellow-spotted Millipede is found in the Pacific Northwest. The yellow spots are a vibrant warning to steer clear or you’ll be sprayed with hydrogen cyanide, which is lethal to birds and rodents. (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, January 4, 2022

Upcoming Events 

SaskOutdoors will be hosting the following virtual workshops: 

Below Zero - 7-9 pm, Jan. 11 & 18 

Get Outside & Play - 7 pm, Jan. 17 

Project WILD - 7-9 pm, Jan. 24, 31, and Feb. 7 

Friends of Wascana Marsh will be holding a virtual annual general meeting at 7 pm, Jan. 20. 

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

Energy 

Countries “will never agree to ‘phase down’ or ‘phase out’ fossil fuel energy without a reasonable substitute source of energy.” Is nuclear power the answer? [Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy] 

“The federal government should cap oilsands production to stop the rapid growth of toxic tailings. Then, industry should recycle the toxic waste instead of immediately dumping it.” Releasing tailings into the Athabasca River endangers the river and the people and wildlife that depend upon it. [The Narwhal] 

The largest solar project in Kentucky is being built on top of an abandoned mountain-top strip mine. [Yale Environment 360]

 

Conservation

Pittsburgh plans to become dark-sky compliant, switching to lower wattage LED bulbs and adding shade along bridges, roads, and other public areas. It will also be the first city to follow the International Dark Sky Association’s new values-centered outdoor lighting [IDA], comprehensive suggestions surrounding wattage and colour temperature as well as when and how to keep lights on. [Bloomberg CityLab] 

“Expanding the area and number of protected areas is not the solution to maintaining or restoring ecological connectivity. Instead, management for conservation should address unprotected areas, especially ones near existing protected areas to minimize the loss of connectivity.” [Conservation Corridor]

 

Celebration 

“The yellow birch is not ‘just a tree,’ but a life filled with generosity, and is a life that will be around 150 years beyond my own.” [Nature Canada] 

Marvel at the intricate detail and colourful complexity of Singapore’s microfauna. [Nicky Bay’s Macro Photography] 

“For many scientists, the resonant mystery is no longer which animals are conscious, but which are not.” How birds, fishes, bees, and other sentient beings experience the world. [The Atlantic] 

“By land or by sea, early whales moved between continents and were a larger part of Earth’s ancient ecology than paleontologists previously expected.” [Smithsonian Magazine] 

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, December 21, 2021

Ocean-dwelling Christmas tree worms use their festive crowns to catch dinner as it floats by. [Oceana]

Upcoming Events 

Participate in iNaturalist’s Winter Bug Project from now until March 1, 2022. Photograph any arthropod (insect, spider, sowbug, etc.) found active indoors or out – in Alberta or Saskatchewan – on land or in water (but not including pets or pet food) and post it online. Experts will help you identify it and it will be added to the count.

Gardening at USask is offering the following online classes, beginning at 7 pm: 

Jan. 3 – Winter Compost Tips 

Feb. 7 – Wasps 

Details about all upcoming events can be found on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Construction 

Climate Caucus, a group of locally-elected climate leaders, has asked the federal government to adopt an energy-efficient, zero-carbon, outcomes-based building code that will set a high standard for local governments. [LinkedIn] 

“If buildings are to make meaningful contributions to keeping global temperature rise to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, limiting emissions from building materials is crucial.” [The Conversation]

 

Transportation 

“Instead of funding new and wider roads, we should build places where people want to slow down and get out of their cars.” [Undark] 

A cartoon lampoons the growing size of trucks and SUVs – Share the road? No way! [The Nib via Planetizen] 

Toronto has amended its bylaws to allow pedal-assisted cargo e-bikes for personal and commercial delivery purposes, but “emerging issues regarding vehicle and pedestrian safety highlight a need to examine how best to regulate cargo e-bikes.” [Pembina Institute] 

Consumption 

The sale of peat to gardeners in England and Wales will be banned by 2024. The government hopes to end use of peat in the professional horticulture sector by 2028. [The Guardian] 

