Environment

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second left, and Mark Carney take part in a panel discussion on carbon pricing at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made many policy announcements across the pond at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, a new poll hints at how Canadians feel about those developments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Most Canadians support the federal government’s climate policy announcements: poll

69% support Canada’s summit announcement

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second left, and Mark Carney take part in a panel discussion on carbon pricing at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland, Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2021. After Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made many policy announcements across the pond at the COP26 climate summit in Scotland, a new poll hints at how Canadians feel about those developments. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
A wildfire-scorched sequoia tree stands on a hillside, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Sequoia Crest, Calif. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is planting sequoia seedlings in the area. The effort led by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit trying to preserve the genetics of the biggest old-growth trees, is one of many extraordinary measures being taken to save giant sequoias that were once considered nearly fire-proof and are in jeopardy of being wiped out by more intense wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Hope after wildfire: Tiny sequoias could grow into giants

Measures underway to save trees at risk of being wiped out by more intense wildfires

A wildfire-scorched sequoia tree stands on a hillside, Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in Sequoia Crest, Calif. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive is planting sequoia seedlings in the area. The effort led by the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, a nonprofit trying to preserve the genetics of the biggest old-growth trees, is one of many extraordinary measures being taken to save giant sequoias that were once considered nearly fire-proof and are in jeopardy of being wiped out by more intense wildfires. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard) A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)

Ship that lost 109 containers near Victoria is now stable: operator

Remaining containers safe and will be unloaded once a port of call has been identified

A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard) A tug boat cools the hull of the MV Zim Kingston Oct. 24 as crews work to control the ship’s fire. (Courtesy Canadian Coast Guard)
Ships continue to work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. A special weather statement was issued for the Greater Victoria area as southeasterly winds gusting up to 90km per hour were forecasted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Refrigerators, styrofoam, garbage on B.C. beaches after containers spilled from ship

Items collected by helicopter off Cape Palmerston beach on the northwest side of Vancouver Island

Ships continue to work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. A special weather statement was issued for the Greater Victoria area as southeasterly winds gusting up to 90km per hour were forecasted. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Quillback rock fish on a marine protected area glass sponge reef. (Photo credit of CPAWS-BC, Diane Reid)

Watchdog says B.C.’s marine protected areas fall short in protecting biodiversity

Activities such as bottom trawling active in some MPAs, future threats looming

Quillback rock fish on a marine protected area glass sponge reef. (Photo credit of CPAWS-BC, Diane Reid)
Crews keep surrounding containers and the hull of the MV Zim Kingston cool while fires continue to smoulder aboard the ship. (Canadian Coast Guard/Twitter)

Company hires contractor in effort to recover overboard containers off B.C.

Thermal cameras being used to find remaining hot spots on the MV Zim Kingston

Crews keep surrounding containers and the hull of the MV Zim Kingston cool while fires continue to smoulder aboard the ship. (Canadian Coast Guard/Twitter)
Ships work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Sunday, October 24, 2021. The container ship caught fire on Saturday and 16 crew members were evacuated and brought to Ogden Point Pier. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Drifting shipping containers leave Vancouver Island communities with many questions

Containers spotted as far north as Cape Scott, as of Wednesday, none had been retrieved

Ships work to control a fire onboard the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Sunday, October 24, 2021. The container ship caught fire on Saturday and 16 crew members were evacuated and brought to Ogden Point Pier. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Ships continue to work to control a fire on board the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

Fires in cargo ship off B.C. coast may take days to put out: coast guard

About 40 containers that fell off ship have been tracked to the northern tip of Vancouver Island

Ships continue to work to control a fire on board the MV Zim Kingston about eight kilometres from the shore in Victoria, B.C., on Monday, October 25, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
A Living Lakes Canada community-based water monitoring training course with Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society in Nelson during summer 2021. (Submitted)

New thinking required for our watershed management

In the Columbia Basin, there are exemplary examples of community-based water monitoring

  • Oct 21, 2021
A Living Lakes Canada community-based water monitoring training course with Friends of Kootenay Lake Stewardship Society in Nelson during summer 2021. (Submitted)
A fully-loaded logging truck plunged into the Elk River on Monday, October 18 2021. (Contributed by James Kirk)

