Attention Conservation Council members: we have a very important job for you!
It’s time for us to pick new polar bear plushies for our Wildlife Adoption Kits, but we just can’t decide which one we like the best – so we’re turning to our fave group of animal-saving heroes for some advice! We’ve narrowed down the options to these two – let us know in the comments which one is your favourite!
Did you go for the cutest most cuddliest option? Or did you pick the one you thought looked the most realistic? Chat with your fellow Conservation Council Members in the comments and cast your vote today!
We’re announcing the top pick with an exclusive Live Event, just for Conservation Council Members, happening Thursday August 26!
Join us here for an animal meet-and-greet between 3:30-4:00PM EST to meet your favourite animal ambassadors, ask our Animal Handlers questions, and see which plushie pal finished first!
Trees are simply magnificent and carry a lot of wisdom within their layers of wood. If you think about it, many old trees have lived through very significant events and phenomena that have been experienced on Earth. Trees in many cases outlive people, remaining firmly rooted in place for long periods of time; sometimes even centuries. The oldest known tree is over 5,000 years old! This tree is a bristlecone pine living in the White Mountains of California, in the United States. This tree is truly spectacular, and even has a name – Methuselah!
For today’s eco-activity, learn how you can identify a tree’s age! Check out these three tips for cracking the code.
1) Count the rings
Can you see the top of the stump, or if you find a spot where the branch has been sawed off? If so, look closely and start counting! As trees grow, they add a new layer of wood below the bark (normally a new ring will be added each year of a tree’s life). Each layer (known as a ring) may come in a different width. Several factors such as access to nutrients, water, attacks from insects and fungi, and damage from fire can affect how much a tree grows each year. How many tree rings do you see?
2) Measure the circumference
You can also measure the circumference (the distance around the outside of a circle) of the tree to estimate its age! With a rope, wrap it around the trunk of the tree. Mark off the spot where the rope encircles the tree; measure it beside a ruler or measuring tape. As an approximation, a tree grows about 2.5cm a year, so you can make your guess from there!
3) Count the whorls
A whorl is a cluster of branches that arrange themselves in a circular fashion, often wrapping around the stem of a tree or plant. Many species, like pines, spruces and firs, will grow a whorl of branches annually. If you count the number of whorls of branches, you should be able to guess how old the tree is! Check out the photo and diagram below for help.
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
After Earth Ranger Emma’s travel companion, Sonic the Barn Owl, goes missing, her new friend Sajan steps in to help her find him so that she can continue on her journey. Getting back on her plane Emma takes off to Mount Everest to track down missing conservationist Adelia Goodwin who wrote in her journal that she was heading to the world’s highest place. After a shaky landing and some hiking through the clouds something caused Emma’s jaw to drop! What could it be?
Click the play button on the player below to listen to today’s episode!
Here’s Adelia’s Secret Journal!
What can you learn about Nepal from checking out Adelia’s secret journal? Looks like she was very intrigued by the mountains!
Wow! This is Adelia’s ticket arriving in Lukla airport, one of the most dangerous airports in the world! She scribbled “sometimes, we think we’re going to find one thing, but we end up discovering something totally different,” on one side and “new friends pop up in the most interesting places,” on the other. What could that mean?
Stay tuned for more episodes to find out what happens next!
Emma may just have embarked on an epic quest, but our junior wildlife reporters contest is still going on!
If you’ve ever wanted to be a podcast correspondent, here is your chance. You can create your very own animal report! It could be about your all-time favourite animal, with some cool wacky facts that nobody knows about them! Or it can be about some rare animals that most people would never have even heard about. Or cool conservation projects that happen in your neighbourhood. You can even make your own quizzes, riddles and games. It is 100% your segment, but we will help you out a bit by adding cool sound effects! Ready? Click on the ‘Leave us a message’ button below!
American Badgers are elusive members of the weasel family. You will mostly find them in open grasslands and scrublands all across North America. These four-legged creatures use their sharp claws to dig burrows and find food underground! Unfortunately, habitat loss is threatening American Badgers in British Columbia and Ontario.