Le Printemps, an iconic Parisian department store, has transformed its top floor into an haute couture and vintage thrift store that also showcases sustainable brands. [Sortir à Paris] 

“The Day the World Stops Shopping offers a thought experiment: what if, overnight, we reduced shopping by 25%? What would happen? … What would it mean for fashion brands? What about the people who make those clothes in low income countries? How would it affect the advertising industry, or traffic rates? What would happen to the global economy, and to carbon emissions? Nature gets a look in too, with a chapter investigating the impact on wildlife.” [book review, The Earthbound Report] 

Water 

Proposed coal mining in southern Alberta could lead to contamination of the South Saskatchewan River from metals such as arsenic, selenium, and cadmium. “If you’re going to look at mining development of the headwaters, you have to look at the whole river basin, the whole watershed, and follow the impacts downstream … And that hasn’t been done.” [The StarPhoenix] 

Shifting Priorities 

“Genuinely sustainable investing could help shift trillions of dollars toward renewable energy and other clean technologies, but only with strong parameters. So far, however, there are no stringent requirements in Canada for climate disclosures, nor is there a single set of standards for what counts as a sustainable investment—regulatory gaps that can make it hard for climate-conscious investors to know how to make the right choices.” [The Walrus] 

Wishing you a very happy Christmas from Andrew and Penny at EcoFriendly Sask. We’ll be back next Tuesday with a Boxing Day Book Special and EcoSask News will resume on January 4. 

Snowshoe Hare snort when they’re annoyed. Find out more on EcoFriendly Sask’s free nature website/app for Canada’s 4 western provinces. [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).

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).

EcoSask News, November 2, 2021

Upcoming Events 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm, Nov. 7. 

Looking Ahead 

SaskOutdoors is offering Projet Wet (en français) online from 4-6 pm, Nov. 30. 

SK-PCAP will be holding a virtual Native Prairie Restoration/Reclamation Workshop from Feb. 8-10. 

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

Local News 

Regina residents are invited to complete a survey regarding the City’s approach to becoming a 100% renewable energy city by 2050. [City of Regina]

 

Forests 

Canada’s “logging industry continues to clearcut more than 400,000 hectares of the boreal each year — about five NHL hockey rinks every minute — much of this in irreplaceable primary forests, which have not been previously impacted by human disturbance.” [The Narwhal] 

Conservation organizations, with assistance from the Earth Law Center, are challenging the state of Washington for managing forests for revenue generation. “These lands are a gift that should not have to be squeezed for every dollar when they already benefit us in so many ways, from storing carbon to providing clean water, wildlife habitat, and healthy recreation access.” [OPB] 

Aiming for Zero Waste 

While BC is a continental leader in composting and recycling, it continues to generate large amounts of unnecessary waste. A report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives outlines upstream solutions to reduce the flow of material, looking at plastics, demolition and construction waste, and repair and maintenance. [CCPA]

 

Small but Mighty 

There’s more going on in spider brains than they normally get credit for. Jumping spiders have developed devious hunting tactics and are skilled at getting out of dangerous situations. [Knowable Magazine] 

Moths have finessed an extensive repertoire of tactics to avoid being caught and eaten by bats. They issue warning cries, jam bat signals, create false targets, and use sound-absorbing cloaking devices. [Knowable Magazine] 

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).

Take a look at EcoFriendly Sask's Nature Companion, a kid-friendly nature app for Canada's 4 western provinces

EcoSask News, October 12, 2021

Upcoming Events 

There will be a virtual Wild Ecol Seminar Series presentation on pronghorn and mountain goat population monitoring at 3:30 pm, Oct. 15. 

Ryan Fisher will describe a day in the life of the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum at Nature Regina’s meeting at 7:30 pm, Oct. 18. 

The Saskatchewan Environmental Society and the Saskatoon Public Library are offering an online presentation from 7-8:30 pm, Oct. 19, on uranium: premises, promises & predicaments. 

There will be an online presentation on eagle research and conservation in the intermountain west at the Saskatoon Nature Society meeting at 7:30 pm, Oct. 21. 

