Columnists

This Saturday I took part in the Toronto Stewardship Forum, a one-day event put on by the city of Toronto’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation dept. The morning’s keynote speaker was Alanna Mitchell, author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis. Through her own story of the aquatic expeditions she joined in order to write the book, Alanna laid out the effects on our oceans — and life on land as well — of burning fossil fuels and the resulting excess of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Alanna described how the global ocean absorbs CO2 and, through a chemical change, becomes more acidic, lowering the pH of the water. (Here’s a more detailed explanation.) Instead of naming this ocean or that ocean, Alanna calls all this water the “global ocean” because, as she says, they’re one connected body of water.

By 2030, Alanna says we could see the Great Barrier Reef disappear as the ocean becomes so acidic it corrodes the living creatures within it. The effect on corals has already been severe. Ocean acidification removes life. Compounding this effect, we have water temperature increases that many creatures can’t adapt to, and falling oxygen levels in mainly coastal areas of the oceans due to nutrient runoff (there are currently 407 dead zones, according to Alanna).

Ocean life is what supports all life on Earth, and ocean acidification, temperature increases and lower oxygen levels are all taking a big toll on that life. “Plankton produce every second breath of oxygen you breathe,” says Alanna.

I hope that, perhaps with additional information from Alanna’s book, you feel you’ll have a good answer to “Who know if  climate change is a real problem?” or “I don’t like winter anyway!”  Personally, I’m very grateful to Alanna for taking the time to bring the science of ocean acidification to us masses.

I find it hard to remember which fish are OK to eat and which ones I should skip, so I’ve avoided eating fish or any kind of seafood for several months now. The more I read about overfishing, polluted waterways and the effects of invasive species, the harder it is for me to believe that any fish can be harvested sustainably.

But I defer to experts such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Oceans Alive. Organizations such as these have lists of which fish are safe to eat, both from a sustainability point of view and from a health point of view (some fish contain high levels of mercury). And here’s some good news: a major Canadian grocer is deferring to the MSC too.

Loblaw, Canada’s largest grocer, with over 1,000 stores across Canada, is phasing out species at risk. According to their facebook page, “Loblaw is committed to sourcing all seafood including all canned, frozen, fresh, wild and aquaculture seafood from sustainable sources by the end of 2013. For us, sustainable seafood means that a species is fished using techniques that will ensure its health and availability for generations to come.”

To convey to shoppers that some fish species really are in trouble, Loblaw is taking an interesting tactic. They’re leaving the trays for threatened fish in place, but they’ll be empty, aside from cards stating, “at risk.” Stores will also carry educational literature, and of course Loblaw will promote its MSC-certified fish products.

Will this make a big impact? Undeniably – their media release says that Loblaw is the largest buyer and seller of fish in Canada. Let’s hope that the smaller fish in the retail sea also follow suit.

Have you changed your fish-buying habits, in stores or at restaurants?

Baby animals are the cutest things on earth. There are lots of sites dedicated to them (I was hooked on this one for a while). At infancy, everything is just so darn small and snuggly… but, as harmless and unwise in the world as they are, when we’re talking wild animals, I think we have to let them be just that.

Wildlife rehabilitator Lil Anderson has to walk that line as part of her job. [Correction: Anderson's work for the OMNR does not include wildlife rehabilitation. See her comment below.] Author of the newly released book “Pond Memories” (I’m a sucker for a pun), Anderson relates stories of taking on rescued animals, such as a baby moose, a beaver, a fawn and others. Anderson works for Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources. In her stories, it seems the most of the animals that come to her are delivered by hunters who’ve either startled off a mother, causing it to abandon its young, or the hunter has killed the mother, but felt too guilty to also kill its offspring.

The book does offer interesting insight into young animal behaviour, and shows how Anderson struggles to cut emotional ties and transition her charges back to the landscape.

As I read the book, it struck me as odd that we have resources in place to look after a few babies, rather than robust protection for wild habitats (parks you can log don’t “cut it” for me) since we’ve swallowed up, or at least built roads into so many wild places already. Perhaps the more we let wild things be wild, and stay out of it, the better. But habitats have shrunk, so perhaps they’re becoming more like vast zoos we must actively manage.

What’s your view? Should we be closely involved in managing habitats? Should we just put a fence around them and stay out? Am I overreacting?

