dandelions and concrete

it's a froggy life!

2012-03-05T18:44:00.005-08:00

Just found out about this project from the Toronto Zoo website:

"Just Add Water is a U.K. national campaign to encourage the public to dig wildlife ponds, especially in urban environments. In some areas this can counteract the enormous loss of countryside ponds in recent years, and help local frogs, newts and other wildlife flourish.

One third of ponds are thought to have disappeared in the last fifty years or so and of those that remain more than 80% are thought to be in 'poor' or 'very poor' condition.

This has had an enormous impact on wildlife, particularly amphibians. Your efforts locally can make a big difference."

What a great idea!!! Check out the details including tons of info on how to build your pond here: Just Add Water!

And don't forget that Save the Frog day is April 29th 2012!!

Urban Aviary in New York City

2012-03-03T12:52:00.003-08:00

Wow - love this! Found on the Trend Hunter website:

URBAN AVIARY

The Urban Aviary may be the world’s only skyscraper designed exclusively for birds. New York-based Stone Architects designed the Urban Aviary as a way to save the Big Apple’s birds from an untimely death caused by the city’s skyscrapers.

According to Stone Architects, many birds meet their demise by mistaking the glass windows of big buildings for actual sky. The birds run smack into these windows and either die instant or become severely crippled. The Urban Aviary would solve this problem by giving birds a safe building to fly into. The aviary would be located in Central Park and would be outfitted with running water and natural vegetation to allow birds to nest in a safe and unobtrusive spot. City birds may be an annoying nuisance to some, but they should be saved as their presence helps keep the urban ecosystem in balance.

Biodiversity, Habitats and Ecosystem Health (Ottawa)

2012-03-01T19:19:00.004-08:00

Ottawa's "Choosing Our Future" initiative is an ongoing process to help shape the national capital region's long term sustainability principals and goals. It is a joint initiative between the two cities and the NCC that was commenced in 2009 with foundation papers written on eleven different components. Since then they have consulted with the public through charettes, online media and workshops organized by the Canadian Biodiversity Institute. Along with the public input there are also baseline reports, green papers on sustainability, long-term reports from the city's committees and risk assessment reports.

One of the areas that is being discussed is biodiversity, habitats and ecosystem health. You can read that foundation paper prepared by HB Lanarc here: Choosing Our Future website. This paper discusses the current status, issues and trends, potential impacts, current responses, and indicators and best practices. My one issue with this report is that while it recognizes the importance of being within walking distance of some green space (park, pathway, etc.) and in Ottawa most people are within a 5-10 minute walk (something that other cities are trying to achieve) the report focuses mainly on the larger systems - the greenbelt, the Gatineau Park, etc.

My hope for urban biodiversity is that every corner, square and alley is seen as an opportunity to increase biodiversity. Montreal has introduced green alleys into the city, Paris considers every building front in terms of its potential for nesting habitat and Washington D.C. is renown for its urban green roof habitat (which is a haven for migrating birds). The City of Toronto is fortunate to have the FLAP program in its city, while London is hoping to plant a million more trees in the next 10 years and Vancouver is creating habitat for mason bees. These are the types of actions that create a strong, healthy biodiversive system in a city. It's not just about increasing green space.

Did you know that the City of Ottawa has done an Urban Natural Areas Environmental Evaluation Study? It was completed in 2006 and it "identified natural features in the urban area regardless of planning status, ownership or landowner intentions. A total of 192 natural areas, including woodlands, wetlands and valleylands, were identified in the urban area for study. Field investigations were carried out in 2003 and 2005 at 177 of these natural areas." This is great baseline data for the City and should help in determining key areas to save, protect and/or enhance. Even city parks and bike paths should be looked at in terms of what biodiversity it supports (I haven't reviewed the study to see what spaces they surveyed.) And to create a truly healthy network, both green spaces and corridors that link the spaces are key.

As a next step in the Choosing Our Future Report was presented to Council on February 14th and can be found here: Report to City of Ottawa Environmental Committee and Council.. This report was divided into three long-range plans which "are designed to help ensure that the City of Ottawa and Canada’s Capital Region remain prosperous and that its residents enjoy a high quality of life for generations to come. (The) report highlights a number of significant project milestones achieved since 2009, key reference materials developed, including the 2011 Sustainability Baseline that provides a current snapshot of our sustainability as a region, and the consultation and engagement activities that have been used to inform and finalize these plans. The plans are proposed to be put into practice through various means described in the implementation section of this report. For the City of Ottawa, this includes activities related to the Corporate Planning Framework, strategic planning, near-term actions, catalysts projects, risk prevention and mitigation, sustainability self assessment, sustainability at the neighbourhood level, and reporting on progress."

People are questioning how the recommendations in this report will be put into action. It has some broad reaching goals but no teeth behind them such as : supporter new farmers and celebrate food. It's like a dream wish without any feet firmly planted in the ground.

Here's some of what they have for Water, Green and Natural Systems

· Improve the resiliency of urban watersheds;

· Continue to conserve large natural areas and strengthen connections between them;

· Continue to build a greenspace network in villages and urban areas;

· Promote habitat restoration and species recovery; and

· Control the spread of invasive species.

It'll be interesting to see what comes forth after this, from all three governing bodies. For the City, directions for next steps will come after City Council's approval and then staff can start working on actual plans. Stay tuned!

another parking lot conversion

2012-02-21T15:56:00.001-08:00

I'm just collecting all the good news stories about parking lots being reclaimed for nature!! Here's one I just got from my partner:

South Los Angeles Parking Lot Becomes an Inner City Wetland by Perrin Drumm of core77. This used to be an MTA bus parking lot and now it's nine acres of wetland!

Picture by KCET.org

urban rivers

2012-02-20T09:59:00.001-08:00

I wrote this for an online course, a couple of years back. That course and my reconnection to things from my childhood are the reason I'm on this journey today. The exercise was entitled: "Reasons why you live where you live":

RIVERS... is one of them for me. There was a river in the backyard of the house I grew up in. I would fall asleep at night to the sound of the water rushing over the rocks. The darkness was never really empty for me - it was almost like this energy that flowed like a constant in the background of my childhood. And to me, that sound always connects me to summer with my bedroom window wide open letting the cool evening air in along with the river's lulling sound.

Ottawa is great - it has many bike paths close to its two rivers and canal system. When I lived in the U.S., cyclists would always tell me how amazing Ottawa was because of its greenspace and how many paths there were. I love the way the river meanders and affected how the city was built around the waterways. The different seasons by the river are amazing also - I loved biking to work and seeing the baby ducks in the spring and the rabbits everywhere in the summer.

After I bought my house, it really hit me that this river is the same river that goes all the way to my parents. I could canoe all the way there if I wanted to. I'm not right by the water - it's about a five-minute walk over but it's incredible to have this type of access and to have it included in so many of my activities (even if it's just crossing the river by bus every day). I take it for granted but thanks to this exercise I'm rediscovering it and want to enjoy it more!

This river was my childhood companion and having it so close again is like returning home.

urban coyotes

2012-02-13T07:04:00.001-08:00

During our tracking class last week, the teacher pointed out fresh coyote tracks on school grounds beside the loggersports field. The campus used to be an old farm and there is a river running on the east and south end, with a small creek running into it. Rabbit, skunk, squirrels and racoons live near or on the property. We've also been told that you can find many different birds including osprey, cooper's hawks, ruffled grouse and owls. When you really think about it, it's amazing who our neighbours are.

In the last couple of years there has been a growing number of human-coyote interactions in different cities across Canada and municipalities have had different approaches to addressing these "conflicts". Vancouver has chosen a policy of "co-existance" which many wildlife centres have praised as forward-thinking. I received an email from the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre that had this to say:

"In the metropolitan core (Vancouver, Burnaby and New Westminster) there are about 200 to 300 coyotes. Coyotes in urban areas will scrounge for food scraps and pet food left outdoors in garbage or compost — but their main food source in cities are the large populations of rats and mice.

Co-Existing with Coyotes aims to reduce conflict between people, pets and coyotes by providing accessible information through a wide range of media. The program has been developed in cooperation with the Vancouver Park Board and BC's Ministry of Environment in response to increasing public contact with, and demand for information about, coyotes in Vancouver."

Check out their website or email them to find out more: coyotes@stanleyparkecology.ca

more swift towers...

2012-02-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

"The Chaetura pelagica or Chimney Swift is a long distance migrant bird that winters in Peru. In 2006 they were listed as a threatened species, but now, with the help of conservation efforts have returned..."

*Image is of Rouge Park's chimney swift habitat project at 16th Avenue and Reesor Road, Markham (Photo: Garett Walker)

Two other Chimney Swift Tower Projects in Ontario:

- in the Kawartha Lakes Region: Swift Response (The Peterborough Examiner)
- in the Niagara Region: When Nature Calls (Niagara This Week)

Mark Your Calendars

2012-01-25T18:19:00.003-08:00

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities has an annual Sustainable Communities Event held in Ottawa every February (which gives participants a chance to check out Winterlude at the same time). It's exciting to see that this year they have a session on ecological diversity in cities:

Thursday February 9th - 10 am to 11:30 am
Industry Exchange Session: Nature's Place in Sustainable Communities: More than just parks and playgrounds
Presented by Environment Canada and ICLEI

Commonly, nature conservation and protection have been viewed as the domain and responsibility of national and provincial governments; however, local governments have a crucial role to play in mitigating biodiversity loss. The unique position of local governments, as the level of government closest to residents, along with their specific roles and responsibilities, allows for the development of locally tailored and integrated biodiversity strategies that protect and sustain ecosystems and species. There are direct local benefits to maintaining ecological diversity at the local level , ranging from direct social benefits- such as the provision of food, fibres, medicine, fresh water, pollination of crops, filtration of pollutants, and protection from natural disasters- to cultural services, such as spiritual and religious values, opportunities for knowledge and education, as well as recreational and aesthetic values.

