On World Migratory Bird Day, UN Calls for Greater Protection of Habitats

United Nations News Centre

Yellow-headed blackbird. PinP photo.

As an estimated 50 billion birds commence their annual migrations, the critical staging areas they need to complete these journeys continue to be degraded or are disappearing completely, the United Nations today warned on this year's World Migratory Bird Day. Details here.

Brush-clearing on a Manitoba farm. PinP photos.

'It's Great News' for Experimental Lakes Area

Winnipeg Free Press

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (a Winnipeg-based think tank) will step in to operate experimental lakes. Full story here.

Related: Experimental Lakes Closure a Financial Blunder - Greens.

The Cicadas are Coming!

The Xerces Society

Everybody has his or her own treasured experience of insects -- a nighttime lit by  fireflies, the sight of monarchs clustered for the winter…full story here. PLT: below - Definitely not cicadas, but an unidentified swarm of rather hard-backed,  flying insects which gathered on a vehicle in my yard on a warm day in April, then died.  Recognize them? Let me know if you know what they are! Thanks!

Below is a response I got when I posted the last photo on an online bug i.d. website.

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"I do believe these are Water Boatmen. As adults these occasionally come flying out of the ponds in which they've spent all their juvenile lives in search of new ponds to colonize. If your vehicle has a smooth reflection to it (or better yet--is some shade of blue or black or green) they could easily have mistaken the sheen of your vehicle for that of a pond. These poor guys probably then proceeded to bake to death very quickly on the hot surface of your car..."

Seven Killed in Bangladesh Garment Factory Fire

Dhaka, Bangladesh (CNN) -- At least seven people died in a fire in a clothing factory in Bangladesh's capital late Wednesday, police and the factory's general manager said. Details here.

Policy and Poverty in Manitoba - Budget 2013

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

It was a welcome change to hear politicians of all stripes talking about poverty in the lead up to the 2013 provincial budget and in the analysis that followed. Unfortunately much of the chatter will serve the interests of politicians more than those most affected by government decisions. Details here.

Ban the Use of Neonicotinoids in Canada

Elizabeth May, Leader, Green Party of Canada

Pollinators, including honeybees, are a central element of our food system and a critical pillar of our ecology. Details here.

• Related: Pollinator Protection - Europe Shows Us How It's Done (Letter)
• Lots of Buzz About Disappearing Honeybees.

Lots of Buzz About Plight of Disappearing Honeybees

Laura Rance - Winnipeg Free Press

The expression "canary in the coal mine" comes to mind when reading a newly-released U.S. government report on the sorry plight of honeybees. Details here.

Related:

• "Pollinator Protection - Europe Shows Us How It's Done"(Letter)
• Ban the Use of Neonicotinoids in Canada

Adverse Effects of Artificial Flooding

Cheryl Kennedy Courcelles - CBC 

Here we go again, the province has sent out their email, Facebook, Twitter and media announcements that they shall be operating the floodway gates…Details here.

"We aren't the only species on Earth. We just act like it!" Anon

There Is No Point At Which Those Who Accumulate Money Become Satisfied.

By George Monbiot, published in the Guardian 6th May 2013.

“I never did anything for money. I never set money as a goal. It was a result.”(1) So says Bob…Full story here. 

Arctic Ocean Acidifying - Global Study

Canadian Press

An international study suggests greenhouse gases are acidifying the Arctic Ocean at a faster rate than any of the world's southern seas. Details here.

Related article: "Canada's Governing Party Blows a Golden Opportunity to Curb the Brutal Practice of "Shark-Finning" on the High Seas"

Time for Big Green to Go Fossil Free

Naomi Klein - the Nation

The movement demanding that public interest institutions divest their holdings from fossil fuels is on a serious roll. At last count, there were active divestment campaigns on 305 campuses and in more than 100 US cities and states. The demand has spread to Canada...Full story here.