EcoWest News, May 26, 2026

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.

Biodiversity

Mia-yaltwa Ha’lidzogm hoon, a new national marine reserve off BC’s central coast, includes glass sponge reefs, salmon, killer whales, and migrating humpbacks. Bottom trawling will be prohibited. [CBC]

Military training areas and biodiversity tend to overlap: “They’re sprawling swaths of mostly undeveloped land with restricted public access. Disturbances caused by training—including wildfires from artillery and soil disturbances from vehicles—can also mimic natural processes that are otherwise often missing from modern landscapes.” But what will be the impact of expanded defence activities? [bioGraphic]

Education

Undergraduate and graduate students in USask’s Science Ambassador program spend 4 weeks in remote communities, providing opportunities for students to engage with creative science education experiences. [USask]

Power

Manitoba is Canada’s second sunniest province. Why isn’t utility-scale solar on the table? [The Narwhal]

Leaked documents attach a $26-billion price tag to the Saskatchewan government’s plans to refurbish its coal-fired power plants and build small modular nuclear reactors while suspending all renewable energy procurements and emission reduction commitments. [The Energy Mix]

Mikisew Cree First Nation is suing the Alberta and federal governments, alleging that decades of industrial development and a failure to manage cumulative health impacts have violated the Nation’s Treaty 8 rights. [The Energy Mix]

The federal government delivered C$10.2 billion in direct subsidies and public financing to the oil and gas industry in 2025, which could increase by up to $35 billion for Pathways carbon capture and the west coast oil pipeline. [The Energy Mix]

Tracking & Cutting Emissions

Lancet MedZero is a global database providing the carbon footprint for healthcare services and materials. For example, the carbon footprint for a 50 ml syringe is 348.46 and takes into account materials, transportation, and waste disposal. [Lancet MedZero]

Design changes and lower-carbon materials can cut construction emissions while also reducing overall construction costs. [Clean Energy Canada]

Conservation Initiatives

A short video showcases the John Osland Nature Reserve on Lasqueti Island, BC, and its evolution over time – with a little help from humans and beavers. [YouTube]

Two large plots of native grassland in Alberta will be protected by the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Sagebrush Flats near Medicine Hat is home to 12 federally listed species at risk, while Diane Glover believes that the land she has donated in Lethbridge County, and the creatures that dwell on it, will memorialize her family better than a slab of stone. [Medicine Hat News, Canadian Geographic]

Making a Difference

“The biggest source of climate finance is households and individuals. Collectively, ordinary private citizens across the world contributed $470 billion in 2023, spending on things like energy efficiency, solar panels or electric vehicles.” [The Earthbound Report]

The College of the Rockies, in conjunction with Kootenay Outdoor Recreation Enterprise, is opening an outdoor gear repair and advanced manufacturing centre. [CBC]

Local residents are campaigning for a permanent barrier around a garter snake den near Gimli, MB, to prevent snakes being crushed by off-road vehicles. [The Cool Down]

The 1,500-member Spencer CC recreational cricket club has launched the Circular Cricket Gear Club to give unwanted cricket gear and clothing a second innings. [Circular Cricket Gear Hub]

A 1% sales tax on large corporations in Portland has provided over 20,000 free air conditioning units to low-income households, funded energy efficiency retrofits for 3,100 homes, and trained 2,000 people in renewable energy and construction jobs. [Planetizen]

Nature’s Wonders

When the sun sets, millions of nocturnal ants wake up ready to eat. Some follow scent trails, but bull ants use a lunar compass, keeping track of how much time has passed to judge where the moon should be in the night sky. [Scientific American]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/55038555821

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.