Today celebrates one of our world's greatest engineers- the beaver. These rodents have amazing capacity to accumulate water in an area and alter hydrology. As climate change affects our planet, areas are subject to desertification, with water sources becoming more scarce and dry areas become even more arid. Beavers help to mitigate some of these effects- beaver ponds store water during wet times of years, and as water recedes in the dry months, water is released slowly into s

There are so many amazing aquatic species in the world, and still new ones are getting identified, even here in the Okanagan. One newly identified species is the Okanagan Crayfish. While it was known that crayfish were in the area, many people thought that this crayfish was the same as the Signal Crayfish which is native to the Pacific Northwest. However, this population was found to be more distinct than your normal Signal Crayfish, so it became its own species. Okanagan Cra

All species of bats in the Okanagan and Similkameen are insectivores, so they only eat insects. No fruit or blood eating bats here. However, that does not mean that they catch insects in the same way. There are aerial hawkers, which scoop the insects straight out of the air, and gleaners, which pick the insects off the ground or other surfaces. Bat species can specialize in one of these techniques or they could use both depending on the situation. The Fringed bat that is foun

This time of year bears are going to start emerging from their dens if they haven't yet already, and they are going to be looking for food. Bears are omnivores, so they will be looking for anything that it high enough in calories. Unfortunately this is when bear-human interaction can take place. Due to food shortages from drought and wildfires these last couple of years, bears are visiting urban areas more frequently since they can find an easy meal there. However, there are

Happy World Water Day! Water is one of if not the most important resource and we need to keep it clean. However, through development and urbanization, water quality is being affected. One of the reasons is an increase in run-off. With so many more hard surfaces in cities, more run-off is created and carries all the pollutants from the city directly into the water. Pollutants from lawn fertilizers, car engine oil, pesticides, pet feces, and soap from car washes is all flowing

Frogs are not just cute little guys, they also have a lot of cool features that help them survive. While it might not look like it since you can't see their ears, frogs can have a good sense of hearing. The tympanum is an ear hole usually located on the back of the frogs head. This hole is usually covered by a layer of skin called the tympanic membrane which can act as a drum. When sound hits the membrane, it will cause a vibration on the membrane that will lead into the ear

Today we want to celebrate all the sparrows that bless our backyards and natural areas. There are some species that are part of the New World Sparrow family that you might not know are considered sparrows because it's not in their name. They also don't all give the typical "Little Brown Bird" trope of most sparrows. Here are two examples of New World Sparrows: Dark-eyed junco: These birds will stick around the Okanagan and Similkameen all year long. Their gray, white, and rus

When looking at healthy river systems, complexity is very important. Having different sections to a river will provide different habitat and functions. Here are some complexities that we look for in rivers: Riffles: The shallowest part where water is usually running over rocks. This is where water is the fastest and there is the most oxygen. Sometimes fish will wait downstream from riffles to wait for food to flow their way. Runs: This is when water flows at a more uniform pa

Did you know that Silky lupines are part of the legume family? Legumes are a special family of plants that are well know for their nitrogen fixing abilities. On Earth, around 80% of our atmosphere is made up of nitrogen gas. However, nitrogen in this form is unusable to people and many other living things. That's where the legumes come it. These plants have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria that will live on the plants roots in little nodules. The bacteri