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

biologist

Water flow in Alberta is 'exceptionally low' this year and could pose challenges for fish

Water flow in Alberta is 'exceptionally low' this year and could pose challenges for fish

Lorne Fitch, a longtime fisheries biologist and former adjunct professor at the University of Calgary, is often checking out the headwaters of the Oldman River. "It's been an interesting view of a year that doesn't seem to follow anything that resembles a normal pattern," Fitch said. In Alberta, June typically brings high levels of rain, which hasn't been the case this year. Snowpacks also disappeared, on average, about a month earlier than they would have in a normal year, according to Paul Christensen, a senior fisheries biologist with Alberta Environment and Protected Areas.

Atlantic Canada ocean temperatures set records again in 2022

Atlantic Canada ocean temperatures set records again in 2022

Ocean temperatures in Atlantic Canada set record highs again in 2022, according to the latest assessment released by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Results from the annual Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program show surface, intermediate and bottom temperatures were well above normal last year. "It was widespread. It was everywhere," said Peter Galbraith, a DFO research scientist in Mont-Joli, Que. "It was really, really warm across the zone."

Bright orange ocean water being tested by B.C. scientists

Bright orange ocean water being tested by B.C. scientists

Scientists are taking a close look at a bright orange algae bloom found in the ocean off Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. Svetlana Esenkulova, a biologist with Pacific Salmon Foundation, is trying to determine if the phytoplankton bloom is negatively impacting salmon. “Noctiluca blooms can disrupt the overall balance of marine ecosystems as they ‘steal’ food from zooplankton,” she said. Under a microscope, the organisms "look like giant watermelons with pigtails and they wave those pigtails," said Esenkulova, who has a sample of the orange ocean water in her kitchen. When the water is cold, she can see the organisms trying to catch food.

Health Canada proposes lower detection levels of 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

Health Canada proposes lower detection levels of 'forever chemicals' in drinking water

So-called “forever” chemicals are being consumed by people on a daily basis from a variety of ordinary materials, revealed a new report. In a study published in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from the University of Toronto, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame examined 42 different types of food packaging samples and found the presence of pre-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” in 55 per cent of the samples taken.

Beavers could help replace artificial dams being decommissioned on Vancouver Island

Beavers could help replace artificial dams being decommissioned on Vancouver Island

Members of a Canadian conservation organization are working on a project to increase biodiversity and healthy wetlands in British Columbia with the help of beavers. Ducks Unlimited Canada is mapping areas in the province where beavers can replace artificial dams once they've been decommissioned. "Beavers are a keystone species," said Jen Rogers, a master's student at Simon Fraser University working with Ducks Unlimited Canada. "They're considered ecosystem engineers."

Beach season 'so far, so good' in Ottawa

Beach season 'so far, so good' in Ottawa

Beachgoers in the Ottawa region have hardly had to avoid the water this summer after weeks of E. coli testing showing low levels in the city's monitored beaches. Katy Alambo, a biologist with Ottawa Riverkeeper, says that while it's difficult to predict a trend from summer to summer, this season is shaping up to be much better than last. "So far, so good. The majority of the beaches have been testing really well," Alambo said.

Canadian lakes in hot water over climate change

Canadian lakes in hot water over climate change

Canadian lakes are in hot water over climate change, a new research survey has concluded. "Canadian lakes are warming twice as fast as the rest of the lakes globally," said York University biologist Sapna Sharma, a co-author of a paper published in the journal Bioscience. Sharma and her colleagues pored over 143 studies from around the world to try to summarize how climate change is affecting the globe's 100 million lakes. Lakes that have been ice-covered at least part of the year are experiencing the biggest changes, they found.

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