Earth Rangers is proud to announce that our co-founder and former President, Peter Kendall, is among the 120 newest appointments to the Order of Canada!
The appointment was made by the Governor General of Canada on December 28, 2019 in recognition of Peter’s “steadfast commitment to conserving and protecting Canada’s biodiversity for future generations”. Other appointees include Nobel laureate Donna Strickland, Canadian zoologist Anne Dagg, and former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Peter Kendall co-founded Earth Rangers with entrepreneur and environmentalist Robert Schad in 2004 and led our organization for 15 years. Thanks to Peter’s passion, innovation, and unique ability to inspire others, Earth Rangers is now the largest youth conservation organization globally, with more than 200,000 young members across Canada. Peter is currently serving on our Board of Directors as the Finance Committee Chair, after stepping down as President in July 2019. He is also the Executive Director of The Schad Foundation.
Peter hopes the honour draws attention to the importance of empowering kids to be part of the solution to the environmental challenges we currently face: “While we face the existential threats of climate change and biodiversity loss, I have been lucky enough to come face to face with the incredible resilience of children and youth – they are motivated to act and that’s what Earth Rangers has always been about”.
Congratulations Peter!
The Order of Canada recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication, to the community, and service to the nation. Since its creation in 1967, more than 7,000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order, each exemplifying the Order’s motto: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM – or, “They desire a better country”.
Grizzly bears are awesome creatures. They’re the not the largest bears in North America (the polar bear takes first prize in this category), but they can reach a weight of up to 410 kg! Most grizzlies live in Alaska, Canada and Russia. Grizzlies are mostly solitary animals, although they don’t really mind if their territories overlap. They’re omnivores, and their favourite foods are salmon, mammals and berries. Before hibernation, grizzly bears need to eat a LOT in order to gain the weight they’ll need to see them through the winter (they can hibernate for up to seven months!).
It’s a Bear’s Life Grizzly bears are really adaptable. They live in a wide variety of habitats, from forests, to alpine meadows, to the Arctic tundra. A female grizzly gives birth to two or three cubs between January and March. Cubs are really, really small – they only weigh a pound when they’re first born. Mother grizzlies take care of their babies for two or three years, and she will defend them fiercely if she feels they’re ever threatened. Mama grizzlies will even take on a large male to protect her babies! The lesson here? Don’t mess with mama bear!
Lend a Helping Paw Beaver River is a remote watershed where grizzlies live. Unfortunately, there’s a potential mining road that will run right through important habitat in this area, destroying hectares of berry patches that grizzly bears eat. That’s why Earth Rangers has teamed up with Wildlife Conservation Society Canada and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk. When you adopt a grizzly, you will support a team of grizzly bear biologists who will visit the Beaver River Watershed and use special non-invasive methods to determine the population size, habitat and distribution of the grizzlies. The data gathered will be used to learn how the mining sites will impact the grizzly bears’ habitats, which can help us protect them for years to come!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, grizzly bear poster, and an adorable bear plushie!
Proudly supported by:
T-Gear Foundation
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Last year Earth Rangers teamed up with Bird Studies Canada
on a project to help protect the adorable but endangered Piping Plover, and
we’ve got lots of good news to share: their populations are on the rise! In
2019 the team identified 8 pairs nesting at 5 beaches across Ontario – that’s
twice as many pairs as there were in 2018! These plovers were found nesting in
Wasaga Beach, Sauble Beach, in Darlington Provincial Park, as well as two private
properties on Georgian Bay, and we’re happy to report that 7 chicks
successfully fledged!
Over 150 people who live near these sites volunteered their time to help with the program, including two of our very own Earth Rangers! When people went to visit the plovers in their protected nesting areas they received stickers and tattoos to help promote the protection of the recovering population, and almost 5,000 conversations with beachgoers were had over the summer. That’s a lot of stickers!
In Wasaga Beach and Sauble Beach even local businesses wanted to get involved in saving these adorable little birds by running social media contests and conducting surveys. This shows that when everyone works together, great things can be accomplished!
Photo by Neal Mutiger
Check out the above picture taken at Wasaga Beach! Did you know that when plovers are born, they are only the size of golf balls? This dad is protecting his brood of chicks by sitting on them to keep them warm while they are only a few days old.
