EcoWest News, April 21, 2026 EcoWest News, April 21: understanding and protecting wildlife, storing rainwater, cutting noise pollution, and reusing construction materials

EcoWest News, April 21: understanding and protecting wildlife, storing rainwater, cutting noise pollution, and reusing construction materials

photo and description of Painted Lady butterfly from Nature Companion website and app

Male painted lady butterflies defend their territory from other males and will court any female that crosses their path. In warm climates, they mate year round www.naturecompanion.ca/insects/pain... #NatureCompanion

If it looks like the area approved for strychnine took zero consideration for the environment that's because its true.

The red area is where strychnine is approved for use for the next two years. The blue area is the last remaining range of swift foxes in Canada.

And here is the remaining range of the burrowing owl on the prairies in green completely within the approved area for strychnine use.

Burrowing owls inhabit similar prairie areas, using the same burrow holes, and feed on ground squirrels.

someone explain to my simple brain that ANY consideration was made for the environment before strychnine was approved over this area.

The federal government gets an F.

The Saskatchewan government gets an F.

The Alberta government gets an F.

Fails across the board here.

One last map. National Parks inside and near the strychnine use area in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Grasslands NP fully inside the zone
Elk Island NP fully inside the zone

Prince Albert and Waterton NP directly adject-can use right up to the park boundary

Riding Mountain, Banff, Jasper very close.

Comment: Shore power at Ogden Point would help quality of life Air pollution is one of the largest risk factors for death and disability — a risk that Victoria residents live ­dangerously close to.

"The federal government and the province have already committed a combined $31.5 million to expand power capacity at Ogden Point,and there is strong precedent to have industry pay the costs of managing waste and emissions as a part of routine business."
#yyj
www.timescolonist.com/opinion/comm...

book cover for The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tell Us About How to Live Well with the Rest of Life by Rob Dunn

The Call of the Honeyguide: What Science Tell Us About How to Live Well with the Rest of Life is a call to action for a more mutualistic, less lonely future … a call to remember to listen to, touch, smell, and engage with the other species around us.” www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/rob-d...

‘The danger and value of water are in my blood’: how rain fences are making Dutch homes more climate resilient Housing corporations are adopting rainwater storage in garden fences, reducing pressure during downpours and preserving water for times of drought

Dutch housing corporations are adopting rainwater storage in garden fences, reducing pressure during downpours and preserving water for times of drought

Saskatoon’s Living Song: A Springtime Celebration of Trees & Wings YouTube video by Friends Saskatoon Afforestation Areas Inc

Saskatoon’s Living Song: A Springtime Celebration of Trees & Wings youtu.be/sVunabdJmAE?... via @YouTube

Insects Are Disappearing — Here’s How to Help • The Revelator The world depends on healthy insect populations. As climate change and other threats cause their declines, simple actions can give them a much-needed boost.

The world depends on healthy insect populations. As climate change and other threats cause their declines, simple actions can give them a much-needed boost.

Community Leaders & Books: March 2026 From peatlands and a forest bathing trail to bats, noise, and energy - Community Leaders & Books, March 2026

From peatlands and a forest bathing trail to bats, noise, and energy - Community Leaders & Books, March 2026

A pair of Common Raven fly together in a courtship ritual with one grasping an apple in its feet.

A pair of Common Raven fly together with one upside down in a courtship ritual with one grasping an apple in its feet.

A pair of Common Raven fly together with one upside down in a courtship ritual with one grasping an apple in its feet.

Common Raven are so smart, that they'll sometime use food as a courtship novelty.
Today, I watched a pair perform aerial acrobatic, while teasing one another with an apple. #birds

outline of a woman’s face against a city skyline, Jane’s Walk Winnipeg, May 1-3, 2026

Explore St. Norbert’s riverbottom forests, new tree plantings along Jubilee Avenue, and the Bunn’s Creek Trail with Jane’s Walk Winnipeg, May 1-3 www.eventbrite.com/cc/2026-jane...

Hey friends! Did you know Canadian peatlands store more carbon than all other ecosystems combined? Check out the new Peatland Data Portal—it's like Google for peat! www.enn.com/articles/77898-canadian-...

EcoWest News, April 14, 2026 We’re going on a BugQuest, showing some love for unloved birds, and caring for our forests and parks: EcoWest News, April 14, 2026

We’re going on a BugQuest, showing some love for unloved birds, and caring for our forests and parks: EcoWest News, April 14, 2026

logo, Environmental Law Centre

The EcoFriendly West Fund is pleased to support Alberta’s Environmental Law Centre in advocating for laws that will sustain ecosystems and ensure a healthy environment elc.ab.ca

University of Guelph researchers launch BugQuest to map Canada’s insects They’re aiming to deploy 1,000 malaise traps across Canada to study insect biodiversity with the help of community organizations

Schools and community organizations are invited to participate in BugQuest, a national project aimed at exploring biodiversity in Canada, capturing insects through passive traps and identifying them through DNA barcoding.
www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/u...

