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
Public Pastures – Public Interest has prepared a federal election handout outlining the steps they believe the federal government should take to protect the water, landscapes, soils, and wildlife in and around Canada’s farms and ranches. [PPPI]
14 conservation groups have outlined 7 principles the federal government should follow to ensure that tariff relief doesn’t harm Canada’s forests. [West Coast Environmental Law]
Ktunaxa First Nation is working with local partners on 3 projects restoring open forest and grassland in BC’s East Kootenay to improve habitat for bighorn sheep, elk, and other wildlife. [Kimberley Bulletin]
Across Canada
Canada has more transmission connections with the US than with neighbouring provinces. A nationwide grid would make power cheaper, more plentiful, and would maximize clean energy resources. [The Energy Mix]
CPAWS has rated federal and provincial progress on protecting land and ocean. The federal government received a B+, Manitoba a B-, Saskatchewan a D-, Alberta a D-, and British Columbia a B. [CPAWS]
Around the World
Giving a river room to move mitigates flood risk, supports biodiversity by providing a diverse range of habitats, improves water quality, and stores carbon. [The Conversation]
Buses, trucks, and vans pollute at far higher rates than cars. Wide-scale electrification could make a big difference. [Union of Concerned Scientists]
Once fully functional, a satellite network could detect wildfires before they are out of control. [The Verge]
Glaciers
The Great Thaw: A Homage in Art to the Vanishing Cryosphere combines science and art to inspire knowledge sharing and promote practical strategies for glacier preservation and adaptation. [USask]
Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers offers solutions to help mitigate and adapt to rapid changes in our frozen water resources. [UN Water]
Making a Difference
Graeme Hopkins has hosted youth environmental leadership events in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and organized a newcomer youth outdoor adventure club in Saskatoon. [National Observer]
The roofs of 316 bus stops in Utrecht were planted with pollinator-friendly succulents. They reduce stormwater runoff, counter urban heat, and provide habitat for birds and insects. They’re also a biodiversity hotspot for mycorrhizal fungi. [bioGraphic]
The Sainsbury’s supermarket chain in the UK plans to turn any food waste that can’t be donated or used for animal feed into 100% biofuel that will power 30 trucks, half their distribution site’s fleet. [Sainsbury’s]
Around 1,800 students and more than 70 teachers collected insects in or near their schools in Australia. The project increased students’ interest in insects, nature, and science and contributed to scientific knowledge. [The Conversation]
Biodiversity
Maintaining a certain number of bears, wolves, or other wildlife doesn’t ensure the survival of a species as this approach fails to take into account relationships and key individuals – leaders, problem-solvers, or knowledge-keepers – without whom a population can collapse. [The Fur-Bearers]
High school students from 9 northern Saskatchewan First Nations are receiving environmental monitoring training from University of Saskatchewan researchers and students. [USask]
Nature’s Wonders
First Nations, conservationists, and archaeologists are tracing the history of people and marmots on Vancouver Island. [The Discourse]
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Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/54405335355/
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.