For today’s eco-activity, show off your love for our awesome furry friends by making your very own badger mask! Most badgers live with other badgers, so why not invite your friends to make these fantastic badger masks with you?!
Use scissors to cut along the dotted lines and punch two holes below the ears.
Colour your mask.
Attach a piece of string to the holes.
Put on the mask and reveal your inner badger!
Want to do more to help American Badgers? Earth Rangers is working with the Nature Conservancy Canada to restore the Kootenay River Ranch in order to bring back some of the badger’s habitat! This careful land management will give the American Badger a safe space to call home for years to come! Support NCC’s restoration work by adopting an American badger today.
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Without our pollinator pals we wouldn’t have the delicious fruits and vegetables to eat, beautiful flowers, and many other important plants that support a variety of ecosystems. Pollinators play an important role around the world, but unfortunately they face many challenges due to habitat loss and climate change. For today’s eco-activity, test your knowledge on pollinators and pollinator habitats with the pollinator puzzle below! Can you find all the right pollinators and habitats below and match them to the clues we’ve provided?
Down:
1. A flower oasis! This type of habitat starts with the letter ‘M’.
2. A fluttery pollinator that flits and floats.
3. I’m a small pollinator that has two very fast beating wings, a beak and bright feathers. What am I?!
4. A powdery, yellow substance that sometimes makes people sneeze!
6. A sugar-rich liquid produced by plants that pollinators like to sip!
Across:
5. A sweet, sticky substance produced by bees in the process of pollination.
7. The way us pollinators get around from flower to flower.
8. I’m the colourful part of the flower that draws in all of my pollinator pals.
9. I’m black and yellow, with stripes! What am I?!
10. The opposite of a “tame” flower.
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
Not only are we (hopefully!) going to break an awesome record, but we will be using the paper snowflakes to share your messages of hope, concern, and bright ideas for the future of our planet. As Earth Rangers, we know climate change is a big problem for our planet – but we also know that when we work together, we can make a huge impact. For today’s eco-activity, it’s time to get your snowflake on! Here’s how to participate:
Not only are we (hopefully!) going to break an awesome record, but we will be using the paper snowflakes to share your messages of hope, concern, and bright ideas for the future of our planet. As Earth Rangers, we know climate change is a big problem for our planet – but we also know that when we work together, we can make a huge impact. For today’s eco-activity, it’s time to get your snowflake on! Here’s how to participate:
Here’s what you need:
Paper – either use scrap paper for an eco friendly alternative or download and print off the template we have created here
Scissors
Writing utensils
Decorations (optional)
Follow these simple steps below to create your snowflake – even if you’re using a piece of scrap paper, you can pull up the template online to use as a reference and follow the instructions.
Start with a symmetrical square piece of paper
Fold your snowflake according to the directions on the template
Cut out your snowflake
Write your message on your snowflake – you can come up with your own idea or complete the prompts on the template if you need inspiration
If desired, add decorations
Send your snowflake to Earth Rangers Headquarters (9520 Pine Valley Dr, Woodbridge, ON L4H 4Z2) in the mail with “Attn: Snowflake Challenge” on the envelope so that we can put it towards our record-breaking attempt!
If you decide to create your own snowflake on scrap paper, please make sure your snowflakes:
are symmetrical
have 6 sides by folding it accordingly
exceed 10 cm (3.94 in) in height and width
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
In Canada, we’re extremely lucky to have a country full of bustling streams, glassy lakes and swelling ocean coastlines. To be exact, approximately 12% of Canada’s surface is covered in water! One of the largest problems our shorelines face is, you guessed it, pollution! Ever wonder what exactly ends up in our waterways? Well, it turns out that most of the litter found along shorelines and in bodies of water comes from activities that occur on land. For today’s eco-activity, we want you to discover the most common pollutants affecting your nearby shoreline. Head out to a local shoreline with a parent or guardian to do your own garbage clean up (don’t forget to bring gloves, a bag to stash the litter, and good shoes for walking!), and use the tally chart below to conduct your own shoreline waste audit!
At the end of your litter pick up, talley up the total number of pollutants you were able to collect. What is the most common piece of litter? Do you know where in your community it is coming from? Can you personally avoid using that item? Is there a way we can prevent the item from getting into our aquatic habitats?
