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Sierra Club Atlantic is a vibrant grassroots organization that helps empower people to protect, restore, and enjoy a healthy safe planet. We are your chapter of Canada’s only national grassroots environmental organization, working to bring your community’s concerns to the attention of regional and national leaders.

What's happening at the Atlantic Chapter?

Wait, were these alive before?!

Hanna Hameline — February 24, 2015

Two weeks of stormy, cold, snowy weather can put quite the damper on outdoor fun... so sometimes you have to bring “the wild” inside!

 

On the days where it is too cold for the little ones to venture out into the snow, there is a giant blue tub of animal items that I bring them. There is a little bit of everything in this tub, including: a beaver pelt, coyote skull, robin’s nest, porcupine quills, barred owl wing, and turtle shell (to name a few).

 

Meeting the Wild Children of PEI

Hanna Hameline — January 20, 2015

A second Sierra Club Wild Child Nature Immersion Program is underway in PEI, only this time: it’s winter fun! 

It is truly an amazing experience to slow down and let our imaginations wonder. At one visit, the kids and I made up a game called “Chipmunks” all on our own while we were discussing animals that need trees to live. The game was a relay design where children had to run to a tree, grab a nut or pinecone (we used whatever we had on hand), then run back to their “hole” to store the nut for the winter and tag the next person in line. The first team to go to the tree and back twice “won” the round. As the weeks unravel, I become more amazed at the creative minds of the children I meet. My visits are a valuable reminder of why play and imagination are key to healthy, engaged living. 

Dartmouth Commons Takes Root makes a splash!

David Foster — October 29, 2014
Rows of blueberry bushes planted in the Dartmouth Common

On October 18th, we hosted a tree and shrub planting in the Dartmouth Commons with the support of numerous community members who came out to assist, as well as city staff and elected representatives who showed their support both on the ground, and in council. 

We had a great turnout of devoted community members who eagerly planted the 7 trees and 100+ shrubs that comprise the municipality's first community orchard.  

Halifax Diverse Walks the spooky side of Halifax - Oct. 29th

David Foster — October 15, 2014
Old Halifax: Image from the NS Archives, Notman Studio NSARM accession no. 1983-310 number A-3 / 100003 novascotia.ca/Archives

This October we're taking a walk on the spookier side of things in the Halifax Commons area. We're going to be guided by expert historian and author, Blair Beed, who will show us the area around and including the Halifax Commons. Mr. Beed, a former contender for Halifax Town Crier, will take us in the footsteps of those who came before us, and tell us about the impacts these spirits have had, and still have today, on our city.

Congrats to the Russell Lake Takes Root raffle winner!

David Foster — October 15, 2014
The winner of the Russell Lake Takes Root raffle prize receives his winnings at Kent Building Supplies Russell Lake

Congrats to Paul who won the raffle prize from Russell Lake Takes Root 2. He takes home a fall yard-care package from Kent, Russell Lake, consisting of a battery powered leaf blower/mulcher, electric chainsaw, lawn spreader, and more. A huge thanks to Kent Russell Lake for donating the prize in support of our program, and everyone who purchased tickets so that we can continue to provide quality events to the public!

Russell Lake Takes Root 2

David Foster — September 18, 2014
Russell Lake Takes Root 2 event poster

Help us plant 2100 trees in Baker Drive Park, and celebrate Russell Lake Takes Root.

Last year we hosted our first tree planting in Russell Lake West, a new community branching off of Baker Drive in Dartmouth. We planted 1200 trees with the help of over 400 members of the community both local, and further afield. We're returning this year to continue our mission to make Baker Drive Park a greener place on Sept 20th, 10AM-2PM. 

A Tall Grass Safari in Downtown Charlottetown

Ashley Greening — August 25, 2014

Tuesday, August 12 was my fourth visit to the Campus Kids Daycare centre. I had a very special treat planned that day and I had gotten up quite early to make sure everything was organized.

Before we set off for the day's activities I showed everyone a large assortment of insects and arachnids in cases and frames. These were from my personal collection but they suited the activity so well I couldn't miss an opportunity to share them with everyone. Among the creepy crawlers were an assortment of butterflies and beetles, including a rhinosaurous beetle as big as their hands. There was also a leaf bug, a millipede, a scorpion, and a tarantula. The children were both fascinated by the bugs and would have gladly stayed there all day looking at them.

Finding a Meal, Bat Style

Ashley Greening — August 25, 2014

Tuesday, August 5 was the third week of the Wild Child program at Campus Kids daycare. By this point, the children have come to expect my visits and we already cleaning up when I arrived. Another bright and sunny morning, though thankfully not as hot as the week before.

We set off across campus to the same location from day one, the large trees outside of Main Building. Here we quickly got into the "Bat and Moth Game", after a quick lesson on echolocation of course. The Bat and Moth Game is a lot like Marco Polo. One child covers their eyes and says "bat", the other child responds with "moth" and the chase is on. After a while we gave the children a five minute "run around" break to do whatever they wanted. An epic game of tag ensued, the likes of which I'll probably never see again.

Hide and Seek - WIld Child Style!

Ashley Greening — August 25, 2014

Tuesday, July 29 was the second week of the Wild Child Program at UPEI's Campus Kids Daycare. The day dawned hot a sunny, and I was grateful that we had scheduled the program for the morning hours, or the heat would have kept us all inside.

