If you plan to attend our AGM on November 30th, please RSVP to office@crowsnestconservation.ca.

Events by other organizations in the region

Dec. 3 - 3rd Annual Trail Supporter Campaign

Great Divide Trail Association

Visit GDTA for ways to support GDTA in your holiday gifts.

Crowsnest Pass News

Window Mountain Lake contaminated by coal dust from mountaintop coal mines

A paper written by two senior scientists in Alberta Environment and Protected Areas has found windblown dust from mountaintop removal coal mines has polluted Window Mountain Lake to the point where its waters are as contaminated as lakes downwind from the oilsands.https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pristine-alpine-lake-contaminated-dust-080000347.html

Provincial News

New Alberta energy minister to keep coal moratorium, consider well clean-up breaks

Peter Guthrie, Alberta’s new energy minister, says that for now, he will maintain an order protecting the Rocky Mountains from coal development.

https://battlefordsnow.com/2022/11/08/new-alberta-energy-minister-to-keep-coal-moratorium-consider-well-clean-up-breaks/

Lithium extraction could be a boon for Alberta, but it comes with environmental uncertainties

Companies are already staking their lithium claims.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/lithium-brine-extraction-alberta-canada-1.6656858

MINING

Teck resources & B.C. government pressed Ottawa to resist investigation into coal mine pollution

For a decade Ktunaxa Nation has been calling for a Canada-U.S. body to investigate coal pollution. New records show the B.C. government and Teck Resources lobbied against it.

https://thenarwhal.ca/bc-teck-lobbied-against-coal-mine-pollution-inquiry/?utm_source=The+Narwhal&utm_campaign=9b549de9d2-Nov.+10,+2022+—+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f6a05fddb8-9b549de9d2-108504207

Fight against coal mine expansion to be brought to UN climate change conference

A coalition of environmental groups is taking the fight against an Alberta coal mine expansion to the international stage at the 27th annual United Nations climate conference (COP27) this month.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/vista-mine-cop27-keepers-water-1.6641300

Linking wastewater and coal plants could slash carbon emissions and save freshwater

Drawing on a strategy called “infrastructure symbiosis”, a new study estimates that using sewage sludge and treated water as fuel and water source at coal plants could bring big environmental benefits.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/10/symbiosis-between-coal-and-wastewater-plants-would-be-a-win-win/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=symbiosis-between-coal-and-wastewater-plants-would-be-a-win-win&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=symbiosis-between-coal-and-wastewater-plants-would-be-a-win-win

LOGGING & FORESTS

Is Ottawa being deceptive about carbon emissions from logging?

In accounting for industries’ effects, Canada credits logging for carbon sequestering done naturally by trees.

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/11/02/is-ottawa-being-deceptive-about-the-carbon-emissions-from-logging-critics-say-yes.html

Giant trees still fall & old-growth funding still lags

As B.C. asks First Nations if they want old-growth forests set aside from logging, some of the biggest and oldest trees are still being cut down.

https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/national-news/giant-trees-still-fall-amid-old-growth-funding-lag-for-bc-first-nations-6162374

Ontario startup testing drones for tree planting in Alberta

Emissions Reduction Alberta gave an automated reforestation company, Flash Forest, $1.8M to plant four million trees.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/this-ontario-startup-is-testing-drones-for-tree-planting-in-alberta-1.6641371

ENERGY

Manitoba premier puts other priorities ahead of Alberta’s request to ship oil through Churchill

Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson says her government is open to discussions but ‘there are other more pressing things for us’.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-other-priorities-alberta-shipping-oil-churchill-1.6635452

Can Bitcoin breathe new life into Alberta’s oil and gas?

MAGA Energy has said its facilities will be environmentally friendly. The local county has warned the company’s plans will increase emissions.

https://thenarwhal.ca/bitcoin-mining-alberta-oil-gas/?utm_source=The+Narwhal&utm_campaign=9b549de9d2-Nov.+10,+2022+—+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f6a05fddb8-9b549de9d2-108504207

PARKS & PROTECTED AREAS

Alberta wants National Park fees to stay in the province

In a mandate letter to the new Forestry, Parks & Tourism minister, Danielle Smith said she wants money handed over to Alberta’s national parks to stay in Alberta.

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2022/11/alberta-wants-national-park-fees-stay-province

Alberta merging parks with with forestry raises environmental concerns

Conservation groups have expressed concerns about the Alberta government’s decision to reorganize Alberta Environment & Parks into two distinct entities: Environment and Protected Areas, and Forestry, Parks and Tourism.

https://ca.news.yahoo.com/alberta-merging-parks-forestry-raises-130007650.html

CONSERVATION

Canada’s most prestigious science award goes to research on habitat fragmentation

The winner of Canada’s most prestigious scientific award, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council’s Gerhard Herzberg Canada Gold Medal, goes to ecologist Lenore Fahrig and comes with up to $1M in research funding.

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/nov-5-socializing-between-chimps-and-gorillas-deer-and-daylight-savings-giant-asteroid-and-more-1.6639648/canada-s-most-prestigious-science-award-goes-to-research-on-habitat-fragmentation-1.6639650

NCC launches a new critical grasslands project

Nature Conservancy of Canada’s latest project involves a critical grassland area on a massive tract of land in the 

Interlake area of Manitoba, involving nearly 2,700 hectares and home to a number of Canada’s Species at Risk.

https://cochranenow.com/articles/ncc-launches-a-new-critical-grassland-project

CLIMATE CHANGE

Stoney Nakoda share stories of how bison can help with climate change

Using traditional knowledge and cultural monitoring, this nations want to introduce biodiversity and forest management practices back in Banff.

https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/bison-can-help-us-with-climate-change/

U.N. urges companies to stop greenwashing

Fossil fuel companies, cities, municipalities, financial institutions and scores of companies have announced plans to slash their emissions to zero, but there are varying levels of rigor and loopholes to their commitments.

https://www.treehugger.com/united-nations-urges-companies-stop-greenwashing-6827768?hid=6fa2eb9d9415e7dacc70ca4ed3c51450dc1989f9&did=875984-20221119&utm_campaign=treehugger-weekly_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=111922&cid=875984&mid=102374517847&lctg=196402526

How increasing wildfires could transform the Arctic

Wildfires, and the nutrients they bring, could make the Arctic Ocean more productive.