This session is divided into two parts. The plenary session outlines the variety of mechanisms available to local governments which can be utilized to drive local action on biodiversity. Municipal representatives will share examples of how they have integrated biodiversity goals into their sustainable community planning activities. The Dialogue Session explores the role of partners and stakeholders, including the provincial and federal orders of government, citizens, NGOs and local businesses.

Panel and Dialogue Speakers (Updated February 27, 2012)

Megan Meaney, ICLEI-Canada
Ala Boyd, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
Bonnie James, Environment Canada
Andre Mader, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
Carolyn Bowen, City of Calgary
Daniel Hodder, City of Montreal
(Links to powerpoint presentations now available.)

ICLEI has a great resource on their site: Cities and Biodiversity Case Study Series. You can download it from their site.

the effects of Mild Winters on Wildlife

2012-01-12T08:08:00.001-08:00

Really interesting articles from both the Guardian and the Star on the milder weather and how it messes with the normal migration and hibernation patterns of wildlife. Here's a excerpt from The Star:

"Voles, for example, live under a thick snow covering to stay warm. Without it, the small rodents are exposed directly to cold air temperatures as they hunker down in forests...

Toninger says snowy owls, which have been spotted in Tommy Thompson Park along the Leslie Street Spit, come south now and then, probably prompted not by weather patterns but by a low lemming count up north.

And insects? Some in this area are highly cold-tolerant, but it’s unknown what repeated freeze-thaw cycles might have on their survival rates and the fitness of offspring, says Brent Sinclair, an assistant professor in the University of Western Ontario’s department of biology."

Links to both articles:

Winter Wildlife Hibernation - The Guardian

Wildlife and Nature At Risk: The Star

Photo Taken From the Guardian Article (Original Photograph: Arterra Picture Library/Alamy)

urban stream restoration

2011-12-12T20:25:00.001-08:00

From Susan J. Tweit's Walking Nature Home Blog

"As I worked my way gradually upstream between trail and creek, I thought about how this block of urban creek and its thread of habitat for people and wilder life has changed. When I first saw this shallow spring creek, it ran ruler-straight between dirt banks thinly hazed by a prickly growth of invasive annual weeds. Chunks of concrete protruded from the dirt here and there, along with oozing spills of asphalt, rusting fence wire and pieces of cast-iron engine blocks, and other remnants of the place's industrial past, the whole festooned with windblown trash.

It was not a thing of beauty. But Richard and I had just purchased the formerly industrial property on the other side of the creek. It came complete with six-foot-high chain-link fence topped with sagging barbed wire, crumbling century-old brick shop building, rusting junk, and knee-high weeds. (Our friends thought we were crazy.) Richard wanted the place for the shop, which he had already restored in his mind's eye for an office and studio; I was drawn to that slender thread of water.

I have always wanted a creek to play with, and I was not daunted by the shabby condition of the one I got. Right away, before we pulled up the posts and removed the fence around the property (we donated both to the town public works department), before we hauled away many construction dumpsters of unidentifiable industrial detritus to clear a space for our house-to-be, before Richard cleared the old shop building down to its beautiful timber-frame and brick bones and fixed it up, before we built our house and planted wildflowers and constructed our kitchen garden in the embrace of one old u-shaped stretch of cement wall left from the property's industrial past, we set to work reclaiming the creek.

First came weeding: Richard and I spent whole hot, sweaty weekend days pulling tumbleweed, cheatgrass, and kochia by the trailer-load. We grubbed out weedy Siberian elm trees and Canada thistle. When the annual weeds sprouted from the carpet of the previous year's seeds, we burned them with a propane torch, hoed them, and sprayed them. And then we planted native shrubs to begin the slow process of reweaving the natural community: red-twig dogwood, golden-currant, skunkbrush sumac, chokecherry, Indian plum, rabbitbrush, and my favorite, big sagebrush with its silvery-green leaves and pungent fragrance.

As we weeded and watered the tiny sprigs of shrubs that were all we could afford, other natives returned. Two clumps of streambank willow sprang up just above the creek, their wand-like stems reaching five and six feet tall and casting lacy shade over the bare bank. Soon more clumps of willow appeared, sprouting from the underground roots of those pioneers. Indian ricegrass, with its cloud of seedheads, appeared on the dry upper bank, along with purple aster and scarlet globemallow.

Over the decade-plus since, we have urged the native plants along in recolonizing this block of formerly blighted creek, spreading seeds here, pulling weeds there, planting a few more shrubs, plus a rescued clump of wild Rocky Mountain irises, and a couple of cottonwood trees. We have watched the butterflies return on fluttering wings to feed from the wildflowers and lay their eggs on their favorite plants, the bees buzz in to gather pollen, and the hummingbirds hover, sipping nectar. We have heard Northern dippers practice their warbling songs in the concrete culvert where the creek goes under the street, and seen tiny trout flash in the water under the shade of the willows."

Found this through a link from The Tangled Nest Blog. She also has a great post on the other restoration work her and her husband did on the industrial land and their house: Lighten Up - Living On Less

urban biodiversity (moths, starlings) toronto

2011-12-05T16:15:00.000-08:00

Have been finding some great stuff on the Urban Biodiversity Facebook Group (Toronto) page:

From last summer:

Discover the "butterflies of the night" at the annual High Park Moth Night with the Toronto Entomologists Association. TEA leaders (Dave Beadle, Tom Mason) and members will set up special lights and help us identify moths. Meet at the benches across from the Grenadier restaurant at 8:15 pm. This outing is especially good for children - bring the whole family! Please bring flashlights, insect containers, moth guides if you have them.

And this recent video of a Starling Murmuration at Yonge and Dundas:

Flock of Starlings from Karen Whaley on Vimeo.

Roerich Garden Project (Montreal)

2011-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

"Emily Rose Michaud is an interdisciplinary artist working at the intersections of community development, civic participation, performance, and land art. In recent years, her experimental and socially driven practice has resulted in a series of performances incorporating living ‘sproutfits’ and tapestries, a guerilla gardener’s ensemble, an electronic book designed to be reproduced and remixed by others (roerichproject.artefati.ca) and the Roerich Garden Project – a three-year land art project in a post-industrial railyard turned urban meadow.

She is also part of Sprout Out Loud! which is an on-growing gardener's ensemble that seeks to support and develop the relationship between residents and the land around them. This project seeks to:
- Engage with the meadow creatively and document how people use and care about this space
- Valorize this living space before it is forgotten in silence
- Draw attention to the city's plans and provoke dialogue
- Reclaim the commons, activate unused urban spaces, re-enchant the public with the natural world and living systems of the urban core
- Invite others to plant similar ideas in their own environments where needed"

You can find out more about her activities here: Pousses Blog

Renaturalized (Broken City Lab - Windsor)

2011-11-21T19:18:00.001-08:00

When the City of Windsor was on strike the summer of 2009, mowing parks and other city owned property was halted. Many of these areas became "naturalized" and Broken City Lab had the brilliant idea to do a bit of activism and get people to take notice of these areas in a different way:

From their Blog in July 2009: "We recently decided to demarcate some of many accidental meadows across Windsor with these Naturalized Area signs. In hopes that these signs might momentarily allow residents of Windsor to look at these naturalized spaces for what they are—that is, wonderful additions to our urban landscape—instead of the result of a politically-charged issue, we spent the earlier part of this week designing the signs, getting them printed, drilling holes, and installing them."

Green Alleys... je t'aime! (Montreal)

2011-11-10T18:00:00.001-08:00

Reading about this made my day! I love the Promenade Plantée in Paris and want to explore the High Line in NYC and now these Green Alleys in Montreal! Great idea!

Montreal boroughs build green alleys
- Flowers, trees to help make areas more appealing (CBC Article - July 2011)

The Montreal borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve is working on making its alleyways a friendlier place to be — both for local residents and the environment.

The neighbourhood, located in the east end of the city, said Wednesday that it would invest $20,000 to plant flowers and trees in four alleys this year.

Borough mayor Réal Ménard said the initiative is designed to make the areas more inviting to the public, creating spaces for people to sit and relax.

"It's a gathering event for [people]," he said.

The increase in foot traffic will also discourage criminals and drug users because they will be unwilling to break laws in the presence of other citizens, Ménard said.

With the addition of four new green alleyways, the borough will have a total of eight. The project was started in 2010 and Ménard said more are planned for next year.

Although the project — which started in 2010 — is organized by the Maisonneuve Longue Pointe Eco-Centre, volunteers actually do the landscaping.

"They're the ones who are going to build the boxes that the flowers are going to be in," said Anne Gosselin from the centre. "They're going to be planting trees, They're going to paint the streets."

Gosselin said the alleys have been a success and help to mitigate heat coming from the asphalt.

