Welcome to EcoWest News, a weekly round-up of news and resources that you can put to use in addressing environmental issues and protecting the wild in your community.

Across the West

Large dairy/cattle agribusinesses under consideration in North Dakota pose a threat to Lake Winnipeg and Canada’s waterways. [CCPA]

Sick or injured wildlife can now receive temporary care at a drop-off centre at Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo before being transferred to Wildlife Haven Rehabilitation Centre, 20 km away. [CBC]

The Native Plant Society of Saskatchewan is hosting an introduction to the native grassland and aspen forest plants and ecosystems of southern Saskatchewan on June 21 & 22. [NPSS]

The 100-year Action Plan to restore Victoria’s Bowker Creek watershed is being updated. Residents are invited to complete a survey or attend an open house. [Capital Regional District]

UBC ocean pollution researcher and Tsleil-Waututh Nation are concerned about the environmental impact of dredging the Burrard Inlet to maximize oil shipments. [CBC]

Across Canada

Alison McCreesh’s comic-like illustrations turn a dense document on a changing climate into something more engaging, more relatable, and less dry. [CBC, Government of the Northwest Territories]

Indigenous Utilities: The Building of Indigenous-Owned Electrical Utilities in Canada explores why Indigenous nations may form a utility, a range of possible Indigenous utility models, as well as what the barriers, challenges and risks may be. [PDF, First Nations Major Projects Coalition]

Around the World

“Climate adaptation has become a decisive factor in sport—both to protect the health of athletes and to ensure safe sporting activities and facilities.” It requires building more climate adaptation competence at all levels, from PE teachers and coaches to event organizers and city planners. [The Energy Mix]

Citizen Science

McGill University is asking Canadians to Blitz the Gap by hosting a local bioblitz or choosing a challenge to fill biodiversity data gaps. [Blitz the Gap]

Across Canada, volunteers are monitoring their lake’s health and tracking the plants and wildlife along their shorelines as part of the National Lake Blitz. You’re invited to participate. [Living Lakes Canada]

Native Plants & Grasses

Planting has begun for a 10-acre nursery of cultural food and medicinal plant species (camas, thimbleberry, yarrow, elderberry, barestem desert-parsley) that will be grown as part of the Cowichan Estuary Restoration Project on Vancouver Island. [The Discourse]

A native plant garden with 1,200 plants in northeast Calgary’s Rotary Park will support local wildlife and show Calgarians what native grassland looks like. [CBC]

A garden in Tartan Park, Lethbridge, featuring more than a dozen different species of native and drought tolerant trees, shrubs, and plants, will demonstrate the possibilities of drought-resistant landscaping. [Environment Lethbridge]

It’s the Law

A legal case by Parents for Climate has forced Energy Australia to admit that carbon offsets don’t undo the harms of burning fossil fuels and apologize to its carbon offset customers. It's a sharp contrast with Canada's fragmented and weak consumer protection legislation. [The Energy Mix]

A German court has determined that major emitters can be held liable for the consequences of climate change. The principle is likely to set a legal precedent in Canadian courts. [The Energy Mix]

DIY

3 easy ways to protect yourself from plastic pollution: throw out all black plastic cooking utensils, food containers, toys, etc.; drink filtered tap water instead of water in plastic bottles; and avoid microwaving food or storing food in plastic containers. [Need to Know]

Nature’s Wonders

The beaks of Anna’s hummingbirds in California have grown longer and larger to draw more nectar from the growing number of feeders. [Yale Environment 360]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/54534510194/

EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment through its online publication and the Nature Companion website/app. Like us on Facebook, follow us on BlueSky, X, and Mastodon, or subscribe by email.