California Wildfire Triples in Size

EcoWatch

Wildfires are no stranger to California. And they're getting worse! This blaze raged around Santa Barbara in 2008.
 http://flickr.com/photos/edward-vielmetti/

A huge wildfire burning since Friday in the Santa Clarita Valley area north of Los Angeles has tripled in size over the weekend, destroying at least 18 homes and leaving one man dead. More than 1,500 homes have been evacuated as 1,673 firefighters battle the Sand fire. Story here.

Wild Critters of the Grasslands (A picture story)

The beginning of the "70-Mile Butte" trail.

by Larry Powell

Row & I are visiting a special place right now. It's Grasslands National Park in SW Saskatchewan. I can swear the animals, birds and even plants are saying "thank you" for not huntinig or spraying us, or plowing us down! Enjoy the photos. 
Yours in Nature.
Larry

UNESCO Recommends Canada’s First Mixed World Heritage Site

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

The Bloodvein River within the planned heritage site.

Photo credit - Wikipedia.

A massive tract of boreal forest straddling the Ontario and Manitoba borders that is known as the “Land that Gives Life” to the Anishinaabe people is recommended to become Canada’s first mixed World Heritage site. Story here.

Mass Evacuation as 'Apocalyptic' Inferno Engulfs Canadian Tar Sands City

A view from the south...

Common Dreams

'There was smoke everywhere and it was raining ash,' says Fort McMurray evacuee. More here.

Celebrating 20 Years of Campaigning to Safeguard the Great Bear Rainforest

GREENPEACE

At long last, today we celebrate the culmination of over twenty years of campaigning to safeguard the Great Bear Rainforest. More here.

Loved to Death (Video)

by George Monbiot

The UK’s national parks should be redesignated as ecological disaster zones. A lecture to the UK National Parks conference, by George Monbiot, 14th October 2015 This is my ferocious attack on the dire state of the UK’s national parks, and my ideas for how they could be improved. (See Video, below.)

Demolition of Mount Agassiz Underway

Manitoba Co-Operator

Parks Canada is seeking public feedback in efforts to determine the future of the former Riding Mountain ski hill in Riding Mountain National Park, Manitoba.  Story here.

Rhetoric vs. Reality. A Tale of Self-Deception.

by Larry Powell

It is a common human trait to embrace nature - or at least the notion of nature - in our everyday pop culture and in the ways we portray our civilization to others. Animals abound in TV and print commercials as they obviously strike a chord within the customers who buy the "stuff" being advertised. Not a strong enough chord, however, for us to actually preserve the habitat they need for their survival; and that you and I may well need for our own emotional wellbeing. 

Save Endangered Grizzly Bears from Canada's Jumbo Ski Resort! PLEASE SIGN!

Care2Petitions

Jumbo Glacier Resorts is planning to build a 5500 bed ski resort with hopes to attract between 2000 and 3000 tourists per day. Although Jumbo Glacier Resorts has stated they examined the affects its resort will have on the area Grizzly Bear population and determined there will be little impact; they are using scientific data that is over 15 years old!  PLEASE CLICK here to sign!

Conservation Plan of Canada's National Government Ignores National Parks, Wilderness: Critics

CBC News

Black Bear. Riding Mtn. Nat'l. Park. PinP photo.

Plan too narrowly focused on built-up areas, critics say. Details here.

Please also read: "MP Plays Both Ends Against the Middle." (Letter)

New Provincial Park For Polar Bears in Manitoba?

While talk of jobs and economy have reverberated through the media coverage of our Premiere’s recent throne speech, the province’s significant protected areas announcement has yet to draw the attention it deserves. With the recent discovery of hugely significant polar bear denning areas near Manitoba’s Hudson Bay coast, the province announced a plan to begin consultation on the creation of a provincial park to protect these iconic animals.

NGO Community Condemns Yukon Government Peel Announcement

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS)

Whitehorse – The Yukon Conservation Society (YCS) and CPAWS Yukon are condemning Yukon Government’s announcement today that they are throwing out the Peel Watershed Planning Commission’s Final Recommended Plan and instead implementing government’s own unilateral plan for the region.  This new plan will see 71% of the region opened up for staking. Full story here.