"They offer a nice place for people to spend time," she said.

And it is residents who get to decide which alleys will be greened, Gosselin said.

Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve isn't the only neighbourhood looking to make its thoroughfares a nicer place to be.

On July 6, the nearby borough of Plateau-Mont-Royal, also said it would invest $137,000 to build five eco- and citizen-friendly alleyways.

There are similar initiatives throughout Montreal, and a total of 100 streets have been transformed into green space.

Frommers Link: How To See Montreal on Two Wheels

purple martin nesting (in Ottawa)

2011-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

From Ottawa Start dot Blog: A photo snapped by Ben Wood, at the marina near Andrew Haydon Park in Nepean. It's home to a couple of purple martin hotels.

urban restoration

2011-10-25T19:56:00.000-07:00

Green Apple Corps: Ecological Restoration with NYC Department of Parks and Restoration

The Green Apple Corps works to restore natural areas throughout New York City by doing intensive, hands-on ecological restoration work in the more than 12,000 acres of undeveloped parkland managed by New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Corps members remove invasive and exotic plant species from forests, meadows, marshes, and freshwater and coastal wetlands, while helping to re–plant degraded areas with native species. Corps members also work to slow down erosion of slopes caused by inadequate drainage as well as foot and bicycle traffic, using cribbing techniques and materials that are designed to blend in with the natural surroundings. Additionally, throughout the program, Corps members take on exciting projects such as installing green roofs, building rainwater harvesting systems, and spearheading community plantings and coastal cleanups.

The GreenApple Corps collaborates with several other restoration groups, including Parks’ Natural Resources Group, Prospect Park Alliance, Central Park Conservancy, Grow NYC and the Gaia Institute. The combined efforts of the GreenApple Corps and its collaborators allow for increased amounts of ecological restoration work to be done, while also giving Corps members the opportunity to learn from practitioners with years of field experience.

roof top garden in georgetown

2011-10-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

An Urban Meadow: Georgetown's Hidden Rooftop Garden

- Garden in the Sky -
High above the bustle of Georgetown, an unusual rooftop offers condo residents a prairie of their own.

By Adrian Higgins, Washington Post
Sunday, September 20, 2009

Tom Carroll pulls up the birdsong application on his iPhone, summons the call of a song sparrow and points the device to the meadow that starts about 20 feet from his home.

Sure enough, after a minute or two, an actual song sparrow starts calling back to the digital one. This might be little more than an endearing party trick if Carroll and his wife, Dora Marcus, lived on the edge of a field in, say, upper Montgomery County. But they live a little farther downstream on the Potomac River, in the shadow of Key Bridge. The meadow, perhaps Washington's greatest secret garden, is perched atop a Pepco electrical substation on the Georgetown waterfront.

The straw-colored flower heads of a grass called calamagrostis are just visible for the most observant of motorists on the Whitehurst Freeway, and pedestrians on Key Bridge might glance back to see the fuzzy-topped brick substation, but there is no real public vantage point to view the full sweep of this prairie in the sky. This paradox is heightened during rush hour, when the freeway, Key Bridge and M Street NW are filled with weary drivers unaware of the meadow floating above them.

The grasses give movement in the slightest breeze: The calamagrostis sways like pennants on wires on the meadow's southern edge, and the molinia stems shimmer veil-like on its western side. From high summer into fall, the full meadow goes through subtle color gyrations.

For Carroll and Marcus and their neighbors, the garden presents layers of color and texture, and a kinetic quality augmented by the birds. Mallard ducks, doves, sparrows, goldfinches and other species find both refuge and food here. In this 10,000 square feet of meadow 42 feet in the air, they thrive unmolested by cats, raccoons, people, snakes or floods. Only landscapers have access to the plants, and they must use long ladders. "Nobody picks the flowers," said Marcus, chuckling. And yet from their fifth-floor, two-bedroom condo, it's almost as if you can reach out and stroke the grasses.

Look to the right, and the meadow forms the ground plane for a view of Key Bridge with the Rosslyn skyline behind. Look downriver, and the garden frames a vista of the Potomac curving before the Watergate and the Kennedy Center. With the balcony door open, the apartment is filled with the whooshing of cars on the Whitehurst Freeway and the growl of jets twisting their way to Reagan National Airport. Close the door, with its soundproofed glass, and the scene shifts to one of surreal silence. The calamagrostis continues to dance.

Marcus and Carroll live in the plush condo building known only by its address, 3303 Water Street. The nine-story building is sandwiched between the freeway and the C&O Canal, and contains 72 apartments. It looks like a converted factory or warehouse but is only five years old and stands on a site that used to be occupied by electrical transformers and a canalside hill.

**********************************************

The garden was planted and is maintained by Washington Landscapes, whose owner, Peter C. Dickens, lives in the condo building, though his view is of the C&O Canal. His 10-member crews spend a day on the roof each month between March and December. The gardeners gain access with long extension ladders tethered to the roof's parapet. Wearing rock-climbing gear for safety, they use ropes to move material on or off the roof. They check the irrigation system and hand-pull weeds and any little trees that the birds have brought in. All the dead top growth of the grasses and perennials is cut and removed in late winter. Maintenance is funded by the residents' condo fees.

In the spring, thousands of daffodils sway in the April breezes. By June, the herbaceous plantings provide a textured carpet of green against the rose pink drifts of Nearly Wild and the oranges and yellows of daylilies. By July, flowers erupt for a summerlong display, including the wispy violet blossoms of the Russian sage, the golden black-eyed Susans and the azure blossoms of the chaste tree. The roses just keep blooming.

When visitors see the meadow "they say you've got your own Serengeti," Marcus said. "They can't get over it."

Adrian Higgins is a staff writer. He can be reached at higginsa@washpost.com.

Chimney Swift Towers (Winnipeg)

2011-10-14T19:59:00.001-07:00

Some very interesting projects to help establish new habitat for chimney swifts:

Stevens Point Sculpture Park - Stevens Point, Wisconsin

The Stevens Point Sculpture Park is working in partnership with the Aldo Leopold Audobon Society to develop and install two or more sculptural objects that can function as chimney swift nesting towers.

Call for Entries - Sculptural Chimney Swift Habitat

Nature Manitoba - Chimney Swift Program - Winnipeg and Surrounding Area

From 2006 to 2011, the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative received funding from the Manitoba government’s Sustainable Development Innovations Fund (SDIF) and from Environment Canada’s EcoAction Community Funding program. The project has also received support from Manitoba Hydro and other institutions.

In 2008, swift towers were erected in Starbuck, St. Adolphe, Portage la Prairie, and Winnipeg. In addition to watching these sites, the group continues to identify and monitor roosting and nest sites around the province.
Link to: Chimney Swift Program

Other Great Resources (online & hardcopy):

- Chimney Swift Towers: New Habitat for America's Mysterious Birds by Paul Kyle
- Online website for Chimney Swift Research and Info: Chimney Swift Org
- Ottawa Stewardship Council - Chimney Swift Monitoring Report

Urban Wetland Art (in Toronto)

2011-10-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

From Wet Kit:

The Canadian Plastics Industry Association commissioned Noel Harding, to create "The Elevated Wetlands:" a plastic-based, functioning, ecological sculpture. The initiative informs the public of the usefulness, resourcefulness and aesthetic appeal of recycled plastics. "The Elevated Wetlands" is located right beside the Don Valley Parkway, one of Toronto's busiest highways next to the Don Mills Road exit and the Don River.

Solar-run pumps draw water from the polluted Don River into the ponds below the six raised plastic "planters." The water is pumped from the ponds to three of the planters where it flows into three others. The structures use a recycled plastic "soil substitute" to promote vegetative growth that isolates and retrieves wastes, toxins and other impurities from the water. The project was inaugurated on October 1, 1998.

new discoveries in Ottawa!

2011-09-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

Canada Lands Company purchases CFB Rockcliffe, Ottawa

Cannot wait to see what they come up with here!

Update December 2011: There is now a project coordinator listed and this description on the CLC website:

"The 310 acres (125 hectares) of the former Canadian Forces Base Rockcliffe, so close to Ottawa’s downtown core, present a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to discuss and address issues of urban reintegration, quality of life and factors important in designing the place where you live, work, learn and play.

The mission is to develop an exemplary diverse contemporary neighbourhood offering a choice in housing, employment, commercial, institutional and leisure activities which will be defined by the site’s unique setting, along with a commitment to environmental sustainability and long term economic viability.

The company will now activate a development process of the site, beginning with assembling a team of professionals. CLC looks forward to renewed consultations with the community and the City to create a vibrant mixed-used sustainable neighbourhood. More will be said about this as CLC’s development team and the consultation process takes shape over the coming months."

I'm also thrilled to have found out about the Montfort Woods!

From 90 wpm @ F22: "The Montfort Woods is a 9-acre wooded area located between the Montfort Hospital and the former Rockcliffe air base in east-end Ottawa. Originally owned by the Sisters of Wisdom, it was acquired in the 1990's to DRC Phoenix, a real estate developer. An application for re-zoning of the land was filed and granted by the City of Ottawa in 2002, allowing DRC Phoenix to build 258 townhouses on the land.

