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.
Introducing … Manitoba Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project
For the past 40 years, the Manitoba Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project has worked to establish and support a self-sustaining population of wild peregrines in Manitoba. Over 200 peregrines were released between 1981 and 2009. The program has had marked success and these birds and their offspring have established breeding territories in Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Brandon, Winnipeg, Fargo, North Dakota, and Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska.
Peregrines are currently heading north and you could spot one in your community any time now. @mbperegrines is following their progress on Twitter. Live webcams on nest sites in various communities (including some in Alberta and Manitoba) will enable you to watch the parents and their young.
Research Matters
Water Law in Alberta: A Comprehensive Guide covers the use and ownership of the land under and next to water; the law governing the use and flow of water; the rules for managing water quality; and the law governing water in Indigenous communities. [Environmental Law Centre]
Across the West
Drax, a global wood pellet firm, claims that it only uses sawmill waste or junk wood to produce pellets for its UK wood-fired thermal electricity plant. Photos and video footage tell a different story. [The Tyee]
A review of the current status of coal mining in Alberta and a word of advice. Albertans concerned about coal mining need to get involved in the land planning process and remain vigilant. “I don’t think the fight is over,” says Nigel Bankes, professor emeritus of law. [The Narwhal]
The City of Regina has released its plan to become a net-zero city by 2050. The plan includes building retrofits, a transition to electric heating systems and net-zero new construction, renewable energy generation, low-emission vehicles, improvements to transit, and collaboration with industry. [Regina Leader-Post]
Regina is Canada’s fifth Bird-Friendly City. It joins Vancouver, Calgary, London and Burlington in taking steps to protect the birds in their municipality by participating in Nature Canada’s certification program.
Manitoba is amending its cosmetic pesticide legislation. “The new legislation would restrict pesticide use in municipal playgrounds, dog parks, picnic areas and provincial parks, while maintaining protections for schools, child-care centres and hospitals.” Homeowners will be able to apply federally-approved pesticides on their lawns. [CBC Manitoba]
Around the World
The electrification of pickup trucks offers greater reductions in greenhouse gas emissions than the electrification of sedans and SUVs. [Futurity]
Alex Honnold, climber and environmentalist, has switched to a sustainable bank that will transparently invest its money in projects and companies committed to fighting climate change. [Reverb]
Both climate scientists and mothers, Science Moms offers facts and resources to demystify climate change and “give moms the info they need to help preserve the world for their kids”. [Science Moms]
“Extreme weather, from floods to wildfires, is increasingly hammering ports, highways, and factories worldwide.” Each node in the global supply chain is a “point of vulnerability whose breakdown could send damaging ripples up and down the chain and beyond it”. [Yale Environment 360]
Nature’s Wonders
An interview with Dr. Briony Penn, naturalist, writer, educator, and broadcaster, explores through words and sketches the unique ecosystem of the forested islands in the sheltered Salish Sea off the coast of British Columbia. She stresses the importance of protecting the soil, tending the shrub layer, and maintaining the umbrella of the forest canopy. [Raincoast Conservation Foundation]
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/9345479165
EcoFriendly West informs and encourages initiatives that support Western Canada’s natural environment. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or subscribe by email.