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).

EcoSask News, November 16, 2021

Upcoming Events 

CaféSci Saskatoon is hosting an online presentation on UNESCO Biosphere Reserves: Reconciling people and planet at 7:30 pm, Nov. 23. 

SK-PCAP is hosting a noon-hour webinar on prescribed fire as a conservation management tool on Nov. 30. 

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

Climate Solutions 

“Research suggests that there are significant health and learning benefits for students attending green schools: schools that are built to last and fill classrooms with natural light and freshly-circulated air.” Find out more in this 13-minute video. [Sustainable Building Manitoba] 

New Las Vegas golf courses won’t be able to access municipal water. Golf courses in southern Nevada annually consume over 1400 times as much water as a residential home. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] 

Passive solar heating systems could supply enough heat for a third of the residential space in the United States. Skylights, for example, are an untapped resource. [Futurity] 

Washington, DC’s wastewater treatment plant describes itself as a resource recovery facility. “When recycled properly, poop can power your home, cook your food, fuel your car, and even stave off algae blooms and floods.” [Nautilus] 

Is there a case for sucking carbon out of the air? A long, in-depth article explores the pros and cons of this visionary proposal. Is it crucial to our long-term survival or simply a boondoggle to keep big oil in operation? [Mother Jones]

 

We Can Do Better 

“Sharrows don’t make a road safer — there’s data that they are worse than doing nothing. Drivers don’t understand them. They extend no actual legal benefits to riders. Cities like to install them to seem like they’re doing something. In short, sharrows are bullshit.” [Peter Flax] 

“While governments play a role in certain policies, such as transit and urban planning, consumers can shop their way out of a warming climate … Just make everything last longer and buy less." [CBC]

 

Mushrooms are Magic 

“All mushrooms are magic … It’s time to say their name by acknowledging them all around - from the dinner table to international conservation policies - and including them in our conception of ecosystems that need to be cherished and protected. Say it with me: the world is inhabited by fauna, flora and funga.” [The Guardian] 

For more information about the all-important presence of fungi in our lives, check out the article we posted last December. [EcoFriendly Sask] 

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 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 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, September 28, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Last of the Right Whales premieres at the Calgary International Film Fest Sept. 26. It will be available online from Sept 27-Oct 3 in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. 

The Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan is holding an online information session for rescue and transport volunteers at 2 pm, Oct. 2. 

Library of Things, Saskatoon, will be open for pick-ups by reservation from 1-4 pm, Oct. 2. 

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

Saskatoon’s Energy Management Task Force is offering an online update on DEEP from 7:30-9:15 am, Oct. 6. 

The Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy is hosting a video conference on measuring greenhouse gas sources and sinks in the Canadian Prairies crop sector from 12-12:55 pm, Oct. 7. Register to participate. 

Looking Ahead 

The Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council is hosting repair cafés in Regina, Saskatoon, and online from 10 am-2 pm, Oct. 23. You’re encouraged to book an appointment for both live and virtual events. 

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

 

Local News 

Great news - and well deserved! Wild About Saskatoon: NatureCity Experience is a finalist for a national Community Action Award from the National Museum of Nature. 

This article counters the current arguments in favour of grass-raised beef from a cost, scale, and environmental impact perspective. The article states, “Regenerative ranching begins with the assumption that cattle must be commercially ranched and then backfills an ecological narrative to sustain that assumption.” [The New Republic] 

A joint City/University research study has found a wide range of pharmaceuticals and chemicals in Saskatoon’s wastewater. “The levels we have measured are not high enough to be likely to acutely impact aquatic organisms living in the river. But that does not mean that there are no chronic, long-term implications that might manifest over longer time scales.” [CTV News] 

Urban Coyote, a poem by Glen Sorestad. [This Singing Land kanikamot askiy] 

Healthy People, Healthy Environment 

A new report states that climate change is a threat to public health as well as the environment and the economy. It will affect everyone but not equally, depending on factors such as age, access to health care, and economic disadvantages. [Canadian Institute for Climate Choices] 

The 3-30-300 rule is designed to create equitable access to urban forests, addressing air pollution and urban heat islands. A few communities, such as Saanich in BC, have adopted the rule which calls for every resident to be able to see at least 3 decent-sized trees from their home, live in neighbourhoods with at least 30% tree canopy cover, and live no more than 300 meters from the nearest public green space. [Nature Canada]

Pollution Prevention 

The Sierra Club has endorsed a strong statement opposing “unnecessary and harmful artificial lighting during the day and night.” They provide a comprehensive explanation for their rationale as well as a list of the over 70 references and resources that were consulted in developing the policy. [Sierra Club]

