Introducing the Red Fox!

The red fox is a dog-like mammal that has a pointed face and ears, a thick and glossy coat of fur, and a long, bushy tail with a white tip. These intelligent animals can thrive throughout Canada, from rural countryside to urban backyards, and are more common in the city than people realize. In urban areas, foxes are often found near ravines, grassy fields, and large parks where small mammals—their favourite food—are plentiful. Although they adapt well to a wide variety of environments, undisturbed habitat is important to the species for denning, hunting, and raising their families. Sadly this habitat is decreasing as more homes are being built and urban areas continue to expand, which is why it’s so important that we conserve and restore them.

That’s why Earth Rangers is helping the Toronto Region Conservation Authority with the Meadoway Project, an initiative that will restore and create new wildlife habitats in a vibrant 16-kilometer expanse of greenspace that will become one of Canada’s largest urban parks! By planting native wildflowers and grasses, removing invasive species, cleaning up litter, and creating new habitats, we hope to see healthy populations of native species like the red fox in the area—and when you adopt a red fox on the Earth Rangers App, you will be directly supporting the Meadoway Project and helping red fox families thrive!

Today’s Eco Activity: Fox-faced Wordsearch

Have you ever wanted to look as cute as a red fox? Well you’re in luck! Colour and cut out this fox-faced mask and you’ll be all set to prance around in open fields, quietly sneak around a forest floor, or explore the bushes in your neighbourhood, looking for delicious prey scurrying about!

Click the image below to download your template!

Model your magnificent mask to encourage others to get involved in caring for animals by taking an active role in conservation projects with us. Post a photo showing off your sly fox style and tag our page on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! You could be featured on our page!

Think you’re super sly after a day of fox-ing about? See if you’re a true fox fan by completing this wicked wordsearch! Find the word “PROTECT”, and right underneath will be a secret seven-letter bonus code for 15 points in the Earth Rangers App!

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!

Today’s Eco Activity: Eco-Conscious Coupon Cards!

Dad’s Day is coming up on Sunday! This Father’s Day, while we recognize our amazing dads and caregivers at home, we challenge you to use recycled materials to create a lovely DIY gift!

One easy way to be eco-friendly when gift giving is to use recycled paper for cards and crafts. Not only are forests pretty to look at and fun to explore, but they also have magical powers to keep the planet healthy. Trees help us fight climate change by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. They also clean our water, stop soil from washing away, and are home to countless animals like deer, bears, raccoons, owls, moose, foxes, and so many more!

We should always try to use recycled materials as much as possible so that we can try to limit the use of our paper products. A great way to use recycled paper products for gift-giving is not only by making a fabulous card, but also a coupon booklet for fun and eco-loving ways to celebrate your proud papa! Think up some ways to show him (or anyone else in your life you’d love to celebrate) extra love by creating vouchers they can redeem over the summer!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Take a nature walk or bike ride around the neighbourhood (don’t forget the reusable water bottles!)
• Cook an earth-friendly breakfast in bed (considering going meat free, or a “reduced waste” breakfast like an omelette using leftovers!)
• Spend an evening stargazing in the countryside.
• Help him with weeding invasive species from the garden.
• Take a trip to a local farmers market to pick out delicious treats.
• Spend a day at a lake or beach playing frisbee or building sandcastles.
• Give the “Dadmobile” an eco-friendly carwash (using rainwater or bath water that would otherwise go down the drain!)
• Prepare a family picnic in the park.
• Plant a brand-new tree together. A tree is a beautiful way to tell him that no matter how big you grow, you’ll always be his little one at heart! Plus, we promise it’ll be an unbe-LEAF-ably fun way to make some amazing memories together!

Have any other ideas that your fellow Earth Rangers can include in their coupon book? Share your ideas on social media by tagging our pages on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Feel free to share your cute coupon book too!

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!

Today’s Eco Activity: Plant Photographer

If you or a family member has access to a digital camera, or even a phone or tablet with a camera app, now is the perfect time to practice your plant photography skills! Luscious leaves and beautiful blooms are becoming more abundant now that spring is in full swing. We’re challenging you to snap some sweet captures of the plants around you that purify our air, help pollinating pals like butterflies and bumblebees, and make the world around us a prettier place!

