Guest podcast by UTSC Biology students: Gillian Sauder and Nyx RaduBurrow-dwelling solitary bees determine their entry into winter diapause based solely based on temperature, this raises the question; are rising global temperatures delaying diapause in these bees? And how will these diapause delays impact their limited energy reserves and survival rates? Find out on the first and only episode of the hit podcast that one person described as "as educational and depressing as a…

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Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan recently announced that they had solved the problem of numerically modelling snow distribution over large, topographically complex alpine areas, using a model called the Canadian Hydrological Model (CHM). Why is this important? Snowpack is critical for our spring water supplies, and plays a role in spring flooding. If we can accurately measure how much snow is on the ground just before the melt season begins, we can determine how…

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By Dan Wismer Alberta’s landscape is far from static, as each year natural and human disturbance changes characteristics in land and canopy cover. New wildfire events, road construction, forest harvesting and oil and gas activities open areas and reset the vegetation age, while older disturbed areas regenerate back to natural conditions. These constant changes play a major role in habitat quality, mortality risk and the overall habitat states of grizzly bears. % canopy cover captures…

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Guest post by Nina Adamo, Masters of Environmental Science Candidate at the University of Toronto-ScarboroughWithin the surge of news coverage for the COVID-19 pandemic, you may have heard about the increase in the reporting of wildlife sightings in some urban areas across the globe, such as in this CBC article. With less people venturing outside of their homes in efforts to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the media in multiple countries around the globe…

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Daylight savings time has come and gone, and this weekend is the Spring Equinox (Saturday March 20th). I’ve been tidying up the garden and all sorts of things are sprouting: pulsatilla, irises, crocosmia, monarda, and daffodils. The garlic I planted last fall has all sprouted, and the cover crop in the raised vegetable garden beds is ready to be turned over. I’ve seen the first hummingbirds of spring, while the frogs in the marsh shout…

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