“The production of steel, cement, and ammonia together emit about one-fifth of all human-caused CO2. Technologies are emerging that promise to decarbonize these problem industries, but analysts warn that big challenges remain before the processes can be cleaned up.” [Yale Environment 360] 

Planned obsolescence may be good for phone companies but it’s bad for users’ wallets and even worse for the planet, because it encourages people to treat their phones as disposable. No one really knows how much e-waste (electronic refuse) is generated every year, but one recent estimate put it at 53.6m metric tonnes in 2019. [The Guardian] 

Book Reviews 

Gernot Wagner, author of Geoengineering: The Gamble, says it’s right to be skeptical about solar geoengineering (reflecting solar radiation back into space), but it can’t be ignored as somebody is likely to try it eventually. [Earthbound Report] 

“In Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change, [Thor] Hanson talks to scientists all over the world about how plants and animals are moving and changing, and why some are inherently better set up for success than others.” [The Revelator] 

Did you know? Highbush Cranberry belongs to the honeysuckle family and isn’t actually a cranberry. 

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 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).

Community Highlights: Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas

1. How and when did you form your group? 

The non-profit Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc. was created to preserve and restore the 326-acre Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the George Genereux Urban Regional Park in compliance with the City Council decision that these areas “be preserved in perpetuity.” Situated on the western edge of the city, the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and George Genereux Urban Regional Park are unique natural semi-wilderness habitats of great biodiversity. They are areas of all-season mixed woodland beauty with special geological, geographical, and historical elements, including Paleo-Indian and First Nations heritage. 

These man-made forests on the prairies are the only remaining portions of a 1970s City Plan to create a greenbelt around Saskatoon and were planted in response to the Green Survival program promoted in the US and Canada at that time. The afforestation area’s 50th birthday will be celebrated in 2022. We often remember City Manager Murray Totland’s words, “What would Saskatoon look like if it grew to half a million people?” and then we need to consider, “What do we want it to look like?” Greenspaces are not only nature-based solutions for climate action, but they promote health and wellness and support biodiversity and ecosystems. 

The Friends became an official environmental charity in October 2019 and received provincial non-profit incorporation in August 2019. Before that the Stewards and Stakeholders of the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area volunteers were a loosely knit group of people meeting regularly to conduct afforestation area clean-ups and speak before City of Saskatoon council and committee meetings. 

2. What are your principal activities and why do you believe they’re important? 

We believe this project can be part of an effective long-term strategy to focus our vision of living together on the land in the spirit of Witaskêwin. In a significant way this project allows the past to meet the present and future. The rich geological, historical, natural, and cultural heritage of the areas honours where we have been. Science, conservation, and hands-on learning about the land, the environment, and sustainability ensure our future. “In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” (Baba Dioum) 

Richard St. Barbe Baker said it best when he adopted the African Kikyuyu word Twahmwe meaning “all as one” or “pull together” as the slogan for the International Tree Foundation when he initiated the Watu wa Miti Forest Guardians who had three missions: 

1. Plant ten trees, seedlings, or seeds each year. 

2. Do a good deed every day. 

3. Care for trees everywhere. 

3. What were your successes (big or small) in 2020? 

We worked with University of Saskatchewan classes, engaged in virtual tours, education and awareness campaigns, and supported the “Take it Outside” City of Saskatoon program during COVID, promoting the use of about 475 acres of greenwoods for social distancing with seating and bird stations in the forest. 

We were very grateful to Paul Hanley and Robert White, who personally knew Richard St. Barbe Baker, for increasing public awareness of the great humanitarian efforts achieved worldwide by Baker. 

We appreciate the volunteers who come out to document flora and fauna on the iNaturalist app (individually or during bio-blitzes) to assist the City of Saskatoon and the Meewasin Valley Authority develop their ecological assessment, which will lead to the Master Plan for the afforestation areas in conjunction with the Blairmore Sector development plan. 

On June 5, 2021, World Environment Day, an amazing team of volunteers removed 9,860 kg of trash from George Genereux Park. In the spring, we removed a make-shift log structure which had started to fall down and could have harmed both people and the nearby ecosystem. 

In the past few years, the Friends have organized community volunteer clean-ups removing over 21,790 kg of trash from George Genereux Urban Regional Park and over 38,300 kg of illegally dumped materials from the two afforestation areas. This has made the areas safe for public enjoyment and a variety of recreational and educational user activities. 