Take a stroll around your neighbourhood and scope out some subjects to snap pics of. Looking for colourful plants and flowers in various shapes and sizes is a great way to get started. Here are some more tips to get you one step closer to being a professional plant photographer:

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!

Plus, don’t forget about today’s awesome Facebook Live event! Join us at 2pm EST as we chat with a real-life murre researcher and what it’s like to work on conservation projects from the side of a cliff!!

Today’s Eco Activity: Egg-cellent Murre Habitat

During the summer months, the Thick-billed Murre gathers in massive colonies and breeds on seaside cliffs in the Arctic. Instead of making a nest for their eggs, these daring birds lay a single egg on the edge of a steep cliff! To prevent it from rolling over the edge, parents might gather pebbles to place them around the egg, like a mini pebble fence. They might even cover the egg and pebbles with their own poop to help it really stick. Once the hatchling is old enough, they will jump right off the cliff and glide down to the ocean, ready to take on the world!

Murres may not be the most graceful fliers with their awkward takeoff and stubby wings, but they can reach speeds of up to 120 kilometers an hour once they start soaring! Although a little goofy on land and in the air, they are truly some of the best swimmers and divers out there. When foraging for prey such as fish, squid, and other crustaceans, they are able to dive well over 100 metres into the ocean! This fabulous flying bird holds the world record for the deepest dive!

Colour these images and then cut them out. Don’t forget the Thick-Billed Murre’s signature black feathers! Colour the rocky coastal habitat on the next page, and then glue the images where they best belong!

Click the image below to download this activity!

Wanna lend a helping wing to some murres in need? Support important research to protect this species by purchasing a Thick-Billed Murre Wildlife Adoption kit!

Plus, don’t forget about tomorrow’s awesome Facebook Live event! Join us at 2pm EST as we chat with a real-life murre researcher and what it’s like to work on conservation projects from the side of a cliff!! 

You can read even more about her research in this article on the Wild Wire.

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!

Introducing the Thick-Billed Murre!

Thick-billed murres are found in Arctic waters all across the globe. Known as the “penguins of the north”, these cool looking birds have distinctive black and white feathers and are one of the deepest underwater divers of all birds, plunging to depths of over 100 metres and using their stubby little wings to “fly” through the water. Although their population is in the millions, some recent research shows declines of 20-50% in some large colonies. This is a big cause for concern, as the murres are facing dangerous threats like fishing net entanglement, ocean pollution, oil spills, and climate change.

When you adopt a thick-billed murre through the Wildlife Adoptions program, you’ll support McGill University researcher Emily Choy as she studies how thick-billed murres are using and responding to their environment on Coats Island and northern Hudson Bay. Using miniature bio-loggers, Emily will be able to track the movements of murres and measure things like heart rate, body temperature, and activity levels as they dive, fly, and hunt for food.

With this information, Emily will develop an “energy map” to assess habitat quality for these seabirds and other marine predators, and help make sure that their most important foraging areas are not being negatively impacted by human activities, like Arctic shipping traffic. Join us this Thursday at 2pm EST on Facebook Live as we chat with Emily Choy herself to learn about the murre, arctic fox, and what it’s like to work on conservation projects from the side of a cliff!!

You can read even more about her research in this awesome article on the Wild Wire Blog!

Today’s Eco Activity: Re-set The Stat!

Now that you know how climate change affects the thick-billed murre and other arctic animals, we want you to help make a difference at home! Did you know you can do that just by re-setting your thermostat?

Now that summer’s almost here it might be tempting to crank that air conditioning, but all that cold air comes at a cost to our planet. Instead of putting your air conditioner into overdrive, keep cool with these tips instead! Not only will you be reducing your household greenhouse gas emissions, you’ll be helping to slow down climate change too!