Looking Ahead 

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council is hosting a fall workshop from 9-11:45 am, Nov. 4. 

SaskOutdoors is offering a remote first aid course in Lumsden Nov. 12-14. 

Full event details are available on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Local News 

The Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park and Zoo has won an industry excellence award for the prairie dog exhibit and the Saskatoon Zoo Society for its virtual environmental education programs for children in K-8 that incorporate real-time animal interactions. [City of Saskatoon] 

The Saskatoon Freeway project has released its preferred route following public consultation. In addition, Partners for Growth has released a planning district zoning bylaw.

 

Peaceful Coexistence 

“When negative encounters arise between wildlife and humans, it isn’t a sign that coexistence is failing; it’s a sign that it’s time for those efforts to begin in earnest. Coexistence is a daily intention. A thoughtful and regular pursuit of behaviours and philosophy that humans and wild animals can adapt to living in the same spaces.” [The Fur-Bearers] 

The West is a “wiry place, containing enough fencing to circle the equator 25 times. Sage grouse, peregrine falcons, and other birds collide with fences, and ungulates must navigate an endless obstacle course.” Fences trap, injure, and kill large animals; separate mothers from calves; and exclude herds from prime habitat. The research done by fence ecologists will be important in identifying solutions. [Undark] 

Energy Gains & Losses 

Interprovincial connections between electricity grids are an essential element in delivering the clean electricity that is the key to decarbonizing Canada’s economy. [Pembina Institute] 

The environmental impact of using a ride-hailing app (Uber or Lyft) is 30-35% greater than using a personal vehicle, even if the entire app-based fleet is electric. Any potential benefits are lost when an Uber or Lyft driver travels from one drop-off to the next pickup, or simply drives around waiting for their next fare to be assigned. “Taxes and other public policy approaches could help hold down the external costs of app-based travel, the researchers suggest, for example by encouraging ride-pooling through Uber and Lyft, encouraging app-based travel to destinations where parking is in especially short supply, and discouraging it on routes that are already well served by public transit.” [Anthropocene]

 

Not in my Back Yard? 

“Why do insects have to be either beneficial or pests?” Every insect species is an essential “part of a complex web of interacting communities and ecosystems. Every (native) species plays an integral role that would be missed if it were gone … If you lean into the idea that you’re creating [garden] habitat for as many species as you can, success comes easily. Instead of worrying about what’s eating your plants, you’ll start to notice which plants attract the most caterpillars or grasshoppers. Then, you’ll notice where the crab spiders or assassin bugs like to hang out, trying to take advantage of that abundance of prey. Birds will appear too, catching those insects to feed their families or fuel their migration flights. A complex mass of dynamic interactions will be taking place literally in your back yard – and you’ll have a front row seat.” [The Prairie Ecologist] 

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 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).

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, August 31, 2021

Upcoming Events 

EMTF-SK is offering an online presentation on hydrogen fuel technologies from 7:30-9:15 am, Sept. 1. 

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

Looking Ahead 

SaskOutdoors is offering a virtual Project Wild training from Sept. 13-Oct. 4. 

Nature Saskatchewan is hosting its fall meet in Moose Jaw on Sept. 18. 

The Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Areas Inc. has planned a number of activities during National Forest Week from Sept. 18-26. 

Full event details are provided on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar 

Agriculture 

“Diversifying landscapes . . . could conserve nature and help to boost food production . . . landscapes with increased diversity typically produced around 17 to 18 bushels more per acre, of corn and wheat” [Anthropocene] 

A study of Alberta’s Bow River Basin shows that many farmers who adopt modern irrigation systems expand their operations, leading to increased agricultural water demand and potential water shortages. [Science Direct] 

Housing 

“What if the most American symbol of unsustainable consumption isn’t the automobile, but the air conditioner?” [Vox] 

As a result of the pandemic, Americans want larger homes, farther apart, with greater distance to schools and stores – despite the fact that urban sprawl fails to address climate change. [Planetizen] 