Local citizens and community organizations mobilized; the fate of the woods remained uncertain for the next two years. The National Capital Commission got involved by proposing a land swap with DRC Phoenix, whereby Phoenix would get Moffat Farm along the Rideau River in exchange for the Montfort Woods. The Moffat Farm project was ultimately rejected by the City, but the Montfort Woods remains the property of the National Capital Commission. The land was declared an environmentally sensitive area in September 2004, which rules out any future applications for re-zoning."

Native Plants Crossroad

2011-09-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

created by Nature.ca (Canadian Museum of Nature)

Great Canadian online resource referencing Fletcher Wildlife Gardens, Old Field Habitat Garden, Montreal Botanical Garden, Toronto Botanical Gardens and organizations like Naturescape (BC), CMHC, Environment Canada, Evergreen, etc.

Resources (online brochures, websites) for:

- Balcony Gardening
- Rooftop Gardening
- Butterfly Gardening
- School-Ground Greening
- Ecological Restoration
- Shoreline Rehabilitation
- Guerrilla Gardening
- Stewardship
- Native Plant Gardening
- Wildlife Gardening
- Naturalized Gardening
- Xeriscaping
- Organic Gardening

Don't overlook their list of provincial, national and international organizations that are concerned with native plants!

Ottawa Urban Wild Tours 2011

2011-08-20T14:11:00.002-07:00

Series of five summer Urban Wild Tours in Ottawa are complete!

What a great summer we had with attendance ranging from 15 to 80 people on various tours. The support people showed for the tours was incredible! We were so thrilled with the turnout (both families and individuals) and the interest that everyone had in the great tour topics.

It was a pleasure to work with Julie who had the inspiring idea and recruited others to bring about these tours. With her creativity, enthusiasm and talent these events were easy to organize and she showed such dedication to seeing them through. And her design and graphic work gave these events such a professional online presence.

Working with all five tour guides who volunteered their time was a thrill. It was wonderful for them to share their knowledge and their love for the urban wild and their individual focus on specific flora and fauna topics. We were so lucky to find such passionate and informative guides.

Thanks so everyone for a wonderful summer!

Ottawa Urban Wild Tours Blogspot

renaturalization of sand dunes by lake

2011-08-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

amphibian habitat study (Ottawa)

2011-08-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

The Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory at Carleton University has also done a conservation study on amphibians to determine the effect of road and land use around local ponds and the effect they have on frog and toad populations.

You can read more about the conclusions of their study and the recommendations in the following online brochure.

A short summary is: Terrestrial habitat of up to 2 kms around breeding sites (ponds, wetlands and wet forests) needs to be conserved along with networks between breeding sites (corridors). Reduced traffic along roads within these boundaries is key. Both forest and open space are important to have a diverse frog and toad population in urban/suburban areas.

Unique ecosystem in Ottawa

2011-07-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Ottawa has a sand dune ecosystem (that has existed over 10,000 years)? Did you know that it is shrinking every year? Ottawa could lose this sand dune for good within 10 - 15 years.

But there is good news:

A restoration effort is being carried out by Tropical Conservancy in collaboration with the National Capital Commission and funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation to restore the remaining part of the SSD system to a sustainable level. The restoration includes making a scientific assessment of orgsanisms living in SSD, removing weeds, selected trees, accumulated organic material, and cleaning the sand in the core of the remaining dune to stabilize the system. A corridor of woodland will be maintained around the perimeter of the SSD to minimize erosion by wind and to contain the sand in the dune.

For more information on this important biodiversity project go to the Tropical Conservancy website. They also have a Biodiversity Journal which they publish four times a year.

Photo Credit: Steph Willems

bears in urban areas

2011-07-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

Bear and Human Interaction:

"People often mistake a bear clacking his jaws as threatening, but he is really saying "get out of here, leave me alone and don't hurt me," Stringham said.

Non-threatening behaviour and sensitivity to body language usually defuses the situation, he said.

Some cities are now ensuring there is a green corridor so lost wildlife can be escorted out of town, he said."

Read more here.

To study or to act:

"Still, $3 million (for a bear census on Kenai Peninsula) would buy a lot of bear-resistant garbage cans and fund a significant outreach campaign to educate the public about decreasing bear attractants. That may be a better use for the money, Selinger said. As much as he’d like to have an answer when people ask how many bears there are on the peninsula, he’s hesitant to be enthusiastic about a census without knowing how valid that result would be."

From the Redoubt Reporter.

Photo Credit: Larry Lewis, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Creek Rehabilitation (Ottawa) CBC News Article

2011-07-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ottawa looks to protect waterways from run-off

Pinecrest Creek rehabilitation to be pilot project aimed at waterways affected by development

CBC News
Posted: Jul 30, 2011 9:56 AM ET

The City of Ottawa wants to rehabilitate an urban stream in the west end that frequently floods because of surrounding developments, and says the plan could be a template for similar streams in the city.

Pinecrest Creek, a four-kilometer-long tributary that flows from Algonquin College into the Ottawa River, can rise by more than two metres after a rainstorm, ruining the shoreline and killing the aquatic life.

Jennifer Lamoureux, a biologist with the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, says the conditions also mean that oil, salt and pet feces run from neighbourhoods into the waterway and eventually the Ottawa River, just upstream of Westboro Beach. Oil, salt and pet feces eventually end up in the Ottawa River after rainstorms.

"It does get into Pinecrest Creek," she said. "There is very little control, if any, as far as filtration."

To deal with the creek's woes, the city is working on a proposal that will be released this fall. Dixon Weir, Ottawa's general manager of environmental services, says the report will encourage property owners to take responsibility for their stormwater run-off.

The plan may include incentives for rain barrels and perforated parking surfaces.

Weir says it's a pilot project that could become a template for managing other urban streams.

"This is a key learning opportunity for the city, and also for the residents, to understand better their impact and their positive contribution and influence they can have on the environment," he said.

************************

Since 2008 the National Capital Commission has been improving the creek's capacity to handle storm water run off and trying to lessen bank erosion:

"The NCC will undertake with the support of the City of Ottawa work to restore sections of the creek experiencing severe erosion or degradation to a fully-functioning, natural system. The proposed approach follows natural channel principles that enhance fish habitat while mitigating erosion forces. The following modifications are proposed at many restoration sites within the 2.3 km natural creek channel to help the creek system deal with erosion due to increased flows and steep hydrographs:

- Increased channel capacity and increased access to adjacent floodplain areas by the use of proposed floodplain pools, cutting back the channel side slopes, and the creation of shallow floodplain benches;

- Reduce flow velocities by the use of proposed meander pools, mid-channel low flow channels in exposed bedrock areas, in-stream anchor boulders, and modifications to channel widths;

- Reinforce bank stabilization in high impact areas; and

- Clearing of channel blockages, such as sediment and woody debris accumulations, channel protrusions which obstruct flow, and mid-channel bars which deflect flows.

Nine restoration sections, with a total combined length of approximately 670 metres of the 2.3 km of open channel, are proposed for restoration. Modifications will result in approximately 635 cubic metres of additional channel capacity."

From the NCC Website

Naturalization Garden in Toronto

2011-06-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

replanting of an acreage in southeastern Manitoba

2011-06-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Silver Plains Project

From the website:

The plan for the Silver Plains Project combines elements of restoration, revegetation, and wildlife planting. We are gathering seed from the surrounding area (or obtaining it from vendors and acquaintances whose sources are nearby). We look forward to the day when the yard is low-maintenance. We have already seen an increase in native fauna: mostly insects, but also many birds.

While this replanting is close to being a restoration it can’t really be called that because species from many components of the Tallgrass Prairie ecosystem are being compressed into two hectares, including species for an artificial wet meadow which will not survive (in dry years) without someone to turn on the water. This planting might be considered revegetation or a wildlife planting except it is a yard, not a pasture or a uninhabited field.

bird safe building design

2011-06-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

Some great links for this:

- NYC Audbon Society's Guidelines

- Ontario Nature's Campaign re: Birds & Buildings

- Ontario breeding birds - migration dates (by Denis LePage of Bird Studies Canada)

- FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program) Toronto - check out their Lights out Toronto Program

- Toronto Becomes World's First City to Mandate Bird-Friendly Buildings - PRESS RELEASE: October 28, 2009

stream restoration

2011-05-31T21:04:00.000-07:00

Stream restoration images (before and after) from Natural Resources Conservation Services Website (U.S. Dept. of Agriculture)

Three Levels of Stream Protection:

1. To restore a stream means to re-create meanders, stabilize soil and install gently sloping stream banks. Stream restoration is not always possible due to constraints such as utility crossings, structures or roadways.

2. To enhance a stream is to attempt meanders and gentle slopes where possible and to stabilize the soil.

3. To stabilize a stream is simply to secure the stream banks from further erosion because constraints limit other degrees of stream protection.

From: Charlotte-Mecklenburg website

Riparian Buffers:

A riparian buffer is the forested area next to a body of water that serves as a protective strip against pollutants and erosion. The establishment of a riparian buffer is actually one of the most effective and important steps to restoring a stream and should be incorporated in stream restoration projects whenever possible. Many considerations should be taken into account when implementing a riparian buffer, but with some small amount of guidance, the average homeowner can improve the short-term and long-term health of a stream greatly and with less of a monetary investment than other stream restoration techniques.

