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

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

Did you know that beavers aren't the only mammal that will build lodges in the water? Muskrats will also build lodges in marshes, but they will use different material than beaver. Instead of using sticks and branches, they will use cattails and bullrushes for a majority of their lodge. But location and resources is everything when building a house. If the marsh they live in doesn't have the necessary material, they will just dig burrows in the side of banks instead of making

With World Marmot Day tomorrow, we want to celebrate our local star, the Yellow-bellied marmot! Yellow-bellied marmots have a tough go at life, with everyone wanting to eat them and their young. Predators like coyotes, raptors, bobcats, bears, cougars, badgers and more are all after them. And because of this, they have to be on constant alert. Marmots will go on the defense against their many predators by going on the look-out and calling out to the colony if they sense dange

Squirrels may not seem very exciting because how common they are but did you know that there is special squirrel that is not so common. Northern Flying squirrels are a rare sight, especially compared to their more well known cousins, like the Red and Grey squirrels. But the rarity is not because they are in trouble, but because they are nocturnal. So unless you are in the forest at night, it is unlikely for you too see these gliding mammals. One unique characteristic is that