4. What would you like to achieve in 2021? 

The afforestation areas have received $100,000 of federal funding to build barriers to stop motorized vehicles from entering and dumping garbage. We will also be installing identification signage, conducting ecological surveys and bio-blitzes to identify significant species and landscape features, and holding garbage clean-ups and educational programming. 

With this Government of Canada funding, it is hoped that environmental protection programming can take place in healthy green spaces. Classes can take part in bio-blitzes; families can engage in nature walks; wedding parties can come out for photographic sessions; and folks can come out and gaze at the meteor showers. 

We look forward to working with our partner, SOS Trees, on climate action activities the Friends will be undertaking. 

5. If you could have 3 wishes for improving your community, what would they be? 

1. To welcome to both afforestation areas those users who appreciate the value of these hidden treasures – man-made mixed woodland oases on the prairies. Benefits are community development, user health and wellness, alongside fabulous all-season nature sightseeing at both the Richard St. Barbe Baker Afforestation Area and the 148-acre George Genereux Urban Regional Park. Everyone is welcome to join the Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas and recognize the true treasure and value of the afforestation areas, which have great potential. (https://stbarbebaker.wordpress.com, friendsofafforestation@gmail.com, 306.380.5368) 

2. That people recognize the importance and value of EcoFriendly Sask and their invaluable service to green groups and the environment of Saskatoon and area. Thank you for your funding support and for all that you do, because EcoFriendly Sask is a mentor and provides role models for improving the community in Saskatoon. 

3. “It is fitting that the afforestation area named after Richard St Barbe Baker, arguably the first global conservationist, be protected and become a site where the public can see the rich biodiversity resulting from planting trees in what was a summer fallow field in 1972.” (Robert White, Masters in Science in Ecology, Friends of the Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc.) 

Photo Credits: #1 Vivian Allan, #2 Shwetha Gopinath, #3 Julia Adamson

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 20, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

One quarter of methane emissions on oil and gas sites come from tanks, which are designed to allow the methane to off-gas: that’s not a leak, that’s a design problem. [CBC]

Beavers are being reintroduced to Utah’s desert landscape. If they become established, “their impacts can be wide-reaching. Just one beaver dam can improve water quality, as well as acting as a firebreaker for the surrounding land.” [BBC] 

Upcoming Events 

Efficiency Canada is hosting a virtual energy efficiency networking event from 1-1:45 pm, July 22. 

Join a nation-wide backyard bioblitz coordinated by the Nature Conservancy of Canada, July 29-Aug. 2. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am-3:30 pm, Aug. 8. 

All events are listed on the EcoFriendly Sask Calendar

Local News 

SOS Trees is urging Saskatoon residents to ask City Council to eliminate landfill fees for the safe disposal of elm as a contribution to protecting the city’s urban forest. [SOS Trees] 

Global warming, urban growth, and spring run-off from farm fertilizers are degrading surface waters in southern Saskatchewan and creating poisonous toxins. [Regina Leader Post] 

The Wildlife Rescue Society of Saskatchewan and The Fur-Bearers address issues surrounding human-wildlife coexistence through local efforts to protect a family of foxes and to respond to the trapping and killing of coyotes in Vancouver’s Stanley Park. [WRSOS, The Fur-Bearers] 

Prince Albert's plastic bag ban will go into effect Oct. 12 after being delayed due to the pandemic. Saskatchewan produces the second-most waste per capita in Canada. [CBC]

 

Reuse & Repair

Some reusable kitchenware products have a greater environmental impact than single-use products. Silicone sandwich bags and beeswax wraps use too much water and energy to be beneficial. [Anthropocene] 

More and more products aren’t easily repairable – from laptop computers to farm machinery. Here's why we need the right to repair and what it should entail – information, parts and tools, legal unlocking, and accommodating repair in design. [New York Times Wirecutter] 

Retrofitting Our Homes & Cities 

“Pavement — comprising roads and parking lots — takes up roughly 30% of the city surface. . . Removing urban pavement would reduce stormwater run-off and treatment, rebuild natural climate buffers in cities, release soil from confinement, make space to plant trees, sequester carbon, and allow people to breathe fresh air, not asphalt.” [Next City] 

Home energy renovations (insulation, heat pumps, better windows) could create jobs and save on healthcare costs. [Pembina Institute report] 

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).

Did you know? Hawk Moth fly and move like hummingbirds and can be seen hovering in front of a flower while they unfurl their long tongue and insert it in the flower to sip the nectar.

