EcoWest News, May 5, 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

Male mayflies, swarming over rivers and streams to mate, make a steep vertical dive and then float slowly back to earth. In this way, they can distinguish themselves from the females who fly horizontally. [The Guardian]

37 species of urban birds living in 5 European countries let men approach more closely than women before flying away. Researchers don’t know how the birds differentiate between men and women. [Scientific American]

Light & Air Pollution

Lighting along riverbanks and waterways disrupts the feeding patterns of both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and can have far-reaching ecological consequences. [RPTU]

Terrace city council has voted to support a local physician’s call for an assessment of the impact of BC's LNG industry on human health. Terrace shares its airshed with Kitimat where flaring from LNG Canada from October to January surpassed what its permit allows. [CBC]

Land Use

Defensive rewilding represents “a shift from ‘spending’ on defense to ‘investing’ in resilience.” Wetlands, forests, peatlands, and flood plains support biodiversity, store carbon – and bog down invading armies. [Anthropocene]

Where We Build Matters: Land Use Planning for Safety, Affordability, and Resilience examines how local government land use planning in BC currently addresses climate risks and highlights key challenges: decentralized roles, fragmented policy adoption, and a complex decision-making environment with competing priorities, pressures, and misaligned incentives. [Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions]

Municipal parks and other civic assets can support both climate goals and human social connection that helps communities better mitigate risk and recover from shocks like major weather events. [Reimagining the Civic Commons]

Energy

The first conference on “transitioning away” from fossil fuels saw 57 countries, including Canada, debate practical ways to move away from coal, oil and gas. A summary of the findings is provided. [Carbon Brief]

Canadian expertise is unlocking geothermal energy in other countries. There are optimal geothermal locations across BC. Why aren’t we taking advantage of these resources? [The Tyee]

BC “taxpayers are paying for provincial support of massive industrial projects, including the push to get those projects on the grid. Those hidden costs could eventually surface on utility bills or through cuts to other government services.” [The Narwhal]

The Community Ownership of Renewable Energy Projects guide covers the basics for remote communities reducing diesel usage: liability and risk, different ownership approaches, and equity ownership and profit sharing. [Pembina Institute]

DIY

Design tips for a night-friendly garden that will welcome moths, bats, beetles, fireflies, and other nocturnal species that emerge to feed, pollinate, and move through the landscape at night. [DarkSky]

Bumblebees resemble humans in many ways. They learn and remember, have feelings, and possibly dream. Planting asters may provide them with a pleasant final resting place. [bioGraphic]

The mental, financial, and social cost of trying to live plastic-free. [Heated]

Nature’s Wonders

A very large oyster latched on to a heron’s toe and wouldn’t let go, stopping the heron from moving freely or flying. The rescue involved anaesthetizing the oyster. [CBC]

Take a moment to marvel when you spot a snake, “the culmination of more than 100 million years of evolution.” They can eat pretty well anything thanks to their flexible cranium and their long, thin legless bodies move quickly and efficiently along the ground or up a tree. [Knowable]

A Panama rainforest katydid transforms from hot pink to green in just 11 days, matching the life cycle of tropical leaves that start out pink before becoming green. [Science Daily]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/28667444688

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.