When designing a riparian buffer, consideration should be made to use native, site-appropriate species (fitting light, soil and moisture requirements). Also, the riparian buffer should be designed to include all levels of the forest canopy (this includes large trees, shrubs, herbaceous material and native grasses). Riparian buffers serve many functions for a stream such as reducing nutrient inputs, reducing stream bank erosion and the subsequent sedimentation, reducing thermal pollution, providing habitat to aquatic and terrestrial species, and providing a food source for aquatic macro-invertebrates. While serving all of these functions, riparian buffers can also be aesthetically pleasing, incorporating wildflowers and budding trees.

Riparian buffers can provide many long-term ecological functions for a stream ecosystem while requiring minimal effort to implement.

From Wildlands Conservancy website.

roosting crows and supportive urbanites

2011-05-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Amber of Unstuffed Blog posted earlier this spring about the editorial regarding the crows of Alta Vista (Ottawa). What was heartening was reading some of the comments supporting the crows...

Rivereview park alumnus
9:13 AM on April 6, 2011

It is disappointing to see the "kill them" attitiude whenvever there is a conflict between wildlife and humans. I lived in Riverview Park for 15 years up until a year ago. Yes there are lots of crows compared to other areas. So lets find ways of working with the influx of crows. We have adapted to ever increasing numbers of people. A little balance is what is called for. It may be we have to adapt to the increased numbers. Crows aren't "creepy". That is an attitude that needs adjustment. If you take the time to get to know crows, they are fascinating - smart, loyal to their families and resilient. They are ominvores just like people. I think more education on efforts to co-exist would go a long way to helping the problem.

Well, I live right next door to those ol'crows at Baleena Park. In fact, I go to work around the time they are just getting up and starting to move about...I have yet to step in any poop, despite occassionally seeing some on my truck,which could have been left by the one of the large number of sea gulls in the area.

At night when the crows "come Home" from their day of scavaging and eating garbage it's cool to see them come into the neighbourhood in small squadrons all lining up on the roof tops waiting for their turn to park for the night in one of the tall trees.

In the morning, even though they can be a bit loud, it's cool to see them circling around and heading off to their business......Leave the crows be you anti-nature creeps and learn to enjoy what little nature is left in your city-ass lives!

Sheesh some poeple are just jerks.....

Crowboy
President of the Alta Vista Crow Lovers Club

sportsForKids
1:15 PM on April 5, 2011

What's with the idea of tying an owl to bait crows ?
Or people suggesting we open shooting contests ?
Or culling geese ?
Or poisoning crows ?
Seriously, folks suggesting that have personal issues.
Is that how you treat people also ?

Can't anyone here just enjoy nature anymore ? Respect people and animals around them ? Not be violent ?
Ottawa used to be nice with the greenbelt, the surrounding woodlands and fields, the geese and birds and swans. It was a great and safe place to bring up kids with people who enriched lives rather than trying to take them away.
What happened ?

Pax909
10:33 AM on April 5, 2011

It is very true that it is a necessity to clear crows away from areas where they can cause damage, and endanger people's lives, but is the best idea that the City Councillor can come up with for protecting the hospital helipad really one that involves torturing an innocent owl?

And how much of a necessity is it really to clear them completely out of the neighborhoods? Because they get into garbage bags? We have to protect our garbage from racoons anyway. Is the bird poop really a big issue? I see the great flocks of these birds everyday when they are roosting in the trees, flying overhead, and walking in the grass, but I have yet to notice any bird poop.

The presence of these birds does bring joy and pleasure to some people, who like to see a bit of wildlife where we live, to remind us that we are not just machines living on a paved earth. Do we really need to destroy a great part of nature just because it provides a slight inconvenience to some?

meshell80
8:02 AM on April 5, 2011

I live near a crow's roost, and I can't believe what I am reading. I have never once considered them a nuisance.

I get that we need to keep them away from the helicopter pad, although the method seems very cruel to the owl. But other than that, people are just being silly.

The crows are fascinating to watch,and they do a fabulous job of cleaning up the neighbourhood of small dead animals, of which there is usually an abundance. We are also overrun with squirrels, bunnies,and field mice. Which, by the way, is what likely attracts the crows to these areas.Not to mention they clean up some of the garbage the filthy humans leave lying about.

I am overjoyed to feel like I can live amongst nature so close to the city centre. I don't get that the crows, or any other animal, are a nuisance (except when safety is a factor).

Neighbours who make a pastime out of complaining, now them, I would like to get rid of.

RayJr
7:24 AM on April 5, 2011

Owls will attract agressive attention from a large murder of crows. i wouldn't want to be the owl that gets this job.

Nobody complained when people built houses on the crows homes. The crows are just returning the favor!

"Dear Residents of Alta Vista, We're not sure about how you redecorated our forrest, but thanks for all the garbage.

Love,
The Crows"

Photo Credit: HADAS PARUSH, The OTTAWA CITIZEN

make your voice heard for biodiversity

2011-05-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

BIODIVERSITY CHARTER

Ontario Nature’s goal is to generate 10,000 signatures by the 22nd of May 2011 (which the U.N. proclaimed as the International Day for Biological Diversity) to request that federal, provincial and municipal governments to take action and stop the loss of Ontario's biological diversity by 2020. Right now they have over 5000 and a little over 10 days left. Why is it important for us to protect the biodiversity that we have in Ontario (and in the rest of the world)?

"Biodiversity boosts ecosystem productivity where each species, no matter how small, all have an important role to play. For example,
- A larger number of plant species means a greater variety of crops
- Greater species diversity ensures natural sustainability for all life forms
- Healthy ecosystems can better withstand and recover from a variety of disasters." (Quote found here.) The continual increase in human population has meant a larger encroachment on wilderness every year - whether it's for dwellings, food or resource extraction. We may be on our way to the next mass extinction. It's up to us to protect what is left and enrich what we can.

Please sign the charter at Ontario Nature's website.

Angonoa Image is from the University of Manitoba

Urban Bird Counts (Ottawa)

2011-05-05T15:14:00.001-07:00

Just found out about the Ottawa Bird Breeding Count! It is headed up by the Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory at Carleton University: "A Volunteer Based, Scientifically Rigorous Survey of Birds in an Expanding City".

You can find out more about the Count and the GLEL at the website. They have a course for volunteers to learn bird songs. Listen to CBC radio interviews about the OBBC and about the Bird Song - Point Count Course.

herptile survey (ottawa)

2011-04-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

Reptile and Amphibian Survey

Sustainable Living Ottawa East is hosting its first reptile and amphibian survey along the Rideau River Nature Trail. The goal is to discover the rich diversity of reptile and amphibian species living in the community, so further action to protect these species can be taken as well as to preserve the health of the Rideau River shoreline. This event will also help SLOE build stewardship within the neighbourhood. This event will be a fun and educational experience for the whole family.
Sat May 14, 9 am - 12 pm and 9 - 10 pm.
Sat Jun 18 9 am - 12 pm and 9-10 pm.
For information and if you want to participate, contact Jess Pelow

Great summary of it here: SLOE - Surveying Our Aquatic Neighbours by Mary Trudeau

bioengineering for stream restoration

2011-04-05T21:56:00.000-07:00

From the R.V.C.A.:

Bioengineering is erosion control using live cuttings of willows and dogwoods to help stabilize banks and revegetate shorelines in areas where tree planting will wash out. It is an alternative to using harder structures, such as rip rap, gabion baskets, armourstone, etc. Layers of soil are wrapped in coconut fiber to hold them into the bank. Live cuttings of willows and dogwoods are used to create a fascine (tubular structure) placed along the water line, and live cuttings are then placed between the layers of wrapped soil. Shrubs are then introduced at the top of slope.

Link to Ontario Streams for a more detailed description of fascines.

Image from Charlotte-Mecklenburg website.

Vertical Garden City projects (by Mori)

2011-02-17T21:58:00.000-08:00

Urban Design Consultant: Mori (Japan)

From their website:

Adopting the “Vertical Garden Cities” as our redevelopment concept, one of our primary missions is to build environmentally friendly cities rich in greenery, striving to maximize open space and “green” the cityscape. Through intelligent consolidation and redevelopment of densely developed areas and the building of high-rise buildings to free surface land for greenery and by taking proactive steps to “green” the buildings with roof gardens, we are able to create numerous corners of nature within the city.

Urban Wildlife Resources (Maryland)

2011-02-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Urban Wildlife Resources was founded in 1995 to serve as an information source and clearinghouse for urban wildlife-related matters. A major objective is to facilitate interaction and cooperation among land managers and planners, biologists, and landscape architects in achieving better management of natural resources in urban and urbanizing areas through research, planning, design, and education.

The bookstore includes an "Urban Wildlife Manager's Notebook" - a set of information bulletins for homeowners, open space managers, wildlife biologists, and others interested in wildlife conservation in urban areas. Contents include:

- A Wildlife Plan for Small Properties
- A Simple Backyard Pond
- Feeding Birds in Winter
- Housing for Nesting Birds
- Natural Landscaping--Meadows
- Reptiles and Amphibians
- Birds That Attack Houses
- A Guide to Developing an Urban Wildlife Library
- Brushpiles and Rockpiles: Small Habitats for Backyard Wildlife
- Dragonflies and Damselflies in Your Backyard Pond
- Butterflies in Your Garden
- Saving Snags for Urban Wildlife
- You and Stinging Insects

There also are Conservation Education Packs for Teachers

URBAN WILDLIFE RESOURCES
Columbia, Maryland

Urban Habitats (New York)

2011-02-03T20:44:00.000-08:00

URBAN HABITATS - "An Electronic Journal on the Biology of Urban Areas Around the World"

Urban Habitats is published by the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology (CURE), a collaboration between Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Rutgers University. Articles available here on: flora, wetlands, birds, frogs, etc. It seems that a new volume of this journal is published annually in December with a full pdf of the issue available in January. However the last Volume was published in 2009.