Considering it is Plastic Free July (the best month of the year!!), if you want to reduce your own plastic waste, now is the time to start! Download the Earth Rangers App to learn more about shorelines and how to hold your own shoreline cleanup by accepting the Shoreline Saver Mission!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
At Earth Rangers, we’re putting our Ears On to talk about climate change and how it affects animals that we love. Findings from our new eco-anxiety research show some level of concern for the environment can be healthy when it leads to eco-action. So for today’s activity, we want you to learn more about lynxes (one of the animals most threatened by habitat loss and climate change) and ways that you can help protect them. Test your knowledge with this quiz about the lively lynx, Canada’s most elusive cat! The lynx is quite the incredible creature, and there is much to be learned about this Canadian species. Let the quiz begin!
If you want to learn more about the Canadian lynx, and take action to protect our feline friends, check out the Got Your Ears On? campaign! Not only will you find a downloadable set of your very own lynx ears to wear whenever you want to start a conversation about climate change, but you can see what other suggested activities and missions you can complete to help protect lynx, their climate and habitat!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
The mighty migration that hundreds of bird species pull off every year is no simple feat. In some cases migration requires flying thousands of kilometres to reach another location in order to wait out the harsh winter months. Essentially, when the conditions of a habitat are no longer ideal for feeding, breeding and raising their young, it is time for birds to get on the move.
Photo: Pixabay
There are about 4,000 species of birds that migrate – that makes up 40% of the total number of birds in the entire world! Because of this, there are many, many different migration patterns that exist depending on the species of bird and their starting location. Most migrations travel from northern areas to southern areas, where birds will find warmer wintering grounds. Owing to the sheer difficulty of making this journey, over time birds have developed the perfect morphology and physiology to help them. Birds require certain features that help them fly fast (such as a lightweight skeleton) and fly for long periods of time (like a very high stamina).
Impressively, the red knot migrates farther distances than any other species of bird. The red knot breeds in Siberia, and winters on the west coast of Africa – that means red knots must travel approximately 16,000 kilometres, not once, but TWICE a year! How miraculous!
But how do birds know where to
fly?! Good question! Bird migration is still not even fully
understood, but there are some theories!
For instance, it’s thought that during the day, birds are able to guide
themselves based on the position of the sun, and at night they follow the
stars. Additionally, some species of
birds may be able to detect polarized light and the geomagnetic field – now
that’s complicated stuff!
Photo: Matt Bango
Unfortunately there are many obstacles that birds must overcome to make their great migration; if migrating wasn’t hard enough already, humans have only made it harder! Large cities full of tall skyscrapers often pose a major issue for our bird pals. Not only do their bright lights cause confusion and disorient birds along their route at night, but many birds crash into windows or try to fly against them until they fall from exhaustion. Urban development is one of the main reasons some bird species, such as the red-eyed vireo, ovenbird and the Swainson’s thrush, are facing population decline.
Want to help out our bird buds?! Check out the For the Birds Mission on the Earth Rangers App to learn more about what you can do to help out your local bird population.
Summer might be in full swing, but we’ve got a different holiday on the brain here at Earth Rangers. Our friends at FPAC (The Forest Products Association of Canada) want your help: they’re working on designing this year’s holiday card, and they want to feature YOU front and centre! Simply create a piece of art that captures the beauty of trees and forests, then submit it to win one of THREE swag bags full of goodies, plus a chance to have your artwork featured on their Christmas card!
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Your artwork can be a painting, drawing, or you can get creative and design something using found forest materials – the sky is the limit!
2. The more creative the submission, the better! Take a walk through your fave forest and keep your eyes peeled for some inspiration, or think back to a time when you were awed by an outstanding tree – can you recreate this moment on paper?
3. Your submission doesn’t have to be festive, but if you feel like getting into the holiday spirit, bring it on!
Hurry: the contest closes on August 8, so be sure to submit your entry soon! Good luck, forest fans!
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you’ll have access to real-world Missions like this one. Plus, you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Find activities like this, and so much more in the App!