Alberta Leads the Country in "Exploiting" Natural Places

iPolitics

While this may not come as a shock to Neil Young, who’s compared the oil sands to Hiroshima, a national study suggests that Alberta has disturbed more natural landscape than any other province. The analysis by Global Forest Watch adds that Wild Rose Country also has two of the three areas in Canada where the rate of disturbance is the highest. Those disruptions included everything from roads to seismic lines to clearcuts to croplands. “This is a simple monitoring analysis that should be done and could very easily be done by the feds,” the report’s author Peter Lee said Monday. “(But) they’re not doing it.”

Manitoba's Minister of Conservation Grants License For The Bipole III Transmission Project

Winnipeg Free Press.The government has issued an Environment Act for Manitoba Hydro’s Bipole III transmission line. Full story here.

Government of Manitoba. "Unprecedented Licence Conditions Exceed Clean Environment Commission Report, Address Aboriginal Concerns: Mackintosh" Details here.

Manitoba Rolls Out Red Carpet For Noisy "Quad" Machines! - an editorial

PLT: So…I see the Government of Manitoba is going to "improve amenities" in Duck Mountain Provincial Park. That's nice. It's a great place. Apparently those improvements will make the park "more environmentally friendly to lakes and rivers." Sounds good, so far, right? 

But hold on a moment. 

One of those amenities, reads the government press release, will include "trail upgrades" for ATVs (all terrain vehicles)! ATVs?  Aren't those the same noisy, dangerous and polluting machines that too many irresponsible people use to invade quiet wildness, rip up the back country and harass wildlife with? Sounds like the same, to me. I don't even understand why these offensive inventions are allowed in the parks in the first place. That we should actually pamper and roll out the red carpet for them to boot, makes about as much sense as allowing logging there. 

Oh, I forgot. Logging is still allowed in "The Ducks," too, isn't it? 

Ahhh…wilderness. Wasn't it wonderful?

But this isn't just me saying this. A few years ago, a working group made up of people from a wide range of interests; cottagers, tourism and First Nations, found that skyrocketing use of ATVs in the park was "negatively affecting" many trails there through rutting, rendering many impassible!

You tell me how these latest government "amenities" will do anything but increase the kind of abuses documented by that group! ATVers already have thousands of kilometres of trails in other places. Why do they need more in the park? Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and go elsewhere, guys! Leave the park for those of us who want a bit of peace and quiet that's in such short supply in this modern age. Either that or get off your duffs and try hiking, backpacking or cross-country skiing, instead. It just may do wonders for your heart and your soul. You could be pleasantly surprised!

Life at Delta Marsh, Manitoba, Canada

Winnipeg Free Press:

Sports and wildlife photographer Fred Greenslade and Free Press photographer Joe Bryksa visited Manitoba's Delta Marsh to capture the wondrous spring migration of various fowl. Details here.

Below; some marsh denizens of our own. PLT.

Bid For UNESCO World Heritage Designation Deferred One Year

Winnipeg Free Press

Mount Fuji in Japan looks like it will get the nod, but the east side of Lake Winnipeg will not — at least not yet. Details here.

Black Market in Moose Thrives in Manitoba

Winnipeg Free Press

The animal has been wiped out in parts of Manitoba, so why is it easy to get moose meat? Details here.

Graham Powell Photography

Billion Dollar Caribou - Nature of Things - CBC TV

CBC - TV

Through its beautiful and elusive Canadian icon - the woodland caribou - and their passionate advocates, Billion Dollar Caribou will reveal that even in the 21st century, the conservation of natural spaces and the species that live there is much contested territory, mired in controversy, drama and debate. Click here to watch!

PLT: The first show aired last night (Thurs.). So please watch for a repeat! I'm also a day late posting the item, below. But, once again, please note the CBC always repeats the shows, both on CBC TV and CBC New Channel!

BC Should Protect its Rockies for Grizzlies, Wolverines: Conservation Group

The Tyee

A conservation group says British Columbia should establish "safe havens" for wildlife in the southern Rockies to preserve habitat where animals will be able to flee the effects of climate change. Details here.