preserve

Wade in the water

Wade in the water

Look closely at our history, culture, and lore, and you’ll find water at its heart. We are nestled between three oceans, and enjoy our lakes, rivers, and ponds year-round. And while we are raised in, on, and around it, recent years have hammered home the billions of reasons why we can’t ever take water for granted. A full 20 percent of the world’s freshwater lives here. Only about seven percent of it is renewable―coming into our rivers and lakes from rain and snowmelt―and climate change warnings have made clear that it is at risk. A recent UN report on climate change paints a grim picture globally of higher temperatures, extreme drought, and rising sea levels. And Canada isn’t immune—on June 29th this year, British Columbia recorded its hottest temperature in history. In fact, as Canada is warming on average at twice the rate as the rest of the world, its global role in water conservation is more important than ever.

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of an international agreement to protect wetlands around the globe, and this may get you thinking what is so important about wetlands. For awhile they were looked at as wastelands, but over the past few decades, science has shown just how important these areas are. Dan Kraus, a senior conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, says wetlands were the first habitat to have been protected through a global agreement.