If you look closely at some pictures or the drawing below you might notice that the Plovers look like they’re wearing a little ankle bracelet. These are called bands, and they help us track the birds, understand their lifestyle, and protect them. Bands have been used for over 100 years and they have helped us to learn much of what we know today.
Each of the banded plovers have a unique identification number, like a fingerprint: something that is uniquely theirs and that lets us track them all along their migration journey. Bands are placed on the plovers when they are only 10 days old, and they’ll stay on throughout their travels. So far 9 of Ontario’s plovers have been observed down south, something we only know thanks to their unique bands. Want to see where they’ve been so far?
Pepa
from Wasaga Beach was observed in Outback Key,
Florida on July 16. Pepa hatched in Sauble Beach in 2012, and spent her first
few summers breeding in the States, before finding Wasaga Beach. She has bred
at Wasaga since 2016, and is one of Ontario’s oldest plovers. She was named
after the famous hip-hop group, Salt n’ Pepa.
Pepa, Wasaga Beach. Photo by Neal Mutiger
Flash from Wasaga Beach was observed on an island off the coast of Alabama on Sept 17, and again on Nov 22. Flash was hatched and raised in captive rearing in Michigan in 2018; the nest was abandoned after one of his parents was predated by a Snowy Owl, luckily biologists were able to save the eggs. Flash was named after the superhero.
Flash, Wasaga Beach. Photo by Neal Mutiger
Ms. Green Dots from Sauble Beach was observed on Key Biscayne, Florida on October 14. Ms. Green Dots hatched in Michigan in 2015, and has nested in Sauble Beach every year since, producing 8 fledglings overall. She has a green dot on one of her leg bands, which is how she got her nickname.
Ms. Green Dots, Sauble Beach. Photo by Neal Mutiger
The female from Darlington Park (she needs a
nickname!), was observed in Ohio in late July. She was there for 3 days, before
likely heading further South. Last year she wintered in Florida with her
sister. She hatched in Wasaga Beach in 2015, and 2 of her siblings also breed
in Ontario, and one sibling breeds in the States. Photo by Josh Solti.
The female from Darlington Park – Photo by Josh Solti
Meet the wolverine, the largest land-dwelling member of the weasel family. The wolverine looks like a cross between a bear and a skunk and is about the same size as a medium-sized dog…but you wouldn’t want one for a pet. Wolverines have a fierce reputation – with strong teeth, extremely sharp claws and a good sense of smell, they are excellent hunters. Wolverines are able to find prey even when it’s buried deep in the snow, and they aren’t picky eaters – they will even eat carrion. If they have too much food, they store it in the snow for later!
It’s a Lonely Life Solitary wolverines live on some of the most rugged terrain on earth, from northern boreal forests all the way up to the Arctic Circle. They like to have a LOT of territory to call their own. If another wolverine enters their territory (which can exceed 500km2) they will defend it fiercely. In fact, the only time wolverines meet up is to mate. A female will give birth to her kits in February or March, and they will stay with their mom for up to two years. Wolverines don’t have very big litters, with 2-3 babies being average. We need to help these tough (but lovable) creatures thrive.
Wanted: Space to Roam! Since wolverines are solitary creatures and require SO much territory of their own, it’s important that they have a lot of land to use. Wolverines are sensitive to people entering their territory and they will even abandon their dens if they sense humans are close by. Earth Rangers is teaming up with University of Calgary researcher Mirjam Barrueto to learn more about the habitat needs of wolverines in western Canada. By using motion sensor cameras and hair traps, she’ll collect information about wolverine populations, habitat quality, and how human activities are impacting wolverines. This information will be used to help manage how land is used so we can make sure they have the habitat they need for years to come!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, wolverine poster, and an adorable wolverine plushie!
Proudly supported by:
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Some people aren’t fond of snakes, but we here at Earth Rangers think they’re ssssuper! Especially the milksnake, a non-venomous reptile that lives throughout Southern Ontario. Milksnakes are pretty distinctive looking, with smooth, shiny scales that are tan or gray and are patterned with red-brown blotches outlined in black. These snakes are carnivores and eat anything from insects to birds and small mammals. Milksnakes aren’t super rare, but their population size is susceptible to land development, disturbance from humans, and being collected to be sold as pets, among other things. That’s why they need our help!