EcoSask News, July 6, 2021

Upcoming Events 

Sierra Club – Prairie Chapter is organizing a series of hikes in Saskatchewan this summer: 

7 pm, July 6 – Cranberry Flats Conservation Area, Saskatoon (1.8 mile loop, easy) 

7 pm, July 9 – Northeast Swale, Saskatoon (5 km, easy) 

1:30 pm, July 15 – Anglin Lake Loop, Prince Albert (9 km, moderate) 

noon, July 20 – Fairy Hill Trail, Regina (5.6 km, moderate) 

11 am, July 21 – Wascana Trail Loop, Regina (4.8 km, easy) 

There will be a Train the Trainer: Orienteering workshop in Regina from 10 am-noon, July 10. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm on July 11. 

Forests 

Miniature urban forests, from 6 to 250 square metres, may not solve climate change but “can have positive impacts on things like urban cooling, water regulation, and biodiversity.” [National Geographic] 

Canadian government and industry representatives are lobbying against a California proposal that would protect intact boreal forests and respect Indigenous rights. [The Narwahl] 

Protecting endangered species is never easy and often conflicts with industry. Take, for example, the marbled murrelet in BC: “The marbled murrelet may be small, but its nesting habitat requirements are vast and specific. Just a moss covered branch that’s high in the canopy of a centuries-old tree, close— but not too close—to the sea.” [Capital Daily] 

Urban Opportunities 

What a wealth of natural resources and biodiversity in the area currently under consideration for the new University Heights neighbourhood in Saskatoon! Rare plants and birds, wetlands, native grasses, a sharp-tailed grouse lek, and more are all at risk from construction, roads, and houses. [City of Saskatoon] 

Cities can help solve the biodiversity crisis with wildlife creating niches in unexpected places - from golf courses and cemeteries to community gardens, backyards, and vacant lots. [Yale Environment 360] 

Green roofs have an important role in climate action and sustainable, energy-efficient and biodiversity-integrated design and development. [National Environmental Treasure] 

Energy 

A water treatment plant in Halifax will supply renewable energy to six mixed-use buildings. [Water Canada] 

Diesel subsidies to remote communities impede transition to clean energy systems. [Pembina Institute]

 

What a Great Idea! 

A decommissioned bridge across the Mississippi River could be turned into a national park and wildlife bridge. [Inhabitat] 

Alex Honnold’s Sustainability Tick List outlines small steps leading to big change in lowering our environmental impact. [Honnold Foundation] 

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).

EcoSask News, June 22, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

Help weed and mulch the 200 fruit-bearing trees and shrubs on the east side of the river between the Circle Drive and train bridges from 1-4 pm, Saturday, June 26. Tools will be provided. Contact Jordan for additional information (306-380-9565, jrs260@usask.ca). 

Want to reduce your carbon footprint? Switch from videoconferencing to voice-only online meetings and you’ll reduce your environmental impact by 96%. [Anthropocene] 

Upcoming Events 

Have your say on the City of Saskatoon’s Green Infrastructure Strategy at a virtual workshop from 1-3 pm, June 24, or 7-9:30 pm, June 29. Or you can complete an online survey from now until July 4. 

Nature Conservancy of Canada is hosting a webinar on tackling invasive species from 11:30 am-12:30 pm, June 24. 

City of Regina residents can dispose of hazardous waste from 4-7 pm on Friday, 9 am-4 pm, Saturday, and 9 am-4 pm, Sunday, June 25-27. 

EnviroCollective Regina will be holding an online meeting from 7-9 pm, June 28.

Looking Ahead 

Enjoy art classes in a natural setting at Ness Creek from July 26-29.

 

Local News 

“In a province that’s home to nearly half of Canada’s arable land . . . the impact of farming operations on downstream water bodies is huge. . . . a careful balance has to be struck between the vital economic necessities of farming and protecting the environment for the future” [Saskatoon StarPhoenix] 

Find out more about the prairies with games and activities from the Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan, including an interactive game, a field guide to the plants and animals living on the prairies, and field activities. 

What a Good Idea! 