Low-rise, high-density cities have a lower carbon impact than high-rise, high-density cities as high-rises use more materials and need to be built further apart. [npj Urban Sustainability]

 

Cohabiting with Wildlife 

Letter from an urban deer: “Don’t fret if you see us on your lawns. Rewilding is not just about letting a few species run free far away from human civilization. It’s about allowing our world to cross over into your world.” [High Country News] 

A UK study has found that LED streetlights cause worse light pollution resulting in fewer insect pollinators than traditional sodium bulbs. But that doesn’t have to be the case. “LEDs are dimmable, can be linked to motion sensors and can have cheap filters fitted to screen out blue light.” [The Guardian] 

Did you know? The width of the banded woolly bear caterpillar's red band is said to predict the severity of the coming winter, but this isn't the case. The red band lengthens as the caterpillar matures, while wetter weather lengthens the black bands. [Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s 4 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, August 24, 2021

Upcoming Events 

City of Moose Jaw residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-3 pm, Aug. 28. 

SOS Trees is holding its annual general meeting at 7 pm, Aug. 30, outdoors in Saskatoon. 

Looking Ahead 

Register to help the Nature Conservancy of Canada remove old fencing, a barrier and hazard for wildlife, from their Asquith property from 9:30 am-3:30 pm, Sept. 11. 

SaskOutdoors is offering a canoe certification course in Regina on Sept. 18-19. 

Full event details are available on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

 

Horsetail is one of the oldest plants on earth, reproducing by spore rather than seed. It can be found in or near wetland areas such as marshes, rivers, and streams throughout North America. [Nature Companion] 

Wetlands 

This could be the worst drought year ever in Saskatchewan, and wetland drainage has exacerbated the situation. “We have tax incentives for farmers to get as much land into production as possible, we need to put incentives in there to make it worthwhile financially for farmers to retain those wetlands,” says John Pomeroy, U of S hydrologist. [CKOM] 

One of our readers thought she had observed a decline in the number of Franklin’s Gulls. We did a little research and she’s quite correct. Franklin’s Gulls have declined by 95% in the United States between 1968 and 2015. A major factor has been the loss of wetlands where the gulls nest. [All About Birds] 

Climate Action 

Whether they are Canadian or US politicians, playing nice with the fossil fuel industry is climate denial. “It’s not that politicians in powerful countries have done nothing in the past two decades. The problem, rather, is that where they’ve done anything at all, it has tended to be the wrong thing, emphasizing subtle market tweaks and shiny new technologies instead of the core work of decarbonization: getting off fossil fuels as quickly as possible.” [The New Republic] 

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Sustainable Forest Management Standard “leaves it up to the logging companies to self-identify that their activities are sustainable. The result is akin to having the fox guard the henhouse”. [Ecojustice] 

How to Think About the Climate Crisis by Graham Parkes looks at how the way we think can either choke off climate solutions or lead us out of philosophical dead ends. There is a focus on Chinese ways of thinking such as feng shui and animism because “We can’t resolve the climate crisis without Chinese cooperation – and that requires a more open attitude to, and better acquaintance with, their ideas about politics.” [book review, The Earthbound Report] 

Appreciating Nature 

Meet 10 racialized female and non-binary trailblazers who are transforming our sense of who belongs in the natural world. They say nature is for everyone and are trying to make it more accessible. [The Narwhal] 

With their fancy colours, elaborate sex lives, and strong parenting instincts, there’s a lot we don’t know or appreciate about mosquitoes. [Smithsonian Magazine] 

Outdoor Education 

We published a list of nature and environmental educational programs for young people last year. There may be some changes, but it should still provide a solid starting point. 

Earlier this year, we did some digging on the internet and came up with some nature apps we think look great for families with kids. 

Cattails play an important role in purifying and removing pollutants from bodies of water. They also form an important habitat for birds, insects, amphibians, and fish. [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, 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).

Spiders – Not So Scary After All

As the offspring of an entomologist (someone who studies insects) and avid supporters of all wild creatures, Andrew and I are intrigued rather than repelled by insects and arachnids. In fact, Andrew takes numerous photographs of crab spiders and fishing spiders every summer. 