"No wonder we close our eyes, toss birdseed, and hope for the best."

2011-01-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

"Any landscape marked by human intrusion is, in ecological parlance, disturbed, and as a habitat-type, the urban landscape can only be called highly disturbed. The word disturb has a Latin root, turbare, which means "to agitate" or "to confuse," to "pour together," "to mix utterly". How fitting! Wild and domestic. Native and introduced. Rare and invasive. Pavement and pathway. Human and wild. The extraordinary and the commonplace."

"Nearly all of our urban planning frames the city as a home for humans and fails to account for the presence and needs of nonhuman animals. Even sustainable city efforts pay little attention to the needs of animals per se, focusing instead on issues of water purity, clean air, parks, and green space for the health, recreational, and aesthetic benefits they confirm upon humans. As ill-conceived housing developments sprawl into areas that were very recently forested, the human/wild clashes become more complicated, sometimes involving displaced (wildlife) that unwittingly wander back into their previous home range, where they are no longer welcome..."

"We can be a friend to wildlife by planting trees, or restoring land, or moving dead animals off the road so the scavengers that come to eat them don't become roadkill themselves"

"Living daily alongside (wildlife), I remember to check the lid on the garbage can, to refrain from observing too closely the warbler's nest in the backyard vine maple lest I draw a predator's attention, to put a net over the koi pond at night... I'm reminded to fight like hell for the green space that will allow a range of species to flourish, not just the synanthropes but the birds that can live near cities as long as areas of contiguous forest are conserved or restored... For us that means a Violet-green Swallow box under the eaves, and the still-uninhabited bat box on the other side of the house... I'm reminded to keep replacing the grass with native plants and shrubs that flourish in local conditions while providing natural food and cover for wild birds (the single best way to limit number of dominant birds such as crows and starlings that thrive on the confluence of concrete and traditional "yards")."

Crow Planet
Lyanda Lynn Haupt

Debs Park (Los Angeles) opened 2003

2011-01-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

As a follow up to yesterday's article on nature in Los Angeles I found information on the Audubon Society's first urban nature center in L.A., along the Pasadena Freeway, northeast of downtown. "It will be called a nature classroom, and will cover a 16-acre parcel within the 282-acre Ernest Debs Regional Park near Montecito Heights. The space hosts more than 130 species of birds. The center will include an amphitheater, nature exhibits and a hummingbird garden. It is expected to open by 2003 at a cost of $15.5 million." Here are some links:

March 2004 Urban Oasis Magazine - Article written by Dan Koeppel about the Audubon Center at Debs Park

Direct Link to the urban nature center at Debs Park, Los Angeles

"13 ways of seeing nature in L.A." (article)

2011-01-16T19:07:00.000-08:00

I came across this article from The Believer magazine:

THIRTEEN WAYS OF SEEING NATURE IN L.A.

WE NEED TO REWRITE THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT NATURE,
AND LOS ANGELES IS THE BEST PLACE TO DO IT.

APRIL 2006
JENNY PRICE

PART ONE:
The First Six Ways and a Trip to the River

DISCUSSED: Nathanael West, Mike Davis, Raymond Chandler, Temescal Canyon, Dolphins, Hawks, Ducks, Mango Body Whips, Coyotes as Urban Terrorists, Seismic Retrofitting, Feral Peacocks, Aaron Spelling, The Concrete Straitjacket

PART TWO:
Another Seven Ways and an Arrival At the Confluence

DISCUSSED: Urban Demographics, Consumerist Valhallas, Nature Writing, The American Eden, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Muggings, Suntan Lotion, Hydrology, The L.A. River Greenway, Clean Air Legislation, Nature’s Revenge

green paving technology

2011-01-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

Great stormwater runoff technology for development in Ottawa: The East Towns - Chesnut and Evelyn:

(The five townhouses will include) rooftop gardens and a driveway made from green paving technology — instead of traditional heat-absorbing asphalt — that allows grass to grow. This approach will add a park-like setting to the development. “I think it will be the first project in the city to use the technology,” says Surface Developments president Jakub Ulak.

Celebrating the old oaks of Champlain Park, Ottawa Canada

2011-01-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

From the website:

"These magnificent old trees are all that remains of Ottawa's Oak forest, and the oldest of them are estimated to be more than 200 years old - which means they are not just older than our 60 year-old neighbourhood, they are also much older than Canada itself, and some were here long before the first permanent European settlers.

This oak forest ecosystem would have covered the South shore of the Ottawa River when Samuel de Champlain explored the area that bears his name in the early 1600s - and he surely would have seen some of the parents of our current oaks. The neighbourhood of Champlain Park - near the Champlain Bridge in the West End of Ottawa - has managed to preserve more than two dozen of these centuries-old trees."

radio series on nature (colorado)

2011-01-05T19:47:00.000-08:00

WildLives: Celebrating the World Around Us

by Susan J. Tweit (blog website)
CD Genre: Spoken Word: With Music
Release Date: 2010

From the website:

"This is WildLives from Salida, Colorado..." Enjoy 28 favorite commentaries from this popular weekly radio series that celebrates the world around us—the "community of the land." I hope they move you to get to know and find inspiration and sustenance in the world of wild lives wherever you live—city, suburb, small town, or deep in the countryside. Restore your heart and feed your soul with these lyrical commentaries that illuminate nature—the "community of the land" around us.

Urban Restoration Walks (Victoria)

2010-12-30T19:06:00.001-08:00

It was great to read about these free stream restoration walks offered in Victoria, B.C.:
Cities contain valuable natural habitat that suffers from the pressure of urbanization. This three-part series of interpretive restoration walks enables participants to see first hand restoration efforts occurring in Greater Victoria’s “lost” streams to improve their value as natural habitat. Wattling to stabilize banks, removal of invasive species, planting native species to improve riparian areas, installing log weirs to create pools and riffles, cleanups, releasing salmon fry and the ultimate restoration practice of daylighting a stream are all occurring with the dedicated efforts of environmental groups, public volunteers, the Capital Regional District and municipalities.

Instructors: Val Schaefer is the Academic Administrator of the Restoration of Natural Systems Program, School of Environmental Studies. Jessica Miles is a graduate of UVic’s Environmental Studies Program who is involved with project work for the RNS Program. They will be joined by a local expert for each stream.

Note: Off campus locations. These are not strenuous walks but sturdy footwear, a water bottle and rain gear are recommended.

Flickr photo from: poconoiridium

Inspiring Story found Online

2010-12-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Green Gables: An American Landscape Designed With Nature in Mind: A Prairie Garden. Part 4

By Richard J. Ehrenberg

The view from the lake side toward the house is a seasonally changing mass of color, uninterrupted by paths.

As I sit in the shade of 60-foot willow trees, on the shore of Trippe Lake, at the south end of a bit of land I call Green Gables, it is a sunny Labor Day, 2008. In spite of the 86-degree temperature, a cool breeze off the lake makes it an ideal setting for writing about our prairie garden. With the steady wind at my back, blowing away any mosquitoes in the area, I am looking at the golden glow of the blooming meadow in the center of our back yard.

I have called it “our prairie garden”: A brief discussion of semantics may be in order. “Perennial prairie planting” has a poetic rhythmic sound which is appealing to one’s ears. Pragmatically speaking, it points out to a gardener reading this article that this is a planting of perennials, not annuals – and in fact an intended planting, not a natural occurrence. One of my fears while planning the yard, envisioned a city zoning officer responding to a neighbor’s complaint of my yard being full of weeds, to which my planned response would be, “This is a flower garden of perennial plants, no different from any other flower garden.” Then I would let the city employee try to figure out how to discredit my choice of perennials in comparison to another citizen who might choose all European or Asian perennials. An additional comment about patriotism in purchasing American-made plants might also be in order.

The confrontation, fortunately never took place. Actually, I talked to the zoning officer during the planning phase and asked if there were any planting restrictions and was informed that people can plant whatever they like. The only regulation requires that lawns be limited to a certain height.

I did receive a notice in the mail one time, no doubt prompted by a complaint from my lawn-obsessed neighbor to the east who has a $12,000 tractor with a three-point-hitch mowing deck for the large areas of his lawn, a $2,500 riding mower for tighter areas, and a $350 push mower for working around trees. The official communication stated I must remove all weeds in my yard or the city would do so and charge me for the cost. Since the notice was in no way specific as to which plants were in question, I replied in writing that the exotic weeds growing along the edge of my property were actually on city land and then indicated a willingness to pull them. No reply from the city ever materialized.