Photo and description of Compton Tortoiseshell butterfly from Nature Companion website and app

Compton tortoiseshell butterflies can be found in cottage country where the adults overwinter in tree cavities, under eaves, or in garages and outhouses www.naturecompanion.ca/insects/comp... #NatureCompanion

A Ferruginous Hawk crouches before flying off a limb.

A Ferruginous Hawk perches on a cross arm of a power pole.

Ferruginous Hawks have returned and are establishing their territories. While they are not yet on their nests, the nest sites are under constant watch. #AB #birds

Europe’s Noise Capital Tries to Turn Down the Volume To combat the ill effects of urban noise pollution, Paris is deploying automated sensors and cracking down on the loudest vehicles.

“The effort to quiet Paris complements the wider campaign to make Paris greener, cleaner & less car-dependent, which include vehicle restrictions in the center, crackdowns on polluting vehicles, & an ambitious expansion of bike networks. Those have cut the city’s average noise level by 2 decibels.”

book cover for Let’s Botanize! 101 Ways to Connect with Plants by Ben Goulet-Scott and Jacob S. Suissa. Find. Look. Compare

Let’s Botanize! 101 Ways to Connect with Plants inspires readers to engage with plant life meaningfully each day by observing the parts, patterns, and processes that make plants so amazing www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/ben-g...

Nature Network Speaker Series. Wood Buffalo Wildlife Research Centre & Nature Alberta. April 22, 2026, 7 pm. Whooping Crane Recovery Efforts in Wood Buffalo National Park. Mark Bidwell and John Conkin – Canadian Wildlife Service. Full details at naturealberta.ca/events

The Aransas-Wood Buffalo whooping crane population is growing, but ongoing work is needed to ensure continued recovery. Find out more on April 22 naturealberta.ca/whooping-cra...

EcoWest News, April 7, 2026 Building better, talking climate, and protecting biodiversity - EcoWest News, April 7, 2026

Building better, talking climate, and protecting biodiversity - EcoWest News, April 7, 2026

photo and description of cabbage white butterflies from Nature Companion website and app

Cabbage white butterflies are one of the first butterflies to appear in the spring. They were introduced in Quebec in the 1860s and have since spread across North America www.naturecompanion.ca/insects/cabb... #NatureCompanion

Effective storytelling can encourage climate action from policymakers and the public Climate action depends on telling stories that make an impact, clarify stakes and inspire action.

“Only when abstract data becomes tangible — whether through a disappearing skating rink, a parched wetland or a vanishing stream — does the urgency of climate change truly hit home”

A Deadly Fungal Invader Is Threatening BC’s Bats | The Tyee But a probiotic developed in the province might be able to save them if the government moves quickly.

An outbreak of white-nose syndrome in Idaho is putting bats in BC’s Interior at risk. Dosing bat roosts with a probiotic could be preventive but would need to be applied soon.

How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, Ethan Tapper “beautifully written” – Bill McKibben

How to Love a Forest: “As forests everywhere struggle under the weight of the many threats and stressors of the modern world … I have gone my own way, fostering a divergent vision – a reimagining of what it means to love a forest.” ethantapper.com/book

Estimated cost to refurbish Sask. coal plants nearly tripled to $2.6 billion | CBC News The Saskatchewan government says coal is the affordable option to transition to nuclear power and its decision is rooted in energy security, but industry players and experts raise concerns about the p...

External consultants estimate it will cost $2.6 billion to refurbish Saskatchewan's coal-burning facilities. SaskPower is proposing two rate increases of nearly 4% to cover this and other costs, while knowingly violating 3 federal climate change policies

Café Scientifique, Free!, Wetlands: Frittering away prairie gold, Prairie wetlands are omnipresent, but will they continue to be? Come explore our wetlands, their behaviours, roles for society, and pressing threats to their survival. Dr. Colin Whitfield, SENS, USask, Tuesday, April 21 @7:30 pm, Winston’s Pub, 243-21st Street East, All 19+ welcome

Prairie wetlands are omnipresent, but will they continue to be? Join Café Scientifique Saskatoon on April 21 for a talk on Wetlands: Frittering Away Prairie Gold www.facebook.com/CafeSciSaska...