• Lose the socks and go barefoot
• Opt for no-oven meals or cook outside if you can—using the oven heats your home up as well as your food!
• Put a cold cloth on your forehead, neck, arms, or legs
• Keep cool from within by eating or drinking something cold
• If there’s a breeze outside, open your windows to get fresh air flowing through your home! If it’s hot and sunny, keep blinds and curtains closed.

Plus, try these naturally-cool ideas to keep fresh and celebrate #GlobalWindDay… that’s today by the way!!

• Use a fan to circulate the air (only when you’re in the room)
• Open a window at night instead of using air conditioning
• Learn more about the amazing power of wind in this Wild Wire article!

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!

Animal Encounter Story Contest

Hey you! Yes, YOU! We want to hear from our amazing Earth Ranger families: we’re looking for your animal encounter stories! Do you or someone you know have an interesting story about an encounter with an animal?

Plus, your message could be featured on the Earth Ranger Podcast! And that right there is some SERIOUS Earth Rangers bragging rights in itself!

Want to help make the Earth Rangers podcast the most awesome podcast ever? We want to hear your thoughts! Listen to an episode and let us know what you liked or didn’t like about it. Do you want to hear more of one thing and less of another? Is there a specific animal or topic you’d like us to explore? Let us know! Check out this example and send in your message here.

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!

Today’s Eco Activity: Sea Lion Origami

Origami is the Japanese art of paper-folding. Have you ever wanted to try your hand at folding your way to some awesome artwork? How about creating a Patagonian sea lion? Well, today you can do BOTH!

Plus, if you use scrap paper from around the house, you can upcycle something that would otherwise end up in the recycling bin! Do your best not to use any “new” paper products for this project. Canada is lucky enough to have some of the world’s healthiest and most beautiful forests. Let’s help keep it that way by reducing and reusing paper products!

Take a look around your house to see if there is anything you can use: old grocery lists, used notepad pages, flyers… your least-impressive school report card… really any sturdy paper product should word! Bonus points if that paper has already been recycled once!

Wanna lend a helping fin to some sea lions in need? You can help support important research to protect this unique species by purchasing a sea lion Wildlife Adoption kit!

Plushie adoption kits are only $40 and include a certificate and a poster, and when you make your purchase through the Earth Rangers App your child will also earn points to help them level up on their Earth Rangers journey—plus a set of virtual rewards they can show off!

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!

Tree Bucket Buddy

Trees need water just like we do in order to stay hydrated and healthy! Growing new leaves and roots, transporting nutrients, and completing photosynthesis all require water. It can even help trees manage pests and disease!

Young trees that have just been planted (maybe you’ve recently completed our Just 1 Tree Mission!) especially need help getting enough water. But all trees can benefit from a good drink! Since they take in water slowly, it can be hard to hydrate without waste! Standing around with the hose pointed at your tree trunk usually just ends up with water bubbling up and spilling around the lawn, before the roots have barely sucked any up.

Earth Rangers is here to help you with a little DIY fun to make your very own tree watering system: A Bucket Buddy!! All you need is a big ol’ pail (we recommend a five-gallon one) and something to carefully puncture holes in the bottom. A drill or a hammer and nail will do just fine, but make sure that you get an adult’s help to do it safely!

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Make a half-inch hole near the outer edge of the bottom of your bucket.
2. Fill your bucket all the way to the top with water.
3. Find the area directly under your tree’s “drip line”—that’s the area right under the canopy’s furthest reach. Place your full bucket here!

Remember to always ask for an adult’s help when using power tools!

1. After the water has slowly drained into the tree’s soil, move the bucket to the opposite side of the tree to give the roots on the other side a good slurp! Alternatively, you could use two buckets in step 3: one on either side!
2. Repeat 2-3 times per week in the hot summer months so your tree can drink up 20-30 gallons of water! It’s a well-deserved treat for providing us with clean air all season long!

Pro tip: When it’s raining, pull your buckets out from under the trees so that you can collect rainwater to use! It’s a great way to save water! Just make sure that you temporarily plug the holes while you’re collecting it so you can use it later to help out thirsty trees.

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!