Now for a brief discussion of Pragmatics: The term “prairie garden” is most appropriate when used for small prairie plantings in yards. Early on, I once referred to “my back yard prairie” – and a professional, who collects seed from prairie remnants, told me in no uncertain terms it was only a “prairie garden.” Feeling like I had been told, “You’re no Jack Kennedy,” I humbly apologized for the error of my exaggeration. Of course he was correct. Real prairies are thousands of square miles in size, and have many more naturally growing species of forbs and grasses than any yard can accommodate. Or they may even be tiny “prairie remnants” of an acre or two of unbroken land, land that has never experienced a plow. And mine is neither. Mine is an intentional planting, on severely modified soil, of species of plants that may, long ago, have grown on a prairie.

Speaking as an insecure male, I prefer the term “prairie planting” to “prairie garden”. It just sounds more masculine. Women do gardening – men plant things like crops, trees, shrubs, and such.

In any case, our household’s prairie garden at Green Gables was designed to fill the whole center portion of the back yard. The landscape envisioned was one of a cohesive natural environment, one in which a person moves from a woodland setting to a prairie/savannah-like opening, and back to a woodland, while walking the length of the yard. I wanted to live within a nature preserve – a natural setting where plant communities come together. I wanted to create “ecotones.” Hence, the whole back yard lawn was replaced with intermingling prairie species that have been allowed to reseed themselves and thereby move around while interacting with each other, the soil, the moisture, and the dynamics imposed by the adjacent woodland.

A friend with a small tractor that has a three-point hitch enjoyed breaking the sod and repeatedly tilling in the newly germinated weeds.

The only path through the back yard is curved around the very edge of the prairie garden in order to have as little impact on it as possible. There is no arrangement of flower beds irregularly placed in the lawn or arranged with paths encircling them. Small planting beds have more edges than one large planting. More edges translate into less wildlife habitat and more maintenance. Lawn weeds migrate into planting beds. This is not what I wanted to create.

Friends and family frequently comment on the bright colors and the masses of bloom that traditional, exotic gardens normally cannot match. The seasonally changing height adds to the interest, starting with thousands of blue, white, and purple 6-inch-tall violets, which start to bloom in late March. By mid-July the color has risen to an average height of 5 feet, and to the towering 7-foot cup plants (Silphium perfoliatum), scattered about. Daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus), a volunteer native biennial, blooms for the longest period, from May to the end of August. Some years they appear in large masses, and in other years in the odd scattered cluster. Spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis), another annual volunteer, has migrated from the shady, moist lakeside, where it first appeared as soon as we stopped mowing the lawn, into the prairie garden, and has freely become part of the colorfest. When dry weather comes, a sprinkler is sometimes used to assist their survival – their vase-shaped, dangling flowers provide nectar for the hummingbirds and butterflies.

The attraction of our wildflowers is not limited to daylight hours. The constant movement and lightning flashes of fireflies at dusk and into the evening, from June to the middle of August, adds to our back yard activity and visual interest. Fireflies do not appear in my neighbor’s lawnscapes until the end of July, two months after having become very active at Green Gables. They apparently spill over after dry weather reduces my neighbor’s mowing schedule.

When we moved into Green Gables 14 years ago, the back yard open space was all lawn, for which I had very definite intentions. A friend, Mark Kuhnke, with his Ford tractor and a three-point hitch cultivator turned over the thick sod and continued to cultivate the soil throughout the growing season of 1994, each time a new crop of weeds germinated. For a brief while, Roundup was judiciously used in spots to eliminate persistent weeds. Finally a prairie mix of seed was scattered and raked into the soil. Volunteers like daisy fleabane quickly appeared. Over the years rooted plants and additional seeds have been added. When common milkweed and goldenrod spread excessively they were uprooted around the edges of each colony, and other prairie seed spread in the place they had occupied. Each year Virginia creeper (Parthenicissus quinquefolia), spreads from the woodland planting at the front of the house, and needs to be removed each fall.

A total of 30 species have been incorporated. Grasses were not included, as I had read they tend to dominate over time; I may like to rethink this. The focus is on color rather than replication of a true prairie. [Ed. Note: Grasses in a prairie garden setting not only add to the diversity of the planting, both above the soil and in the root zone, but also lend structural support to the flowering plants and habitat.]

Just prior to Thanksgiving, but after the birds have emptied the seed heads, we cut down the dry, dead forb stems instead of burning. Being in the city and having many evergreen trees surrounding the prairie garden discourages the use of fire. This year I will be trying a new approach in order to avoid the intensive labor of cutting and hauling to the city compost site. To chop the biomass a weed whacker will be used, starting at the top of the still-standing plants and working down the stems. This upper growth will be left to compost or reseed on site. A foot or two of standing stalks will provide continued habitat through the winter for both furry creatures and insects.

The prairie garden has required more time and effort than the forest plantings in other parts of our yard – especially to get started. Incursion by sun-loving alien weeds is the primary cause of all the problems related to planting a meadow.

Of course a traditional exotic-flower garden requires the same amount of effort and for the same reason. In a natural meadow planting, however, the native perennials, in time and with help, become dominant and begin to outgrow the weeds. Intervention and continual long-term maintenance will always be required by both. However, the continuous color and the wildlife activity in the prairie garden are worth the extra effort.

At least it doesn’t have to be done behind or on the seat of a loud lawnmower. The work can be accomplished while listening to the sounds of nature. Even while we work in the yard, the prairie provides an ambience we prefer to the machine-intensive maintenance required by a lawnscape.

Definitions

Lodging occurs when the upper portion of plant growth, typically the seed head, becomes too heavy to be supported by the stem, and the plant bends toward the ground. In a prairie planting, tall grasses and forbs with substantial stems assist in preventing lodging.

Ecotone: A transitional zone between two communities containing the characteristic species of each.

_____

Richard J. Ehernberg, of the Madison (WI) Chapter, is a landscape architect.

Other chapters of his urban landscaping stories can be found here: Wild Ones (Wisconsin).

I especially liked his story about his front yard forest and camouflaged natural drainage.

Crow Planet

2010-12-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

From Crow Planet - Essential Wisdom From the Urban Wilderness:

Crow nests:

"Dryer lint is soft and pleasant, and it is obvious why this might seem like a good idea, but it is not. Residue from detergent and dryer sheets can be irritating and toxic to naked young birds, and dryer lint tends to hold moisture exceedingly well, which can make the nest wet and cold, and actually increase mortality."

Caution on the road:

"...we need to be particularly careful when driving toward crows that are eating in the road; while they would normally fly easily out of the way, they are more prone to miscalculation when absorbed in such meals... the actual truth is that they usually move. Usually is a potent qualifier - in the slender margin between usually and always lies an untold number of dead crows."

Rehabilitation:

"Birds raised by humans tend to be shunned by crow society - the essential crow life-support system that allows birds to find and share food, roosts, mates, protection from predators, and general good times. Without it, and coupled with a lack of proper wariness of humankind, these crows don't last long."

by Lyanda Lynn Haupt

** Flickr picture from Dogfaceboy

our bucktoothed neighbour

2010-12-11T07:23:00.001-08:00

You may have heard the news this summer, that there were some beaver attacks on dogs in a Red Deer park. What was really heartening was that the dog owners did not side with the City and demand that the beavers be killed - there seemed to be some degree of appreciation for wildlife which was great. Unfortunately this story didn't end well, with one beaver being shot (by a lone vigilante?) but in the end the City changed its stance:

"the City of Red Deer will not remove or relocate the park's six to 12 beavers, because no beaver attacks have been reported since the weekend, said Trevor Poth, the city's parks superintendent.

"We see no need to trap or relocate any beaver at Three Mile Bend at this time," Poth said in a news release. "We will, however, continue to monitor the situation at the park and educate park users."

The city has installed more signs in the park warning people of aggressive wildlife and reminding dog owners to maintain control over their pets in the off-leash park."

The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has a great resource on their website providing information on a little over twenty "wild neighbours" that we may encounter in urban areas. The beaver is one of those neighbours. This is a great place to learn more about these impressive creatures!

In Ottawa, the Ottawa Carleton Wildlife Centre can help people with beaver conflicts. An article in their Spring 2010 newsletter, details how they worked with concerned neighbours in the Graham Creek area who wanted to learn how to live with the beavers rather than trap and get rid of them. The OCWC has also worked with Fletcher Wildlife Garden to help overwinter a visitor in their pond.

The Fur Bearer Defenders (located in Burnaby) also has a campaign to help beavers:

"The main goals of our beaver campaign are to:

a) encourage local municipalities to replace cruel trapping with non-lethal alternatives
b) encourage city councils to pass legislation to prohibit cruel traps
c) raise awareness of the benefits of beavers in our ecosystem"

** Flickr photo by Keith Williams

Storylistening (links to podcasts)

2010-12-09T19:41:00.000-08:00

"Storytelling is an oral art form, so what better way to explore what storytelling has to offer environmental activism and education than through podcasts of interviews with storytellers..."

Above quote from Restorying the Earth

I like these two:

Emily Dodd: Inspiring Children to Care about Wildlife
Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Fiona MacLeod: Trees, Stones and Water
Saturday, February 21, 2009

get your lawn off grass

2010-12-05T09:30:00.000-08:00

Professor Bill Freedman explains the environmental and aesthetic benefits to his grass-free lawn, made up entirely of native species in the heart of south end Halifax. Video by KM Productions.

