Latest news with #SaraJordan-McLachlan
Calgary Herald
12-08-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Bird Friendly Calgary urges residents to turn lights out at night during migration season
As millions of migratory birds pass through Alberta this fall, Bird Friendly Calgary is urging residents to switch off lights overnight – a small step that can save countless birds from fatal strikes. Article content 'Birds are migrating through North America starting in about mid-August through the end of October, and many of them actually use the night sky to navigate to their winter home,' said founding member Sara Jordan-McLachlan. Article content Article content Article content As part of their Lights Out for Birds campaign, Bird Friendly Calgary is asking Calgarians to turn off their lights each night from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. from August 15 to October 31. Article content Article content According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, an estimated 40 to 60 million birds die annually in Canada from window strikes with over one billion across North America. That number accounts only for birds that are killed and don't account for the total number of strikes. Article content 'Birds have evolved over millions of years without artificial light at night, and so they have learned certain things about light sources that help them in their annual migrations,' said fellow Bird Friendly Calgary founder Roland Dechesne, who also serves on the Light Pollution Abatement Committee with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada. Article content Article content Dechesne said that introducing artificial light into the environment can disorient birds' natural flight patterns. Article content 'For example, they might use starlight or moonlight reflecting off of water to use as a gauge to follow waterways at night,' he said. Article content In their natural habitats, some species navigate by aiming for gaps of light between tree branches and trunks, Dechesne said. When they see illuminated windows in urban areas, they mistake them for safe pathways and fly directly into them. Article content Warmer-toned lighting is better for both human and animal health, but residents should aim to only illuminate areas that are needed, like steps or other hazards. Using motion-controlled lights when possible and setting holiday lights to turn off automatically is encouraged. Article content She noted that this season, the team is finding that the number has increased significantly. Article content 'The amount of birds that we're seeing right now striking glass is actually quite alarming compared to past years,' said Kathleen Johnson, executive director of the Calgary Urban Species Response Team. 'Our team was able to get out Aug. 1, and immediately was finding large numbers of migratory birds striking glass in downtown Calgary.' Article content Dechesne emphasized that collisions aren't just a downtown issue – they happen just as frequently in suburban areas and affect both migratory and local species. Article content Nighttime doesn't pose the only risk – during the day, reflective windows can trick birds into flying into them as they search for safe places to rest. Article content Johnson recommended that people purchase window marking kits to reduce daytime strikes. These adhesive decals create a pattern that breaks up reflections, making them less attractive to birds. Article content Article content To help make yards more bird friendly, the group recommends placing bird baths away from the house, keeping cats indoors or on leashes and planting native plants to support local insect populations that birds rely on. Article content Above all, the group says the simplest step is to just switch off the lights.
Calgary Herald
16-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Biodiversity advisory committee gives city council failing grade on habitat restoration
With the City of Calgary's 10-year biodiversity strategy wrapping up this year, the plan's advisory committee will present a mixed report card to council next week. Article content Article content The Our BiodiverCity strategic plan was launched in 2015, with a decade-long mandate to manage and protect Calgary's natural and built environments and support biodiversity. Article content The plan included four guiding principles and three targets to measure the plan's success by 2025: reversing habitat loss, protecting important ecological zones and managing invasive species. Article content Article content The Biodiversity Advisory Committee, which was struck to oversee the strategy and is being disbanded this year, was made up of city administration and public members who had either an interest in biodiversity, or a professional or educational background relating to the topic. Article content Article content In a press release, public members of the committee said they have graded council's performance on 10 of the biodiversity strategy's intended outcomes. Article content Council (which has seen turnover twice since the strategy was implemented, considering the results of the 2017 and 2021 elections) scored a grade of A- or less on eight of the 10 outcomes, according to committee member Sara Jordan-McLachlan. Article content She commended council's focus on biodiversity education and outreach, as well as its ability to get the city's ecological network entrenched in the Municipal Development Plan and the city's new parks plan, which is being rolled out this year. Article content 'Prioritizing that connectivity of habitat through the city and connections for green spaces throughout the entire city is a very positive step,' Jordan-McLachlan said. Article content Article content Another positive was council's willingness to increase funding for programs related to biodiversity, which garnered an A-, according to Jordan-McLachlan. Article content However, she noted council received a D+ in habitat restoration, as only 53 per cent of the strategy's target was met. Article content She criticized council's recent rejection of a notice of motion from Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner, which sought to naturalize the sides of the city's roadways by reducing mowing and by planting more native flowers and plant species. Council's rejection stemmed from concerns over the total cost and the complexity of implementing the plan.
Calgary Herald
11-05-2025
- General
- Calgary Herald
Weaselhead preservation group seeks nocturnal sanctuary status for Calgary's only 'delta'
An environmental preservation group wants to keep the park dark to support the birds and the bees. Article content Article content The Weaselhead Glenmore Park Preservation Society is working with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) to obtain nocturnal sanctuary status for the Weaselhead Flats, according to a local naturalist. Article content Such a designation would recognize the importance of maintaining dark skies for the variety of wildlife within in the flats, said Sara Jordan-McLachlan, a representative of the Weaselhead preservation society. Article content Article content At an event to recognize World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, she told Postmedia the preservation society will first have to submit an application to the RASC, before the two organizations collaborate on a joint application to the city. Article content Article content 'We'll need city approval so it's about working with the city as well to make sure they're on board, because ultimately, it's their park to manage,' she said. Article content 'They would give us the approval to designate that as a nocturnal sanctuary and then we'd be in charge of managing it.' The flats are technically Calgary's only 'delta' — a geographical landform created where a river slows as it spills into a standing body of water. In the case of the Weaselhead, when the river reaches the flats, it deposits sand and gravel to create a network of bars, channels and marshes. Article content While the flats have a special protected-area status that prohibits development, the Weaselhead doesn't currently have a nocturnal sanctuary designation as part of its habitat management plan, according to Jordan-McLachlan. Article content Article content She noted there have been some rumblings about adding lighting fixtures to the cycling and walking path that cuts through the flats, which she warns would be harmful for birds and other wildlife. Article content 'That's our biggest challenge — keeping that dark,' she said. 'But otherwise, no development can happen in that area.' Article content A park in the Calgary region that currently has nocturnal sanctuary status is the Ann and Sandy Cross Conservation Area, located just south of city limits in Foothills County. The sprawling area received nocturnal preserve designation in 2015, according to the RASC's website. Article content There are numerous ecological benefits to keeping a natural area devoid of artificial light, said Jordan-McLachlan, who is also a representative of Bird Friendly Calgary. Article content Through her involvement with the local avian advocacy group, Jordan-McLachlan has advocated for stronger protection for birds during the spring and fall migratory seasons, such as educating residents of high-rises to turn off their lights at night to help prevent window strikes.