Over the Christmas holidays I enjoyed some wintry walks in the woods. I’m learning that, when trying to identify birds and other wildlife, you don’t have to see them to know they’re around. I’m trying to learn bird calls, although, for now, I couldn’t tell you who’s singing beyond Chickadees, Red-wing Blackbirds, Jays and few others. But animal tracks, evident after a recent snowfall, are another way to see who’s in the neighbourhood.

Here are a few pictures of tracks I took while on one of those Christmas walks, while visiting the Frontenac Arch area. (I kinda think that seeing tracks is one of the best ways to see wildlife. I would rather let habitats be wild, and that means free of human encroachment.)

These are deer tracks. I wasn’t surprised to see them — there is an overpopulation of deer in the area, and, mainly through devouring young trees, the deer have taken a serious toll on the habitat. (And, lovely, their little round poops are everywhere. Ech.)

These are turkey tracks. Yes, wild turkey are living the good life in the Frontenac Arch!

These are coyote tracks. A lot of coyotes inhabit the area, but they aren’t generally aggressive toward people.

Have you enjoyed wildlife… without actually seeing any animals?

Today my dad and my aunt and I got up early to do the
Christmas Bird Count. This is an initiative of the Audubon Society that’s coordinated by Bird Studies Canada north of the border.

While it was freezing rain, and thus rather slippery out, we braved the weather in the Frontenac Arch region to track down as many little chirpers as possible. By going out bird watching for several hours, we were adding puzzle pieces to the entire picture of bird health in North America. This is nothing new — the bird count’s being going on since 1900 when people began to notice changes in bird populations. It’s great to be able to help experts see the trends in bird populations across North America.

In spite of the drizzle keeping most birds hidden in the treetops or huddled among the bushes, we saw some of the usual suspects around my parents’ house, such as the common mergansers, chickadees, a white-breasted nuthatch, but there was also a silhouette a shady high-fliers, a bald eagle early in the day and a raven. My dad even spotted a “v” formation of 17 snow geese.

Some people make the bird count a little easier by topping up their bird feeders the day before and doing the first part of the Christmas bird count out the kitchen window, and I don’t blame them, especially on days like today.

Even if you’ve missed the bird count, it’s worth keeping a log of the birds that visit your area from year to year, to get your own idea of the health of local bird populations (not to mention a few priceless photos). You can spot the birds, but you can also listen for them to identify them. Here’s a site of bird calls to help you figure out who’s who.

Have you seen any interesting birds at your feeder this year?

I wrote about great green gift ideas the other day, but I thought I should offer a few ideas for those truly last-minute gifts.

Better than that ill-fitting shirt or a box of stale chocolates, why not try a donation with lasting effect, such as to help plant trees, create wetlands, restock a river with fish or campaign against a strip mine?

But which charity should you choose? You could go with closest to home — I’d recommend your recipient’s home, and with a focus on what they love about it. Perhaps it’s a gift to a local tree-planting group, a trails organization, watershed protection charity or land trust. Your money could make the difference in rejuvinating or protecting an area your friend or family member holds dear.

Or you could go with some organizations that make a difference on the global scale, from WWF’s work on climate change to the Suzuki Foundation’s achievements in environmental education to the Nature Conservancy’s efforts to conserve habitat.

If you don’t know what that might be, have a look at the list of groups at Canadahelps.org. They make donating easy, and you can even let your recipient choose the charity!

What meaningful gifts would you like to give… or get?

It’s migration season, and as many species of birds are winging their way across the landscape, no doubt they could use a bite to eat and some clean water to drink. So far I’ve had visits from a downy woodpecker, juncos, lots of house sparrows and a pair of mourning doves. Last winter I had a pair of cardinals at the feeder as well.

I have a large hanging feeder (with anti-squirrel features, thanks Aunt Sue!) and a wire cage for a seed cone hanging in my backyard. I put a seed mix in the feeder that includes peanuts, sunflower seeds, corn and millet. I like to put thistle / niger seed bells in the wire cage, although the last one was greeted so enthusiastically it’s all but gone, so I better go shopping.

I’d love to attract other types of birds, such as nuthatches and chickadees, so I’d better go looking for a suet ball. To protect the birds from the legion of cats that prowl through our yard, I hang all of the feeders from a clothesline, away from the reach of fences and branches.