Marsh Creek EcoChallenge (Saint John)

2010-11-29T14:51:00.001-08:00

Interesting project to get the community engaged about a local restoration project:

As a part of the most ambitious sustainable development proposal in Atlantic Canada's history - the Marsh Creek Restoration Initiative - Atlantic Coastal Action Program - Saint John is proposing to hold the inaugural Marsh Creek EcoChallenge in Saint John, New Brunswick.

The Marsh Creek Restoration Initiative [MCRI] is much more than a restoration project, it is a strategically-timed sustainability initiative that seeks to set an example for the rest of the country of how a once-degraded and embarrassing ecosystem can be turned into a ground-breaking example of how an urban environment can be integrated with natural systems, rather than just being built on top them. It is for these reasons that the MCRI is beginning to gain international attention from renowned environmentalists such as Alexandra Cousteau, as they look to Saint John to see how a prototypical industrial city attempts to re-invent its most abused ecosystem as not only a safe place for fish and wildlife, but as a catalyst for a new model of urban living and growth (for more information, visit http://www.acapsj.com).

The proposed Marsh Creek EcoChallenge will continue to follow the MCRI's roadmap of sustainability by directly involving the community on environmental, social and economic levels. The Marsh Creek EcoChallenge will involve two key components:

First, a comprehensive BioBlitz of the Marsh Creek watershed, involving researchers and scientists from organizations such as the University of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Museum and the Saint John Naturalists Club. Researchers will assess habitat, document species of fish, wildlife and birds, as well as geological features for the Stonehammer UNESCO Geopark, all while social scientists study the community's use of water features, document historical sites and evaluate the socio-economic health of urban neighbourhoods in the area.

Secondly, to help promote community wellness and bring people closer to the amazing natural areas of Marsh Creek, a full scale adventure challenge will take place across the watershed, involving paddling, running, geocaching and cycling through some of Canada's finest urban green areas. This portion of the Marsh Creek EcoChallenge will engage a greater audience into watershed issues while promoting the tourist potential of a restored urban watercourse and active transportation alternatives, all while providing a fun, engaging opportunity to meet new people and learn about nature.

When all is said and done, the Marsh Creek EcoChallenge will have gathered countless pages of invaluable scientific data on this historically degraded and abused watershed, while simultaneously showcasing its potential to local, national and international participants in a unique outdoor adventure racing event, both of which will be unparalleled in eastern Canada. In just a few short days, the Marsh Creek EcoChallenge will have brought the focus of the region onto the untapped natural beauty and geographic diversity of Marsh Creek and will truly showcase the ability of the Marsh Creek Restoration Initiative to transform the worst of Saint John's image into an economic driver for not just the city, but for New Brunswick as a whole.

(Info from the Aviva Community Fund website)

Cities and the Environment (CATE) (Massachusetts)

2010-11-21T19:29:00.000-08:00

Another great online resource: CATE - The Electronic Journal of the Urban Ecology Collaborative - published by the Urban Ecology Institute and Boston College in collaboration with USDA Forest Service.

This journal seems to be published twice a year although, the last publication is in 2009. Some great articles here: ecological landscaping, green roofs, native bees and others.

Check it out: Cities and the Environment

Urban Landscape Lab (Columbia)

2010-11-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

Urban Landscape Lab

This is a great resource that includes a list of different projects that the students and teachers are involved in, an encyclopedia that "links ideas, designs and issues facing urban ecosystems" and an update on newsworthy items.

The Urban Landscape Lab is an inter-disciplinary applied research group at the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation that focuses on the role of design in urban ecosystems.

Helping to advance the dialogue for positive change in urban ecosystems!

parking lots to paradise (Toronto)

2010-11-08T19:11:00.001-08:00

This made me thrilled:

"From Parking Lot to Paradise; The Making of an Urban Garden"
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson

The Ottawa Botanical Garden Society continues to bring to Ottawa important speakers who enlighten and excite us about the world of horticulture. To that end, we are pleased to announce that The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson will speak to our members and the general public on Monday, April 26th, 2010, about building her new garden in Toronto where a six-car parking lot once stood. Our former Governor General is a keen gardener, has hosted the Canadian Peony Society national show twice at Rideau Hall, and she and her husband, John Raulston Saul were instrumental in making the splendid gardens at the official residence of the Governor General what they are today.

(I didn't get to attend the talk but would have been great to hear about!)

volunteer!

2010-10-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Get involved in learning about and protecting our local biodiversity with:

the Ottawa Field Naturalists’ Club,

the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS),

the Greenspace Alliance of Canada’s Capital,

Canadian Wildlife Federation (Backyard program),

Fletcher Wildlife Garden,

Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre,

Ottawa Stewardship Council (cool turtle nesting project)

Real Action in Lanark

Friends of Petrie Island

Safari 7 in NYC

2010-10-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

Love this idea!

Safari 7 is a self-guided tour of urban wildlife along the 7 subway line. The 7 Line is a physical, urban transect through New York City’s most diverse range of ecosystems. Affectionately called the International Express, the 7 line runs from Manhattan’s dense core, under the East River, and through a dispersed mixture of residences and parklands, terminating in downtown Flushing, Queens, the nation’s most ethnically diverse county.

Safari 7 circulates an ongoing series of podcasts and maps that explore the complexity, biodiversity, conflicts, and potentials of New York’s ecosystems. (This project) imagines train cars as eco-urban classrooms, and invites travelers to act as park rangers in their city.

A collaboration between The Urban Landscape Lab and MTWTF.

(All above details from their website.)

grass cultivars for the north

2010-10-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

Would love to see him talk some day:

"Grasses and Grasscapes: From the Four Corners of the Earth to You"
A Talk by Dave Demers

Dave Demers, a modern day plant hunter and garden designer, delighted his audience with his sumptuous photographs of grasscapes in the wild, and in cutting-edge gardens. Mr. Demers, who has traveled the world to discover plants in their native habitats, outlined and described the best grass cultivars for our northern landscapes. Dave currently owns Cyan Horticulture, a design-build landscape company in Vancouver.

Streets back to Parks.... (Montreal)

2010-10-08T20:02:00.001-07:00

“We’re looking at streets and asking ourselves, ‘Is it really useful’,’’ he said in a recent interview. “We’ve identified about 20 streets that are not useful, that can be taken out and retransformed into green spaces.’’ Mayor of Montreal on the Project Montreal

From Daily Commercial News

winter flowers

2010-10-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

It is well known that you can create a heaven for birds by planting native wildflowers such as purple and yellow coneflowers, bee balm, larkspur, black-eyed susan, and maximilian sunflowers.

What you may not know is that you could keep these flowers and others through the winter to continue to attract birds. Flowers such as cosmos, snapdragon, zinnia, cockscomb, aster and larkspur can be left to let dry where they stand after their bloom is finished.

Here are more details:

Daisies
These delicate flowers produce seed heads that attract finches, cardinals, sparrows and others. Simply allow daisies to go to seed at the end of the season and watch the birds flock to your garden as the weather becomes colder.

Zinnias
Do not deadhead the plants at the end of the season. Simply allow them to go to seed naturally and enjoy the flocks of birds that gather to harvest the seeds.

Purple Coneflower
This quick-growing plant returns each year with bigger and brighter blooms. It produces a sturdy seed head that supports the weight of large birds, which stop to reap the harvest.

Black-eyed Susans
These produce thick seed heads and when left to go to seed provide seeds for wild birds.

Coreopsis
These flowers brighten the landscape during the summer and produce seeds that attract a variety of birds in fall and winter.

Information from:
- Birds and Blooms
- Birdwatchers Digest

Image from Flickr: Kim Naumann

landscaping for energy efficiency

2010-09-28T15:41:00.001-07:00

While one option for lowering our energy demands seems to be new, more efficient technology, there are many ways to work with mother nature so that our energy needs are less. Old fashioned options, such as backyard clotheslines and cold cellars utilize resources that are readily available and basically free. There are plenty of things we can learn from past generations who lived efficiently and worked with the land and the seasons and natural energy sources.

For most of us, taking advantage of the sun, wind and shelter to lessen home energy needs while designing and building a house is not an option but we can use landscaping and other easy retrofits to benefit from shade and sheltering gains offered by trees, shrubs and awnings.

- Add trees and shrubs in your yard to shield your home from road noise and prevailing winds.

- Deciduous trees are the best as they lower your energy bill all year, providing shade in summer and sunshine in winter.

- Think about using a trellis draped with vines or climbing perennials which will cool ground-floor windows facing west.

- Low-growing evergreen shrubs planted beside basement walls help keep warmth in and winter winds out.

- Flower gardens with tall plants help retain moisture in the ground. With larger gardens (and less grass) you spend less energy on watering and mowing your lawn.

- Awnings installed on upper-floor windows shade your interior space and help control heat gain in the summer.

- Porches were used extensively as shaded outdoor spaces that were cooler that the interior of homes. They also kept the front rooms of the house shaded from the sun also.

(This list was taken from a municipal site - my apologies as I don't have the link anymore.)

* Photo from Weisert at Flickr

dandelions

2010-09-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

one of the first plants to grow every spring, ever pervasive, growing out of cracks. Offering us herbal remedies and nutrients.

showing us that nature can't be stopped, that no matter what, with a little rain and some sun, renewal is just a step away.

but while it's wonderful to think that nature has its own plans, that it can't be deterred, there are things that we can do to encourage a healthy biodiversity in the city and lessen our impact on this earth.

** Photo from Mikeography at Flickr