EcoWest News, May 27, 2025
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
A fire covering more than 100,000 hectares in and west of Nopiming Provincial Park in eastern Manitoba has destroyed a substantial part of the habitat of the Owl-Flintstone caribou herd. [CBC]
Some Saskatoon residents spoke out against a recent Council decision to put a hold on buying electric buses. [Saskatoon StarPhoenix]
Big River Forest Advocates in Saskatchewan have been negotiating since 1991 to keep forests around Nesslin Lake and their communities unlogged to preserve habitat and tourism, with mixed success. [Regina Leader Post]
The Alberta Mycological Society is holding its summer camp, forage, and feast from June 20-22 at Ram Falls Provincial Park. [Alberta Mycological Society]
The Alberta Native Plant Council offers a full web page of resources for growing native plants in Alberta. It includes an interactive map of native plant suppliers and demonstration beds. [ANPC]
The land is sinking and there isn’t enough river sediment to maintain the sea marshes that protect Richmond, BC, from storm surges. [Business Intelligence for BC]
BC Timber Sales has promised to halt all new development in the Revelstoke-Shuswap region to protect core caribou habitat. This sets an important precedent for other licensees to stop logging in the area. [Wildsight]
Natural Resources
The Hudson and James Bay lowlands, home to some of the most expansive peatlands on the planet, contain an estimated 30 billion tonnes of carbon, enough to meaningfully shape global climate trajectories if released. [Timmins Today]
The deep sea is viewed as a resource for human exploitation, devaluing “ecosystems that are vital not only for their biodiversity but also for the overall health of the planet. Recognizing the rights of the deep sea and giving it a formal voice would mark a critical step toward addressing this injustice.” [PDF, Earth Law Center]
Energy
One million bats were killed by wind turbines in the US and Canada in 2023. There are solutions. Smarter siting and operational adjustments can reduce bat deaths. [7-minute video, WCS Canada]
What is the best approach to decommissioning offshore wind? New builds provide the most energy. Repowering existing farms produces the most jobs, while extending their lifetime is best for the marine habitat. [Dialogue Earth]
There are no private sector players proposing new oil pipelines, and the pro-oil and gas Macdonald Laurier Institute believes Canada already has sufficient pipeline capacity and has spoken out against an Arctic pipeline. [DeSmog]
Housing and Urban Infrastructure
Managed retreat from disaster-prone areas is never easy. Counselling, available alternative housing, and assistance from non-profits can all play a role. [Smart Cities Dive]
Tight budgets and a lack of political will are the biggest barriers to reducing sewer overflows in cities like Winnipeg. Rain gardens, retention ponds, additional infrastructure, and community advocacy are all part of the solution. [The Narwhal]
Regina’s new aquatics facility will be heated by geothermal energy. [Government of Canada]
Heat pump shipments in Canada have grown by an average of 5% since 2020, while furnace shipments fell by an average of 3.4%. The heat pump shipment growth has been highest in Alberta and Saskatchewan. [440 Megatonnes]
Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/54522609464/
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.