When I arrived I was greeted by a chorus of "Hi Ashley!" and excited whispers of "Look, Ashley's back!" Most of the faces were familiar. The children who had not been present the week before were quickly brought up to speed by their peers that we were going to play fun "secret" games. They eagerly cleaned up their toys and within ten minutes we were on our way.

Sierra Club Canada, SOSS Stand in Solidarity with Innu, Maliseet, and Mi’gmaq First Nations Calling for Protection of the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Posted on August 14, 2014
July 16, 2014

The Sierra Club Canada Foundation and Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition (SOSS) are offering their support for the Innu, Maliseet, and Mi’gmaq First Nations of  Eastern Canada in their call for a moratorium on oil and gas exploration and development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

As with many oil and gas projects across the country, what we are seeing here is a government willing to run roughshod over rights of indigenous peoples to get to fossil fuels,” according to John Bennett, National Programs Director of Sierra Club. 

“We are proud to stand in solidarity with the Innu, Maliseet, and Mi’gmaq First Nations in calling for a moratorium on oil and gas in the Gulf.”

Low calving rates among blue whales cause for concern

Posted on August 12, 2014
Aug. 12, 2014

 

Scientists studying the blue whale in the Gulf of St Lawrence are reporting alarmingly low calving rates from this critically endangered species, says the Sierra Club Canada Foundation. The Sierra Club recently launched a campaign to safeguard the blue whale's critical habitat in the Gulf.

 

The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) is a non-profit research organization located on the Gulf of St Lawrence's northern shore and they were the first group to begin long term study of marine mammals in the Gulf. Since their founding in 1979, this group has followed blue whale populations in eastern Canada, the Sea of Cortez and in the waters of Iceland.

 

Electric vehicles offer lane change to Nova Scotia

Zack Metcalfe's picture
Posted on August 11, 2014

See an electric vehicle next to you on the road and you might not distinguish it from any other gas guzzler confronting rush hour traffic. But drive one yourself...and you won't soon shake the experience.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are powered entirely by their onboard batteries and therefore have no tailpipe. No combustion engine vibrates under their hood and no gears need shifted, giving these machines an unrivalled smoothness. When faced with stop signs, red lights or drive-thrus, EVs don't expend their power idling - they are incapable of idling.

But for all their blessings, EVs have their drawbacks. Their batteries have limited range, they can't be fuelled at the pump and for the time being, they cost more than your average gasoline vehicle. However, professor of mechanical engineering at Dalhousie University, Lukas Swan, said these drawbacks are being left in the dust.

Discover McNabs Island with Waterfront Development

David Foster — August 10, 2014

Discover McNabs like never before, with Waterfront Development and Halifax Diverse

This unique, one time event offers you the opportunity to visit McNabs Island, receive two 1-hour guided walks by expert historians and naturalists, and 3 hours of free time on the island. Sponsored by Waterfront Development and hosted by Halifax Diverse, we are as excited to explore the island as you are!

Get your tickets on Eventbrite!

 

Halifax Goes Wild Photo Contest

David Foster — July 31, 2014

Give us your best shot for the Halifax Goes Wild photo contest!


Show off your photo skills and the city’s green spaces in our photo contest, with prizes provided by Atlantic Photo Supply. Here's the answers to all your questions about this contest!


 “What kind of photos are you looking for?” – Photos should depict a green space within the municipality. This could be a park, a beach, your own backyard, or more. Photos can have people in them (with their consent), or not, it’s up to you!

Submit an image to Halifax Goes Wild through Twitter

David Foster — July 31, 2014

Send us a tweet with the following text:

 

My @HfxDiverse #HalifaxGoesWild photo entry:

 

Then attach your photo and tell us your name, the name of the photo (if you wish) and when/where the photo was taken. We'll contact you through Twitter if you win!

Unfortunately there's no way to make a fancy button to do this automatically :(

 

Thanks for entering!

What I Would Have Said

Zack Metcalfe's picture
Zack Metcalfe — July 29, 2014

It's been a few nights since Nova Scotia's independent fracking review passed through Halifax, addressing a frustrated and distrusting crowd of concerned citizens. These brave PhDs stood before hundreds of people and presented some unpopular conclusions...on an even less popular topic.

Fracking - the controversial process of fracturing shale rock deep underground using a toxic mixture of chemicals in order to retrieve bubbles of natural gas. We've become a profoundly desperate people, haven't we?

The public meeting was held in a lecture hall at King's College. Some people from the audience spoke out of turn, while others simply shouted over the panelists trying to deliver their findings. I was caught between sympathy for the panelists and stark agreeance with the hecklers.

Low calving rates among blue whales cause for concern

Zack Metcalfe's picture
Posted on July 27, 2014
Author: 
Zack Metcalfe
Source: 
Sierra Club Atlantic
Date published: 
Sun, 07/27/2014

Each blue whale has a unique pattern of spots of its back, like a fingerprint or a nametag. These spots allow researchers to identify each whale as either a newcomer, or an old friend.

The Mingan Island Cetacean Study (MICS) is a non-profit research organization located on the Gulf of St Lawrence's northern shore and they were the first group to begin long term study of marine mammals in the Gulf. Since their founding in 1979, this group has followed blue whale populations in eastern Canada, the Sea of Cortez and in the waters of Iceland.

MICS has discovered something troubling in the northwest Atlantic blue whale population. Of the 475 individual whales they've identified since their genesis in 1979, only 22 have been calves. This suggests a frighteningly low calving rate for a population already swimming on the brink.