I’m sure that the little guys build up a thirst after flying hundreds of kilometres, so although it’s been wet lately, I have a couple of dishes of water out. I’m keeping my eyes out for a larger black dish, something that will heat up a lot in the warmth of the sun, so there’s water for the birds even on sub-zero winter days.

A bird’s life can’t be an easy one, but they are so darn cute, they’re fun to watch. A sack of bird feed makes for some very affordable entertainment, and hopefully supports the little guys through the cold months.

Have you seen any interesting birds visit your feeder lately?

Out for a walk in the Thousand Islands area last weekend, I noticed what looked like a light snowfall drifting across my path. Except it was around 10 degrees C outside. Much (much!) better than snow, it was wafts of milkweed silk, seeds in tow, tumbling across the tops of the shrubs and grasses.

Considering how much anxiety goes into planting fall bulbs (when I do it – how deep should they be? How do I protect them from squirrels?) it amazes me that milkweed’s lofty white drifts result in well-planted seeds. But, having seen telltale bits of the white fluff attached to people, pets and most anything that moves, milkweed seeds do get around.

And that’s a good thing, considering that milkweed is a principal source of food for the monarch butterfly. As I noted in an earlier post, I didn’t see many monarchs this year. I resolved to plant some milkweed in my garden in an attempt to be a small part of the solution. So right now, as the milkweed pods dry out and pop open, releasing their tufts of silk and seeds, it’s time to put some of those seeds in the ground. I planted several seeds this weekend, and of course a few got away.

I hope the neighbours don’t mind. After all, with “weed” in its name, perhaps milkweed isn’t valued by everyone. But it does produce bright pink flowers – and entice our orange and black friends.

Have you tried to help out birds, butterflies or other species? For more tips on doing just that, check out this article on Homemakers.com.

The Vancouver Aquarium’s conservation program, Ocean Wise, now has over 2,000 restaurant partners who use the Ocean Wise logo on their menus alongside better fish and seafood choices. It can be hard to make a good menu choice — after all, if it’s on the menu, how can a species be threatened? But according to the Vancouver Aquarium website, about 90 per cent of large predator fish from the world’s oceans have been harvested. So much depends on the interrelationships of species within the ocean, from healthy conditions for plankton and zooplankton growth all the way up the food chain to responsible, sustainable fishing practices. I think that if we make good choices for dinner, whether at the supermarket or at the neighbourhood bistro, we can steer the food industry to better practices.

“Sustainable seafood can be defined as species that are caught or farmed in a way that ensures the long-term health and stability of that species, as well as the greater marine ecosystem,” says the Aquarium site.

Bottom trawling and dredging are two of the most harmful fishing methods, because they produce a lot of bycatch and can harm the ocean environment, including damage to coral reefs. But improvements to seafood farming techniques, including inland farms that are closed to natural waterways, are offering better fish options. Looked for farmed tilapia, sturgeon, rainbow trout and Arctic char.

As a followup to my recent post about Ontario’s new Green Energy Act, I thought I’d note a few of the reasons I think it makes sense to move to renewable energy from burning coal.

What is coal? It’s a type of rock made of carbonized plants that holds a lot of C02 and, when burned, releases harmul toxins, including lead, mercury, and even radioactive components such as uranium and thorium. And we’ve found a way to mine this energy-rich, abundant material relatively cheaply.

To mine the coal, we clear-cut the trees, then scrape away the topsoil exposing the rock below so we can carve out the mountain sides to expose the carbon-rich black material. Naturally this process destroys habitat, creates blights on the landscape and causes long-standing health issues in humans, not just wildlife.

The journal of the American Public Health association says of study subjects who live near a coal mine: “high levels of coal production were associated with worse adjusted health status and with higher rates of cardiopulmonary disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, lung disease, and kidney disease.” OK, that sounds pretty bad. A York University study on a mining area near Nanaimo, B.C. cites research showing that water leaching from coal mines builds up a lot of sulphuric acid, which in turn releases heavy metals, such as lead, zinc, copper and mercury. Delicious!

Not long ago, we ran this story on the surprising range of health effects of air pollution in Homemakers.

Having enjoyed an afternoon picnic under a massive wind turbine, chatting about the future of power, it’s hard to imagine that coal could somehow be better. I try to be open minded, but I just don’t see the logic.