Close encounters of the grizzly kind
The grizzly bear ambled out of the grove opposite us. “Looks like a six year-old male” Tim, our naturalist, whispered. The bear lumbered along the bear-made trail, while we watched, enthralled. Did...
View ArticleHADD enough? Keep habitat protection in the Federal Fisheries Act
The Fisheries Act is Canada's strongest environmental law, mainly because it prohibits what’s known as HADD – “the harmful alteration, disruption or destruction of fish habitat”. So when the...
View ArticleOur Canada includes the Great Bear Sea
Just after the federal government announced its plans to impose shorter timelines on environmental reviews of major projects in last week’s budget, the finance minister caused an uproar with his...
View ArticleKiller Whale’s death sounds the alarm on sonar
On Feb. 11, 2012, a stranded killer whale washed up on the beach in Washington State. The whale had significant trauma around the head, chest and right side; and she died just days after the Canadian...
View ArticleFishy Business- Budget bill rolls back protection for fish
The budget bill introduced in the House of Commons today is a blow against Canadian democracy. Strangely, the bill devotes a lot of space to fish and pipelines, rather than deficit reduction as you’d...
View ArticleResearch shows that a surge of sea sounds stresses out whales
When people think about environmental damage in the ocean, massive oil spills like the Exxon Valdez and the offshore oil disaster like the BP blowout two years ago in the Gulf of Mexico come to mind....
View ArticleWhale tales
Did you know that our of the 49 marine mammal species in Canada, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has assessed 46 species, and 19 are deemed to be at risk? That's...
View ArticleGet your (electric) motors running…
The Vancouver Park Board gave the green light this week for a new pilot study to install three combined electric vehicle (EV) charging stations/cell towers in Stanley Park. This is a great...
View ArticleUnearthed federal memo spells bad news for at-risk species
I’m going to write about peregrines and screech owls and tiny western toads. A uniquely Canadian menagerie of fur, feather and fin—they all share something in common. They are all species at-risk....
View ArticleFor fish sake!
We all know fish can’t talk. They can’t brag about their amazing diversity. As University of British Columbia freshwater fish specialist Dr. Eric Taylor’s recent blog notes: “almost 40% of all fishes...
View ArticleBC is not for sale- BC Premier Christy Clark’s focus on pipeline money misses...
WWF joined forces today with allies to brief reporters on how Christy Clark’s focus on pipeline money misses the point when it comes to British Columbians’ concerns over the Enbridge Gateway pipeline....
View ArticleHumpback haven
There we were, three intrepid WWFers helping to install a new hydrophone in Cetacealab’s growing underwater listening network in the Great Bear Sea. Perching on slick rocks, bugs buzzing all around...
View ArticleFuror over ocean fertilization
In 2007, when WWF got wind of an almost identical sounding proposal to dump 100 tons of iron ore in the ocean west of the Galapagos, masterminded by one of the same people behind the Haida Gwaii...
View ArticleWhat can BC do to keep the Fraser, the world’s largest salmon producing...
Though last week’s Cohen Commission report placed the responsibility for wild salmon squarely where it should be: on the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans, it also emphasized the vital role...
View ArticlePecha Kucha packs a punch
Last night WWF held its first Pecha Kucha in front of a packed room at the Hive in Vancouver. Japanese for “chit chat,” Pecha Kucha is an innovative format that gives speakers 20 slides—and exactly...
View ArticleWWF says no to Northern Gateway at public hearings in Vancouver
My statement is based on our comprehensive submission to the JRP that includes two expert reports we commissioned: one from UBC’s Fisheries Centre on ocean-based economic activities and the impacts of...
View ArticleBC cities to the climate change rescue!
Colwood, Surrey and Vancouver are now vying for the top prize of Earth Hour City Challenge national Canadian winner as well as for the top prize overall- global champ. And the City of North Vancouver,...
View ArticleThe strange case of the Bowie Seamount: The least-protected protected area in...
Fishes, corals, sponges and other sea life flourish on underwater mountains, or seamounts. Known by the Haida Nation as Sgaan Kinghlas (meaning, a supernatural being looking out), Bowie Seamount rises...
View ArticleVote early, vote often for the Earth Hour Cities Challenge People’s Choice...
66 cities from 6 participating pilot countries accepted WWF’s challenge and submitted their plans for low carbon development and strategies for dramatically increasing renewable energy use. Now 17...
View ArticleVancouver wins global Earth Hour City title!
I asked Councillor Reimer what had propelled Vancouver to such success. "Above all, it takes leadership,” she responded. “We have the power to make significant changes in our city that address climate...
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