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/how-increasing-wildfires-could-transform-the-arctic/?omhide=true&utm_source=Hakai+Magazine+Weekly&utm_campaign=3ea9fd4ee3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_06_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fc1967411-3ea9fd4ee3-121734666

TECHNOLOGY

Orchestrating chatter between appliances could save a surprising amount of energy

Researchers developed a clever algorithm to coordinate whole neighborhoods of air conditioners, water heaters, and heat pumps - all without comprising individual use.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/11/orchestrating-chatter-between-appliances-could-save-a-surprising-amount-of-energy/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-tiny-bit-of-chatter-between-appliances-could-save-lots-of-energy&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-tiny-bit-of-chatter-between-appliances-could-save-lots-of-energy

Ingenious one-step method turns sewer gas into clean hydrogen fuel

Thousands of tons of harmful hydrogen sulfide (infamous for its rotten egg smell) are produced every year; researchers have found a simple way to tap into this wasted source of hydrogen.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/11/ingenious-one-step-method-turns-sewer-gas-into-clean-hydrogen-fuel/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ingenious-one-step-method-turns-sewer-gas-into-clean-hydrogen-fuel&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ingenious-one-step-method-turns-sewer-gas-into-clean-hydrogen-fuel

We know how to stop the decimation of grizzly bears, we just need the will to act

When grizzly populations expand, they run up against more armed people.

https://www.counterpunch.org/2022/11/09/we-know-how-to-stop-the-decimation-of-grizzlies-we-just-need-the-will-to-act/

Grizzly bear expansion needs our welcome, not our weapons

When grizzly populations expand, they run up against more armed people. This has resulted in unsustainable mortality for bears, especially where livestock graze on public land.

https://dailymontanan.com/2022/11/12/grizzly-bear-expansion-needs-our-welcome-not-our-weapons/

Rapid decline of wolverines in mountain parks surprises researchers

Research shows that wolverine numbers have declined by 39% since 2011.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/rapid-decline-of-wolverines-in-mountain-parks-surprises-researchers

Why urban animals are taking the night shift

Wildlife are altering their habits to fit the human habitat.

https://montanafreepress.org/2022/10/14/how-wildlife-change-their-schedules-in-urban-environments/

Wildlife cameras under ring road examine how animals travel under construction

Researchers at the Miistakis Institute consider this one of Calgary’s crucial wildlife corridors and one they are watching closely as it’s where the southwest ring road crosses the Elbow River.

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/wildlife-cameras-under-ring-road-examine-how-animals-travel-after-construction-alberta

Reducing wildlife mortality on Elk Valley Roads

A remarkable, research-driven project is underway in the Elk Valley right now to help protect vulnerable species.

https://wildsight.ca/2022/11/09/reducing-wildlife-mortality-on-elk-valley-roads/

Lethbridge takes the title for best tasting water in Western Canada

After competing in the 2022 American Water Works Association Western Canadian conference in September, Lethbridge placed first with Jasper and St. Paul, Alberta scoring second and third place.

https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2022/11/15/lethbridge-takes-the-title-for-best-tasting-water/

Ontario company heading to the moon in search of water

A relatively unknown company in the Ottawa Valley will be part of a team that is sending Canada’s

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/chalk-river-ont-company-heading-to-the-moon-in-search-of-water-1.6164391

Discovery of a new beaver benefit is a happy accident

In a happy accident, a beaver dam built in the middle of a river research project illuminated how their presence improved water quality.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/11/discovery-of-a-new-beaver-benefit-is-a-happy-accident/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=researchers-uncover-a-new-beaver-benefit-buffering-river-pollution-worsened-by-climate-change&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=researchers-uncover-a-new-beaver-benefit-buffering-river-pollution-worsened-by-climate-change

What’s the difference between hawks and falcons?

Speed and size are notable differences, but you can also tell the two apart by their beaks and wings.

https://www.treehugger.com/difference-between-hawks-and-falcons-6753915?hid=6fa2eb9d9415e7dacc70ca4ed3c51450dc1989f9&did=868647-20221105&utm_campaign=treehugger-weekly_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=110522&cid=868647&mid=101225635300

Seeing or hearing birds is good for our well-being

Positive effects of being around birds can last for 8 hours.

https://www.treehugger.com/seeing-hearing-birds-good-well-being-6824038?hid=6fa2eb9d9415e7dacc70ca4ed3c51450dc1989f9&did=871874-20221112&utm_campaign=treehugger-weekly_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=111222&cid=871874&mid=101777868386

House Finches, Purple Finches, Cassin’s Finches

Can you tell a House Finch from a Purple Finch or Cassin’s Finch? These finches are some of our favorite common feeder visitors, but they can make for very tricky IDs.

https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/finches-with-red-id-quiz/?utm_campaign=bird%20academy%20general&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=234561743&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--XuBdS14_HTpEtaJT5neBGbd9PhwmVDqkN_mhTTrD7ymYOWAC6CN5LJBki0YM6yIfb5SFtlYTvuW-GPO8r98GF8Ni56A&utm_content=234506573&utm_source=hs_email