Nothing scheduled at this time.

Events by other organizations in the region

January 11 at 7pm - Counting Winter Bugs (VIRTUAL)

Event by: Nature Alberta

Join Nature Alberta Patron John Acorn on a journey to count the tiny creatures that live in our sheds and snowbanks over the winter. Register for Zoom link at https://naturealberta.ca/counting-winter-bugs-with-john-acorn/

January 12 at 7pm - The Grizzly Bear at Home (VIRTUAL)

Event by: Wildsight

An inside glimpse on bear behavior and conservation in interior mountain ecosystems. Register for Zoom link at https://wildsight.ca/events/2023-winter-speaker-series-creatures-great-small/

March 7-8, 2023 - AGM and conference, Old College, Alberta

Event by: Alberta Invasive Species Council

A variety of sessions focused on invasive species as well as certified pesticide applicator credits will be offered. 

Provincial News

Alberta on track to meet its 2030 renewable energy goal ahead of schedule

The province, long dependent on coal, is set to exceed the ambitious goal for renewable electricity it set six years ago.

https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-renewable-energy-2030/?utm_source=The+Narwhal&utm_campaign=931c908803-Dec.+10,+2022+—+Goodall+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f6a05fddb8-931c908803-108504207

Alberta sees largest recorded earthquake

The sequence of earthquakes started out small on Nov. 23, but then came an earthquake on Nov. 30 that, at 5.6 magnitude, was the largest recorded in Alberta’s history.

https://www.ucalgary.ca/news/alberta-experiences-largest-recorded-earthquake-can-we-expect-see-more

LOGGING & FORESTS

Invasive mountain pine beetle population dropping significantly

Cold winters and mitigation efforts have dropped the beetle population by 94% when compared to its peak in 2019.

https://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/invasive-mountain-pine-beetle-population-dropping-significantly-alberta-forestry

When trees face drought and climate change, old age trumps youth

Tree rings from 22,000 trees around the world reveal that old-growth trees keep growing and sucking up carbon more than younger trees during a drought.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/12/when-trees-face-drought-old-age-trumps-youth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-trees-face-drought-old-age-trumps-youth&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-trees-face-drought-old-age-trumps-youth

B.C. timber industry in throes of change

B.C.’s premier says their forest sector has “never been under greater stress” and that there is an “inescapable recognition… that change is needed to ensure our forest industry is sustainable”.

https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/national-news/bc-timber-industry-in-throes-of-change-as-premier-warns-of-exhausted-forests-6278824

ENERGY

Nuclear fusion breath through could deliver clean power too cheap to meter

The first controlled fusion experiment in history to achieve fusion ignition, also known as scientific energy breakeven, produced more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it.

https://www.treehugger.com/nuclear-fusion-breakthrough-clean-power-6891744?hid=6fa2eb9d9415e7dacc70ca4ed3c51450dc1989f9&did=885319-20221217&utm_campaign=treehugger-weekly_newsletter&utm_source=treehugger&utm_medium=email&utm_content=121722&cid=885319&mid=104650574746&lctg=196402526

Engineers use sticky tape to generate electricity

Simple energy harvester made with store-bought double-sided tape can light up a string of LEDs, hinting at a bright future for low-cost sustainable power.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/12/engineers-use-sticky-tape-to-generate-electricity/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=engineers-use-sticky-tape-to-generate-electricity&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=engineers-use-sticky-tape-to-generate-electricity

Alberta withholds list of hundreds of dangerous oil and gas sites from public

Newly obtained documents reveal the AER has kept a confidential list of ‘potentially high risk’ sites, including some that could endanger public safety, since at least 2019.

https://thenarwhal.ca/alberta-energy-regulator-list/?utm_source=The+Narwhal&utm_campaign=931c908803-Dec.+10,+2022+—+Goodall+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f6a05fddb8-931c908803-108504207

PARKS & PROTECTED AREAS

Future of Kananaskis pass is uncertain

Alberta premier doesn’t ‘love’ parks user fee, but wants revenue to help fund parks. She has tasked Ministry of Forestry, Parks & Tourism with a review of the pass.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-kananaskis-country-pass-smith-1.6687611

Nature Conservancy of Canada accelerates conservation

NCC will conserve an additional 130,000 hectares of priority natural habitat over the next three years.

https://calgaryherald.com/globe-newswire/nature-conservancy-of-canada-accelerates-conservation

Feds, NWT to create Indigenous protected area for Great Bear Lake

Three governments signed a letter of intent to create an Indigenous protected and conserved area around Great Bear Lake, the world’s eighth largest freshwater lake.

https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/national-news/feds-northwest-territories-to-create-indigenous-protected-area-for-great-bear-lake-6264846

CONSERVATION

Action taken in the global biodiversity deal

A historic deal signed at the Conference of the Parties (COP15) in Montreal includes 23 targets that have been adopted by 196 countries under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

https://y2y.net/blog/nations-take-action-for-nature-by-adopting-kunming-montreal-global-biodiversity-framework-at-cop15/

