EcoWest News, September 2, 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

76% of BC’s clean energy funding “went to a handful of gas companies for carbon capture projects or to hook into the BC Hydro grid instead of burning gas to fuel their operations.” [Terrace Standard]

Provincial translocation efforts to help northern leopard frog numbers bounce back have successfully established new self-sustaining populations. [CBC]

Alberta’s May bird count results include two Eastern bluebirds, only recorded 3 times since 1976, a Little Gull, and record counts for Common Mergansers, Ferruginous Hawks, Short-eared Owls, and Northern Flickers. [Nature Alberta]

Regina has a new nature reserve on the site of a former golf course. The reserve is accessible by bus and includes remnants of native prairie. Nature Regina members have identified more than 100 plant species in the area. [Nature Regina, CBC]

University of Manitoba researchers on board the Namao want to find ways to better protect Lake Winnipeg for future generations. [photo essay, UManitoba]

Across Canada

Monica Curtis, Pembina Institute, says building retrofits contribute to energy security, benefit the local economy, generate jobs, and make life more affordable. They’re important nation-building projects that would have a more direct impact on a broad range of Canadians than singular megaprojects. [David Dodge]

According to Toxic Harvest, pesticide sales in Canada increased by 47% between 2011 and 2021, leading to higher exposures for Canadians and their environment. The report calls on the Canadian government to take urgent steps to address its broken regulatory system and identify pesticides reduction as a clear policy goal. [EcoJustice]

Around the World

Stefan Gossling says we're entering the age of non-tourism. “As carbon pollution stokes heatwaves, fuels wildfires and ruins harvests, the cost of foreign travel will soar, and fewer people will be able to afford it.” [The Guardian]

Unlike Canada, “Dutch flood-risk reduction is integrated across governments and embedded in culture. For centuries, citizens have shown respect for water by prioritizing flood resilience over urban and provincial politics.” They trust science-backed policies and have a culture of negotiated risk management. [The Energy Mix]

Making a Difference

In the UK, “the Somerset Eel Recovery Project is weaving together science, folklore and community creativity to bring back not only the eel but a lost sense of local identity.” [The Guardian]

Adam Met, bassist for indie-rock band AJR, says “the climate movement could learn a thing or two from fan-building tactics deployed by today’s pop stars … We need to get people to have an emotional connection to climate issues, because that drives them to be a part of the movement.” [Inside Climate News]

Biodiversity

Wild bumblebees don’t just randomly flit from one flower to another. Instead, they carefully balance their intake of protein, fats, and carbs. Larger, long-tongued bees seek protein-rich pollen, while smaller, short-tongued species prefer carb- and fat-heavy sources. [Science Daily]

It’s a busy time of year for our wild neighbours as parents teach their young how to forage, fly, or hunt before they go out on their own. “In urban areas, this can lead to more clumsy, bold, or noisy encounters with young wildlife.” [The Fur-Bearers]

Nature’s Wonders

Sneak a peek at some of the best entries in the National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, from a potter wasp carrying lunch home to its larvae to a three-toed sloth clinging to a fence post after successfully crossing a road. [Gizmodo]

A 75-million-year-old dragonfly wing fossil found in Alberta’s Dinosaur Provincial Park “reveals a new species but also fills a major gap in the evolutionary history of dragonflies in North America.” [Futurism]

Photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/apmckinlay/54747384361

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.