On Their Own Milksnake moms aren’t exactly super-involved in raising their hatchlings – most snake parents aren’t. The female milksnake will lay a clutch of around ten eggs in June or July. The eggs are laid beneath logs or rocks, and are left to incubate for around two months. When the eggs hatch in August or September, the baby snakes are on their own – and it’s a challenging world out there! Milksnakes are prey for animals like raccoons, skunks, foxes and coyotes. Milksnakes live, on average, 10 years in the wild, so it’s important they have a safe habitat to call their own.
Give a Snake a Break We at Earth Rangers want to make sure milksnakes have safe places to live for years to come. That’s why we’re working with our partners at the Toronto Region Conservation Authority to help restore a 16 km stretch of meadowlands in Toronto that will provide quality habitat for thousands of species of plants and animals, like the milksnake. The Meadoway Project will restore this important greenspace by removing invasive species, cleaning up litter, and planting the native plants that animals like the eastern milksnake need to survive!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, eastern milksnake poster, and an adorable milksnake plushie!
Proudly supported by:
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Have you ever seen an osprey in the wild? They look a bit like eagles, but they’re actually a type of hawk. They frequent many different habitats because they’re pretty adaptable – as long as they’re close to a body of water that’s stocked with fish, their favourite food, they’re happy! Speaking of fish, ospreys are excellent hunters. They have keen vision and can detect objects underwater from as far away as 40 meters in the air. They use their sharp, curved talons to plunge feet-first into the water and grab their prey. Ospreys are awesome!
Welcome to my Eyrie! Having a baby is hard work and requires lots of preparation – especially when you’re an osprey! Osprey parents work together to create large nests called eyries. They’re made of sticks and lined with grass or moss. The female usually lays three eggs and then both parents help to incubate them for 5-6 weeks. When the chicks hatch, they’re covered in fluffy feathers. They stay safely in their nest for almost eight weeks, sticking close to home even once they’ve left the nest. They’ll come back for food until they’re ready to set out on their own – and that’s when they need our help!
A Safe Space Back in the 1960s, ospreys were in big trouble. A widely used pesticide called DDT was causing their eggshells to become so thin they would break, and with fewer osprey young being born, their populations plummeted. Thankfully DDT was banned in 1972 and since then ospreys have made an amazing comeback, but now these beautiful birds are facing threats like habitat loss. That’s where you come in!
Working with our partners at the Toronto Region Conservation
Authority, we’re helping restore a 16 km stretch of meadowlands in Toronto that
will provide quality habitat for thousands of species of plants and animals,
like the osprey. The Meadoway Project will restore this important greenspace by
removing invasive species, cleaning up litter, and planting the native plants
that animals like the osprey need to survive!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, osprey poster, and an adorable osprey plushie!
Proudly supported by:
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Patagonian sea lions aren’t native to Canada, but they’re an important native species in South America. You’d have a hard time missing a male sea lion – they can grow to almost 3 metres long and weigh up to 300 kg! These social carnivores hang out in large colonies on the beach, where they’ll stay until they head to the ocean when it’s time to grab a bite to eat. Fish, squid, and octopus are their favourite menu items! It’s important that these big pinnipeds (a fancy word for marine mammals that have two sets of flippers) have a safe place to eat, rest and raise their pups.
It’s a Sea Lion’s Life A mama Patagonian sea lion carries her baby for ten months. About once a year, she will give birth to a single baby, called a pup. The pup enters the water for the first time at about four weeks and practices its swimming skills – which is something it will get very good at as it gets older! It takes a sea lion awhile to fully grow up. In fact, they don’t reach their adult size until they’re eight years old. If Patagonian sea lions want to communicate, they have a variety of calls and vocalizations (different ages and genders of sea lions make different calls). These sea lions are super!
How We’re Helping Earth Rangers has teamed up with International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC), Argentinean researcher Patricia Gonzalez and her Fundación Inalafquen, and the Provincial Environmental Rangers on an important project that will help protect the important habitat at Bahía de San Antonio. This beach in South America is where the Patagonian sea lion will eat, rest, and have its babies, and it’s also an important stopover site for the red knot, an adorable shorebird with an epic migration that takes it from high in Canada’s north all the way to the sunny south every year. Unfortunately red knots are currently listed as Endangered in Canada, and some sea lion populations are decreasing. But why?
