Nicole Hancock
Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony ...

Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.

Indigenous community hosts full moon ceremony to heal Chedoke Creek

impacts

How Canadian wildfire smoke could impact the Lehigh Valley’s water, crops long term

How Canadian wildfire smoke could impact the Lehigh Valley’s water, crops long term

Weeks after the Lehigh Valley turned sepia toned from Canadian wildfire smoke, the skies have cleared and there’s even been some rain, even though it hasn’t been enough to push much of the state out of moderate drought status. While environmentalists and researchers said impacts on the region’s crops and water may be few due to the short duration of smoky days, it’s a largely understudied topic. However, as climate change worsens and the chance for more wildfires increases, experts said the impacts could similarly escalate.

Agreements address Columbia River Treaty impacts on Indigenous Nations

Agreements address Columbia River Treaty impacts on Indigenous Nations

The Ktunaxa, Secwépemc and Syilx Okanagan Nations and their members will benefit from new interim agreements that share revenue generated from the Columbia River Treaty. Through the three separate interim agreements, the Ktunaxa Nation, Secwépemc Nation and Syilx Okanagan Nation will each receive 5% of the revenue generated through the sale of Canada's share of downstream power benefits under the treaty, otherwise known as the Canadian Entitlement. The proposed interim agreements will share this revenue over four years.

BEYOND LOCAL: Freshwater basins drying up increases threat to ecosystem, communities

BEYOND LOCAL: Freshwater basins drying up increases threat to ecosystem, communities

When people use freshwater beyond a physically sustainable rate, it sets off a cascade of impacts on ecosystems, people and the planet. These impacts include groundwater wells running dry, fish populations becoming stranded before they are able to spawn and protected wetland ecosystems turning into dry landscapes. Developments in computer models and satellites have fostered a new understanding of how freshwater is being redistributed around the planet and have made clear the central role that people play in this change. This human impact is so significant that organizations like the United States Geological Survey are redrawing their water cycle diagram to include the impacts of human actions.

Design challenge brings together art and science to help change how Vancouverites think about sea-level rise

Design challenge brings together art and science to help change how Vancouverites think about sea-level rise

During an event earlier this month, writers from four coastal cities — Vancouver, New York, Mumbai and Tokyo — typed out their thoughts about the prospect of rising sea levels. Their words were projected on a large screen in Vancouver's Olympic Village, and a youth choir sang them out to the public. In addition, a photography project on display showed how residents imagine they may be impacted by rising sea levels in and around False Creek. The choir and photography were part of an event marking the end of the first phase of the Sea2City Design Challenge, a City of Vancouver project that aims to look at how the city can adapt to rising sea levels — particularly in the False Creek floodplain — and address the social, economic and ecological impacts coastal flooding will have in the future.

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

Experts calling for watershed monitoring in the Columbia Basin amid climate change concerns

After a record-breaking summer of heat, drought, and fires, experts in the Columbia Basin are stressing the importance of water monitoring and watershed management to secure our water supplies. “Watersheds are complicated,” said Greg Utzig, a conservation ecologist based in the Columbia Basin. “There are lots of different pieces, and if we are going to understand how these watersheds react to climate disruption, we have to have a better understanding of how the various parts interact. This is where water monitoring comes in, by helping us understand how these systems work and how fast they are changing,”

Federal, provincial governments announce relief programs for drought-stricken Manitoba farmers

Federal, provincial governments announce relief programs for drought-stricken Manitoba farmers

Manitoba farmers struggling under the impacts of extreme weather could get some much-needed relief through a number of programs announced by the federal and provincial governments on Thursday. The combination of extreme heat, low precipitation and insect infestation across southern and central Manitoba have stunted crops and forced cattle producers to sell off part or all of their herds.

Yukon pushed to develop protections for irreplaceable wetlands threatened by mining

Yukon pushed to develop protections for irreplaceable wetlands threatened by mining

An independent panel is urging the Yukon government to develop a wetlands policy to protect unique streams, bogs, fens and peatland from mining because there are no known ways to fully restore these sensitive ecosystems once disturbed. Wetlands filter water, provide habitat to species and sequester carbon but are quickly being lost to development worldwide — an issue drawing attention on World Wetlands Day Feb. 2.

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