E-scooter fees will partially fund a $2 million program to add 3 miles of protected bike lanes in downtown Miami. [Planetizen] 

The online shopping boom calls for new urban freight options to reduce emissions, air pollution, and traffic congestion. Here are 10 proven options as well as 4 new ones. [Pembina Institute] 

Ten Bold Ideas: Accelerating Climate Action in the 2020s offers some intriguing ideas, such as a repair workshop on every main street, menu flipping, and real golf. [Possible] 

Over 100 wildflower meadows, funded by the municipalities, have been planted in Germany’s largest cities over the past 3 years. Their goal is to protect Germany’s wild bees, more than half of which are endangered or on the verge of extinction. [The Guardian] 

A colony of rare orchids, thought to be extinct in the UK, has been discovered in the rooftop garden of a London bank, demonstrating that green infrastructure can protect and maintain biodiversity. [The Guardian] 

We Can Do Better! 

Cascades: Creating a Sustainable Health System in a Climate Crisis wants to engage the health care community in climate action and is hosting a listening tour, starting July 7. [Centre for Sustainable Health Systems] 

A proposed lithium mine in Nevada highlights a dilemma facing green tech: it’s still reliant on extractive industries. Opponents “assert that the mining industry is simply greenwashing old practices and exploiting the political climate that favors green energy, while using the laws that have enabled dispossession and destroyed environments for over a century.” [Earth Island Journal] 

“Peatlands, such as fens, bogs, marshes and swamps, cover just 3% of the Earth’s total land surface, yet store over one-third of the planet’s soil carbon.” They’re drying out or being destroyed, and that’s a problem. [The Conversation] 

If you’re looking for hard economic data to support climate action, check out The economics of climate change: no action not an option, which states, “The world economy could be 10% smaller if the 2050 net-zero emissions and Paris Agreement targets on climate change are not met.” [Swiss Re Institute] 

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 nature app/website for Canada's 4 western provinces

EcoSask News, June 1, 2021

This Week’s Highlights 

SaskPower is holding online conversations on June 9 & 16 to consult with the public on its long-term power strategy. You can register for morning or afternoon sessions. 

“Environmentalism emerged from the 1960s as a movement to save the natural world. Now it seems to have been appropriated to describe the fight to save industrial civilisation — life as we know it.” 

Upcoming Events 

Margret Asmuss will provide an overview of climate impacts and action in Saskatchewan at 6:30 pm, June 3, online. 

City of Saskatoon residents can dispose of household hazardous waste from 9 am to 3:30 pm on June 6. 

There will be a noon-hour webinar on bats on June 8 as part of the Native Prairie Speaker Series. 

The Provincial Association of Resort Communities of Saskatchewan is hosting a webinar with Jo Jozsa discussing zoning bylaws to protect lakes at 7 pm, June 9. 

Project WILD and Flying WILD will be combined in a one-day virtual workshop on June 10. 

City Life

Form follows fuel: “From the earliest known archeological remains to the trends of the 21st century, the availability of energy has shaped architecture. That’s a perspective that deserves exploring, especially since the energy constraints imposed by climate change now present ‘the toughest challenge the world of architecture has ever faced’.” [book review] 

Canadian cities tend to sprawl – and sprawl costs money, time, and energy. What if we moved away from that model to the “20-minute city” where everything you need (work, grocery store, coffee shop) is within 20 minutes? “Touted benefits include better air quality, a healthier population, higher property values and lower transportation costs for those who can eschew an automobile. . . . Making cities more walkable involves creating a more compact footprint, where more businesses are built near existing homes. But it also means building housing near existing businesses, such as stores and restaurants.”

Canmore, AB, has grown from a small coal-mining community to a large bustling tourist destination. Residents are now struggling to reconcile tourism development with climate, transportation, and housing goals, as well as protection of an important wildlife corridor. A group of residents hopes to purchase a piece of land to create a permanent conservation area and affordable housing. 

 

We Can Do Better 

Smokescreen: Debunking Wildfire Myths to Save Our Forests and Our Climate by Chad T. Hanson explains why wildfire are beneficial, the role fire-burned trees play in maintaining biodiversity, and the need to focus on home fire safety and defensible space as opposed to back-country vegetation management. [book review] 

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are used in air conditioning and refrigeration systems and are “hundreds to thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere”. Refrigeration systems in supermarkets aren’t air-tight, so they lose 25% of their refrigerant every year – “that amounts to emissions equivalent to more than 12 million cars driving for a year”. There are alternatives, as demonstrated by a New York City grocery store, but no easy answers. [podcast & transcript] 

Arbor Week 

Five easy ways to keep our trees happy. 

There are four main groups of conifers on the Canadian Prairies: fir, pine, spruce, and larch. 

SOS Trees pairs advocacy with education.

Did you know? Female Spotted Sandpipers mate with up to 5 males, leaving the males to incubate the eggs and feed the young [Nature Companion is downloadable directly from its website] 

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).