Bahía de San Antonio is becoming more and
more developed, and increased traffic from holiday visitors and motorists is
making it harder for the animals that rely on this important beach to find the
good quality habitat that they need. By protecting the beach and reducing the
impacts of human disturbance, we can make sure Patagonian sea lions continue to
have a safe place to eat, rest, and raise their pups!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, Patagonian sea lion poster, and an adorable sea lion plushie!
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Meet the red knot, a colourful sandpiper with the most gorgeous feathers! This beautiful bird is a real stunner, covered with feathers of terracotta orange, gold and black. But they’re not just about good looks. Red knots are also great travelers. In fact, they migrate over extremely long distances (up to 15,000 kilometers!). They head out from their nesting areas in Baffin Island, Nunavut, North Hudson Bay or the central Arctic, and they overwinter in much warmer South America. The trouble is that these fancy flyers are less common than they used to be, and sadly they’re now listed as Endangered in Canada.
A Chilly Start A red knot starts its life in the Arctic. Females lay their eggs in nests they build on sunny slopes, trying to keep things as toasty as possible. Both male and female birds incubate their eggs for about three weeks until they hatch. Then it’s time for flying lessons! Once the chicks can fly, the family moves to lake shores and meadows to eat – and boy do they eat a lot! After all, they’re getting ready for a really long trip, so it’s super important they fuel up before they take off! What’s on the menu for these fancy birds? Mostly seafood! Mussels, clams, shrimp and horseshoe crab eggs are all favourites.
Time for Takeoff! Once they’re all fueled up, the red knot will head out on its epic migration journey to South America. There it will spend its winters, and once the time is right it’ll head back to the North to breed. In order to complete this journey, red knots make a stop in Bahía de San Antonio, a beach in Argentina. Here they refuel, rest, and moult before they set out on an 8,000 km nonstop flight back to North America.
Unfortunately this important stopover site is becoming more and more developed, and increased traffic from holiday visitors and motorists has caused fewer red knots to stop there. With fewer red knots stopping in Bahía de San Antonio, fewer make it back to Canada, which makes it so important that we do our part to protect all the important sites along the journey of a migratory bird.
Help After a Long Flight Earth Rangers has teamed up with International Conservation Fund of Canada (ICFC), Argentinean researcher Patricia Gonzalez and her Fundación Inalafquen, and the Provincial Environmental Rangers to protect the red knot’s important habitat at Bahía de San Antonio. By adopting a red knot, you’ll help protect this crucial area and reduce the impact humans are having, helping make sure these beautiful birds can safely continue their epic journey home!
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, red knot poster, and an adorable red knot plushie!
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
Everyone knows that penguins live in Antarctica, but there are some little birds who look a LOT like their southern cousins living up north in the Arctic. Meet the thick-billed murre! Like the penguin, this bird is a fantastic swimmer and diver (it can dive down over 100 metres in search of fish, squid or a crustacean or two). But unlike the penguin, the thick-billed murre can also fly! Even though there’s presently no shortage of the thick-billed murre, populations are getting smaller. In fact, some colonies have recently seen a 20-50% decline. Time to lend a helping hand!
A Rocky Start Most birds build nice, warm nests for their eggs. Not the thick-billed murre! This daring mama bird lays her egg on the steep face of a rocky cliff. Then the mother and father birds take turns incubating the egg. After about a month, the chick hatches. Both parents continue to care for their hatchling for three weeks. After that, the thick-billed murre chick glides down to the ocean, ready to take on the world!
Lend a Helping… Wing? To make sure the thick-billed murre population doesn’t fall any further, we’re teaming up with researcher Emily Choy from McGill University. Emily’s goal is to use mini bio loggers to track things like thick-billed murre heart rate, temperature and activity level as they forage, fly and dive. The purpose of this research is to create an ‘energy map’ that shows the quality of the thick-billed murre’s habitat and to ensure human disturbances (like Arctic shipping traffic) won’t impact them negatively.
Your adoption kit comes with a personalized certificate, thick-billed murre poster, and an adorable murre plushie!
Proudly supported by:
In collaboration with:
In collaboration with:
The Earth Rangers App is where kids go to save animals! It’s free to join and you can adopt an animal to support conservation projects, get access to real-world Missions, and learn all about animals in the Wild Wire Blog.
Adopt an animal and more in the App!
I hope you’re all enjoying some quiet time at the end of the year. Have I ever told you the story of my very first wildlife encounter? Well get comfy, grab a cup of hot cocoa and listen up.
Just click the play button on the player below and get ready for another adventure!