Here are just a few facts about spiders that may help you to view these tiny creatures with awe rather than fear. 

Insect, Arachnid, or Spider? 

All spiders are arachnids, but not all arachnids are spiders. The arachnid category also includes scorpions, mites, ticks, and harvestmen (aka daddy longlegs). 

All arachnids have 8 legs (it’s safer to consider this as 4 pairs of legs as spiders often lose one or two legs and still manage just fine), whereas insects only have 6 legs. Unlike insects, arachnids only have two parts to their body and lack antennae and wings. 

A Vote of Thanks 

There are over 45,000 different types of spiders and we owe them a huge vote of thanks as they play an important role in safeguarding our food supply by reducing the number of agricultural pests. In our homes, spiders keep insect pests under control and even limit the spread of disease via fleas, mosquitoes, and cockroaches. One spider can catch hundreds of tiny flies in a single day. 

By the way, there are house spiders and garden spiders. Garden spiders only rarely come indoors and, if you put a house spider outside, it will die. 

Why Most Spiders Have Eight Eyes 

Unlike humans, spiders don’t have a neck so they can’t easily turn their head to look at things like we can. Extra eyes help them to see in various different directions. 

In addition, human eyes perform a variety of different functions, whereas each pair of spider eyes has a specific role to play. The main set of eyes provide sharp colour vision and are good at accurately picking out details. They’re often large, helping them to take in a larger field of vision. 

The secondary sets of eyes on the sides of their head detect motion and warn the spider when something is heading their way, be it predator or prey.

 

Feeling the Vibes 

Spiders don’t have ears, but they can sense vibrations. Tiny hairs on their legs bend in response to vibrations in the air or transmitted through floors and walls. Scientists have found that jumping spiders will freeze when they pick up a low-frequency hum or buzz as this sound overlaps with the wingbeat frequency of predators such as parasitoid wasps and flies. 

Spiders pluck the strings of their webs, causing the webs to vibrate. Differences in the vibrations will tell them what type of meal is tangled in their web, if a potential mate is approaching, or whether the web is damaged and needs repairs. 

Weavers and Webs 

Spiders possess a remarkable ability to produce silk that is tough, flexible, and completely organic. The silk starts out as a watery gel. As it passes through an ever-narrowing tube, it picks up coatings that are responsible for stickiness and water resistance. The gel only solidifies when it is stretched. Spiders can create different kinds of silk for different tasks, whether it’s to build a web, wrap up prey or an egg sac, or provide a pocket of air for water spiders. 

Not all spiders spin webs to catch their prey. Some, such as wolf spiders, are hunters, while others sit and wait for the prey to come to them (e.g. crab spiders). Spiders also create many different kinds of webs – from the round, geometrical webs we may find in our homes to sheets, funnels, and loosely connected cobwebs. 

Webs are sticky – that’s how they catch their prey or get caught in our hair. So how do spiders avoid getting trapped in their own web? First of all, webs aren’t consistently sticky so spiders are able to step around the drops of glue. Even if they touch one, it’s annoying (like stepping on a wad of bubble gum) but not a serious problem. But when a fly hits a web, it hits about 50 drops of glue all at the same time and then it’s stuck.

 

Protective Parents 

Garden spiders lay a sac of eggs in a sheltered spot and remain with it until they die in the fall. The spiderlings will emerge the following summer, forming a web with a ball of tiny spiders that scatter in all directions when disturbed. 

Fishing spiders create a nursery web to protect their spiderlings when they hatch. 

Wolf spiders carry their spiderlings around for a week, either feeding them with liquefied food or killing prey for them to eat. 

Some spiderlings leave home by heading to a high spot on a plant and producing one or more strands of silk that are then picked up and carried away by the rising air currents on a warm day. 

See Also 

Insects - Valuable, Unloved 

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).

Nature Companion, a free (and ad-free) app/website, introduces over 300 of the trees, plants, insects, reptiles, animals, and birds found in Canada’s four western provinces.