By Julia Pepler
In Vancouver, we are lucky to have clean water gushing from our taps at a moment's notice. We don’t think twice about drinking tap water, taking long showers, watering our gardens or flushing our toilets. But where does all of this water come from?
By Julia Pepler
Spring has sprung, and with that come arrays of incredible blooming flowers that give us hope that summer is around the corner. This week on Backyard Species we’ll give you a rundown of some BC flowers that you might spot blooming in your neighbourhood right now!
By Julia Pepler
Today, we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day. This will be one that we remember for years to come. Instead of celebrating together, in parks, in forests, or down by the water, most of us will be celebrating from our homes and neighbourhoods. But nonetheless, we will find ways to celebrate this incredible planet we call home.
By Kate Moore
In the past year, our Vancouver Water Monitoring Program has had upwards of 120 volunteers who have donated over 440 hours, and resulting in over 460 water samples collected. Thanks to the astonishing efforts of our citizen science volunteers we were able to create our 2019 Water Monitoring Report from the year-round results.
By Kate Moore
It seems as though the warm weather is finally here to stay in Vancouver as we move into the spring season. While attempting to work-from-home, outside in the backyard I noticed so many insects buzzing around the new spring blooms.
By Kate Moore
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, people were feeling the consequences of “nature deficit”. Canadians spend as much as 90% of our lives inside.1 A shocking 30% of adults spend less than 30 minutes outside per week. And nature-deficit affects children too.2
To our Fraser Riverkeeper community,
While we are socially isolating across Canada, we are more connected than ever. The Swim Drink Fish movement of water guardians continues to grow. Thanks to social media and our digital tools like Swim Guide and Watermark Project, we have shifted our strategy to connect with our community in new and exciting ways. While we’re all doing our part to stay inside during the COVID-19 outbreak, we’ve got some activities that will help you engage with our local waters from home.
By Kate Moore
I personally have been finding it difficult to practice social distancing, especially with the weather getting warmer in Vancouver and not being able to enjoy my normal spring activities like skiing, hiking, and soaking up the sun with friends. However, it is so incredibly important for public health that we all do our part, and stay home if we can in order to “flatten the curve.”
By Julia Pepler
Earlier this week, we made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend citizen science participation in our Vancouver Water Monitoring Program until further notice. Due to the current circumstances and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak, we didn’t want our dedicated volunteers, who are always selfless and generous with their time, to have to choose between their health and their involvement in protecting our waters.
Check out our new video that gives you the behind-the-scenes of what it takes to monitor the water in False Creek year-round!