Driver escapes uninjured after logging truck takes a dip in the Elk River

Nobody was injured in the incident

A fully-loaded logging truck plunged into the Elk River on Monday, October 18 2021. (Contributed by James Kirk)
Local students joined a Castlegar Butterflyway work crew last week. Photo: Castlegar Butterflyway

Castlegar students help plant 1 million seeds for pollinators

Castlegar Butterflyway is creating meadows near the Kootenay Gallery of Art

Local students joined a Castlegar Butterflyway work crew last week. Photo: Castlegar Butterflyway
In September 2021, 142 black bears were destroyed by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service due to human conflict. (Black Press file photo)

Ex-conservation officer says ‘armed police’ don’t belong in B.C.’s wildlife response

142 black bears were destroyed by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service in September

In September 2021, 142 black bears were destroyed by the B.C. Conservation Officer Service due to human conflict. (Black Press file photo)
Members of the black-tailed deer family appear to be most severely affected by adenovirus hemorrhagic disease. (Photo - Veronika Andrews)

Fast-spreading disease has ‘100s’ of deer dropping dead on Vancouver Island

Never seen before in B.C. Adenovirus hemorrhagic disease poses no risk to humans, livestock or pets

Members of the black-tailed deer family appear to be most severely affected by adenovirus hemorrhagic disease. (Photo - Veronika Andrews)
An attendee walks past hydraulic fracking equipment at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Homes near fracking sites in B.C. have higher levels of some pollutants, says study

Researchers found higher levels of chemicals used in fracking in selected Peace River residences

An attendee walks past hydraulic fracking equipment at the Global Petroleum Show in Calgary on Tuesday, June 7, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
A heavy hauler truck transports material from Suncor’s North Steepbank in the oil sands in Fort McMurray, Alta., Monday, June 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

Environment groups say all parties now firmly behind strong action on climate change

Only the People’s Party of Canada had no climate action plan

A heavy hauler truck transports material from Suncor’s North Steepbank in the oil sands in Fort McMurray, Alta., Monday, June 13, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
A new mural can be seen on Columbia Avenue in Castlegar near the Kootenay Market. Photo: Submitted

New Castlegar mural first in Canada to feature air-purifying paint

Kootenay artist Matty Kakes has created another local mural

A new mural can be seen on Columbia Avenue in Castlegar near the Kootenay Market. Photo: Submitted
This Sept. 4, 2021, satellite image provided by Maxar shows a view of oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico at East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)

Hurricane Larry’s track shifts west, residents of Newfoundland warned to prepare

Hurricane is not expected to have much of an impact on the rest of Atlantic Canada

This Sept. 4, 2021, satellite image provided by Maxar shows a view of oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico at East Timbalier Island National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. (Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)
The RCMP use an excavator to extract an old-growth logging protester from a tripod in the Fairy Creek area on Vancouver Island. (Submitted)

RCMP watchdog gets more than 70 enforcement complaints from Fairy Creek blockades

Protesters’ lawyer says 17 complaints fall under the agency’s mandate and will be investigated

The RCMP use an excavator to extract an old-growth logging protester from a tripod in the Fairy Creek area on Vancouver Island. (Submitted)
A sunflower star on the Olympic Coast of Washington is shown in this undated handout photo. Sea stars in the waters off British Columbia that died off in the billions about a decade ago are not recovering as expected, an expert says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Janna Nichols

‘Very disturbing’: Expert says sea stars melting away because of wasting disease

Scientist: unclear if populations of sea stars in B.C. waters will survive

A sunflower star on the Olympic Coast of Washington is shown in this undated handout photo. Sea stars in the waters off British Columbia that died off in the billions about a decade ago are not recovering as expected, an expert says. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, Janna Nichols
People find comfort in sea breeze at the Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks), a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, southern Sicily, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)

Days of hot weather grip Southern Europe, North Africa

Scientists say there’s little doubt climate change from fossil fuels is driving extreme events

People find comfort in sea breeze at the Scala dei Turchi (Stair of the Turks), a rocky cliff on the coast of Realmonte, near Porto Empedocle, southern Sicily, Italy, Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2021. The ongoing heatwave will last up until the weekend with temperatures expected to reach well over 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of Italy. (AP Photo/Salvatore Cavalli)