They have poor eyesight and would barely win a race against a turtle, but porcupines are not defenseless against predators. Their coats include about 30,000 pointy quills; modified hairs which with a flick of the tail, can be dislodged into an enemy’s flesh. During a single encounter, a porcupine may lose hundreds of quills – which can measure up to 12 centimeters long – but can regrow them just like other hairs.
Attracting a mate the pelican way
What would you do to attract a mate and make a family? If you’re an American White Pelican, it’s obvious, grow a large bump on your bright orange-yellow beak. The bony protrusion (also called a caruncle) grows on both male and female pelicans and is believed be an ornament to attract an ideal breeding partner.
150 Years: A blink of an eye in the history of the Boreal landscape
The boreal provides clean water and oxygen, foods and medicine, stores carbon, mitigates flood impacts, and forms the foundations of many cultural practices. It is a vast region that has long supported people, organisms and landscapes well deserving of both reverence and celebration! It is through careful planning for the future that the integrity of the boreal can continue to be upheld in order to support future generations for another 150 years and onward.
As interim protections expire groups are hopeful that islands will become provincial parks
The First Nations and conservation groups involved are not alone in their pursuit, as many Manitobans have sent letters and emails to the province about the islands.
Expanding Protection of Traditional Lands and Waters in the Fisher Bay Region
The land surrounding Fisher Bay is remarkably undisturbed despite its relative short distance from urban, industrial and agricultural development. Every shoreline provides glimpses of the thriving biological diversity found here.
A fleeting opportunity to conserve the greatest intact watershed in Manitoba
The waters that drain into these areas are sourced from roughly 1.4 million square kilometres of the North American landscape (about twice the size of Alberta), a region that includes concentrated development as well as large areas of intact Boreal forest.
Island sanctuaries should become provincial parks
An alliance of two First Nations and two conservation organizations are hoping Manitobans will weigh-in on a proposal to protect eight islands on Lake Winnipegosis from developments. The provincial government is presently asking Manitobans how they feel about establishing the Grand and Goose Islands complex as provincial parks. March 24th is the deadline for public comments.
World Spay Day: How we can protect our wild birds by caring for our pets
Happy World Spay Day! Taking the initiative to spay or neuter our pets has many potential benefits, including reducing the chance of health issues8, curbing overpopulation of homeless animals, and even remedying behavioral problems, but why is CPAWS celebrating the health of your domestic animals?
Adapting to change
Like all natural systems, the Boreal in Manitoba is ever changing.
Plight of threatened Red-headed Woodpecker highlights need for holistic conservation strategy
Like many species including moose, and golden winged warblers, the red headed woodpecker thrive in habitats that are transitional in nature. Younger, disturbed forests that have not yet reached maturity or open forest areas where the boreal blends into grasslands can offer ideal conditions for these annual migrants. It’s a species in peril that underlines the importance of conserving landscapes of sufficient size to allow for natural processes to like habitat succession and natural fires, to occur. Read our newest blog on the challenges facing this species.
Manitoba’s best opportunity to help fight climate change
Many views have been expressed recently about how Manitoba can do its part to help address climate change. The potential for a carbon tax or a cap and trade system have dominated these discussions. Many wonder how Manitoba can make a significant contribution to the effort when we are responsible for only a small fraction of global emissions.
Know the North guest blog #6 – Lessons in Positivity
Our trip this summer was a steep learning curve for me on multiple fronts. (I mean, sure I had paddled before… but 46 straight days of paddling really gave me an opportunity to perfect skills that I may have previously considered to be more than adequate…) To my surprise, the most important lesson that I learned had nothing at all to do with canoeing.