Indigenous-led conservation kay to stopping worldwide biodiversity losses

Indigenous nations are leading global efforts to protect the planet’s biodiversity.

https://globalnews.ca/video/9317257/indigenous-led-conservation-key-to-stopping-worldwide-biodiversity-losses/

CLIMATE CHANGE

Canada unveils new climate adaptation strategy worth more than $1-billion commitment

Documents contains targets for protecting Canadians from floods, wildfires, and extreme heat.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/climate-adaptation-canada-1.6661533

‘Nature under attack’ says Trudeau as UN biodiversity conference opens

Negotiators from 196 countries are looking for an agreement to begin to restore the ecosystems we have destroyed and damaged.

https://www.albertaprimetimes.com/national-news/nature-under-attack-says-trudeau-as-un-biodiversity-conference-opens-in-montreal-6204589

How climate change is affecting Canada’s icy landscape

On a mountain high above the resident of Vancouver, tucked inside a north-facing gully, the region’s last remaining glacier is vanishing fast.

https://lethbridgenewsnow.com/2022/12/19/glaciers-cant-get-a-break-how-climate-change-is-affecting-canadas-icy-landscape/

TECHNOLOGY

Now, ammonia disappears in sewage. It could be repurposed as a revolutionary green fertilizer

New analysis shows that a technology called ‘air-stripping’ produces 5-10X less greenhouse gas emissions than the current process, at a far lower cost.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/12/ammonia-can-be-repurposed-as-revolutionary-green-fertilizer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ammonia-can-be-repurposed-as-revolutionary-green-fertilizer&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ammonia-can-be-repurposed-as-revolutionary-green-fertilizer

Bears know no borders: Washington state considers options to reintroduce grizzlies near Manning Park

Conservationists say a U.S. plan that could see grizzlies reintroduced in the North Cascades region represents a   “wonderful opportunity” for B.C.

https://vancouversun.com/news/bears-know-no-borders-washington-state-considers-options-to-reintroduce-grizzlies-in-wilderness-near-manning-park

Polar bears are in sharp decline, new survey shows

Polar bears in Canada’s Western Hudson Bay, on the southern edge of the Arctic, are continuing to die in high numbers, a new government survey has found. Females and bear cubs are having an especially hard time.

https://www.npr.org/2022/12/23/1145327852/polar-bears-canada-hudson-bay-dropping

Some American black bears are turning red

Despite what their name may insinuate, American black bears can wear a range of colored coats: brown, blonde, grey, white and even cinnamon. Now they are slowly starting to change to a red hue.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/some-american-black-bears-are-turning-red-researchers-now-say-they-know-why-1.6201279

Canadians worried about the future of wildlife

More than 80% of Canadians are worried about the future of the planet and the wildlife that inhabits it, according to a poll conducted by Environics on behalf of Greenpeace Canada.

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/must-reads/84-of-canadians-worried-about-the-future-of-wildlife-says-poll-6181692

What to do when the recovery of one species puts another at risk?

In Antarctica, rebounding fur seals are threatening the frozen continent’s fragile flora.

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/what-to-do-when-the-recovery-of-one-species-puts-another-at-risk/?omhide=true&utm_source=Hakai+Magazine+Weekly&utm_campaign=c7a5ed2a0d-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_06_COPY_03&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0fc1967411-c7a5ed2a0d-121734666

Most wildlife highway crossings too narrow

A B.C. study analyzing 120 wildl

https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/must-reads/most-wildlife-highway-crossings-too-narrow-finds-bc-researchers-6276969

Expected snow likely not enough to reverse issues from regional drought conditions

More snow than usual is predicted for the prairies this winter, but whether it can reverse ‘extreme drought conditions’ in the Medicine Hat region won’t be known until spring, say forecasters.

https://medicinehatnews.com/news/local-news/2022/12/02/expected-added-snow-likely-not-enough-to-reverse-issues-from-regional-drought-conditions/

Here’s how a Calgary lab monitors wastewater for respiratory diseases

Inside the Pine Creek wastewater treatment plant, a lab run by U. Of C., is busy processing wastewater samples from municipalities across the province, tracing levels of SARS, influenza A and B, as well as RSV.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/acwa-university-of-calgary-wastewater-monitoring-lab-1.6682192

New Year’s fireworks can give migratory birds a surprisingly long hangover

The link between fireworks and wildlife disturbance is well established. This study of migratory geese is the first to look at long-term effects.

https://www.anthropocenemagazine.org/2022/12/new-years-fireworks-can-give-migratory-birds-a-bad-hangover/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-years-fireworks-can-give-migratory-birds-a-bad-hangover&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=new-years-fireworks-can-give-migratory-birds-a-bad-hangover

COP15 - key takeaways for bird conservation

Bird Canada President & CEO shares key outcomes and interprets what they mean for biodiversity in Canada and the world. Listen to podcast here:

https://www.birdscanada.org/warblerspodcast