Together, these individuals and groups spread awareness about the crisis of biodiversity loss and raise financial support for these initiatives. In an effort to keep supporters connected with the projects they help to fund, Earth Rangers will be providing regular updates about the status of each conservation project on the Wild Wire blog. Through these articles, Earth Rangers will be able to provide a direct connection between the projects being funded and the impact they have for species at risk and the habitats that they depend on.

Plains Bison

In the first update from Old Man on His Back conservation area in Saskatchewan, we follow along as the bison herd is counted and a new calf is named after a classic comedy starlet. Read the Plains bison Update!

Monarch Butterfly

From the Tall Grass Prairie in Manitoba, we get an update on the Monarch butterfly’s amazing migratory journey. Take a look at the Monarch butterfly Update!

To highlight this collaborative process we have published a series of articles on EarthRangers.com that features some of Earth Rangers’ friends.

The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy protects animals, offering a home for critically endangered species in northern Kenya. Although Lewa and Earth Rangers are thousands of kilometers away from each other they have a great deal in common. Both organizations share a commitment to biodiversity conservation and the critical role that children play in accomplishing this goal. Find out more about Lewa and get regular updates about their initiatives on the EarthRangers.com Wild Wire blog.
 
 
The Wildlife Conservation Society Canada works to save wildlife and wild lands all across Canada. Previous collaborations between Earth Rangers and the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada included the Woodland caribou project, which raised awareness and financial support to protect this northern species. Find out more about WCS Canada’s work with the Woodland caribou and get updates from the field on the EarthRangers.com Wild Wire blog.
 
 
Patrick Chan is a Canadian athletic hero, a world champion figure skater, and a source of inspiration for many young people. It is this commitment to inspiring kids that first brought Patrick Chan and Earth Rangers together. Patrick Chan stepped away from his busy training schedule to talk to Earth Ranger Quinn in the latest Wild Wire News Desk video.

Plumbers sit at the cusp of this tenuous balance between our water demands and the need for environmentally conscious usage. As an industry, plumbers are critical for implementing and maintaining new technologies that facilitate using water in ways that are environmentally responsible. Such new approaches to water usage include conserving through implementing low flow faucets and toilets as well as reusing water through rain barrels and sewage water recycling.

To acknowledge this industry’s contributions towards protecting our health and the planet’s, we are celebrating World Pluming Day on March 11. Share this date with your friends and family to raise awareness about the importance of water protection and acknowledge the work that plumbers do to protect this valuable resource.

World Plumbing Day is also having a poster contest to get younger kids involved in the topic of water.

Contest details

• Students must be between grades 1 through 5
• Poster needs to be on A4 or letter size paper
• Entries need to be submitted by the 30th March 2012 to be eligible for judging
• Submissions should be scanned and emailed to Mr. Rich Prospal at rjprospal@asse-plumbing.org.
• A cash prize will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners

For more contest details visit WorldPlumbingDay.org, view last year’s winners or read the official contest rules.

Happy Valley Forest, located in Ontario just north of Toronto, provides critical habitat for many rare species, including the Jefferson salamander. This salamander spends most of its time on land but it travels down to ponds for reproduction. Donations to this project helped the Nature Conservancy of Canada install signs and roadblocks to keep visitors in the park on designated trails. By controlling disturbances in the Happy Valley Forest, we have helped to create a safer habitat for the Jefferson salamander, improving this threatened species chances of survival.

Earth Rangers has developed a video to look back on the Jefferson salamander project, featuring Wild Wire News Reporter Victoria and Mark Stabb, the Central Ontario Program Manager for the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

To watch more Wild Wire News, visit the Earth Rangers’ Video page or Follow our Youtube Channel.

Focused on the theme of biodiversity conservation, this game allows players to help one of Earth Rangers’ Animal Ambassadors, Cosmo the Lemur, free animals that are trapped as their homes are disappearing due to encroaching development. Deforestation and habitat degradation are some of the biggest threats facing species today, so Cosmo’s Crusade introduces audiences to three animals whose protection is currently being supported by the Bring Back the Wild™ initiative: the Pine Marten, Spotted Turtle, and Monarch Butterfly.

Share this game with your friends and family and help spread awareness about the crisis of biodiversity loss and the importance of habitat protection. You can also become involved by starting a Bring Back the Wild™ campaign to protect species at risk, or donate in support of one of our conservation projects.

The Earth Rangers’ Facility Department was able to implement several key strategies for minimizing energy consumption. The automation upgrades and commissioning of new building HVAC (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning) systems has allowed Earth Rangers to save on heating and cooling loads. The Centre was also retrofitted with 26 LED lights, which were generously donated by LG.

The Earth Rangers’ Centre showcases some of the most innovative applications of sustainable technology, but it is also a space to learn about and implement new ideas. Last year continued to build on this focus, as our Facility Department learned how to drastically decrease the Centre’s cooling loads. By implementing “free cooling” using the building’s geothermal technology, Earth Rangers was able to reduce energy usage throughout the summer.

Adding to these improvements and successes in implementing new ideas comes the impact of a changing climate. December 2011 was mild in comparison to previous years, lessoning energy demands for the Facility.

Throughout the year we collaborated with our supporters to improve on the standards of green building. Moving forward, Earth Rangers is excited to continue to decrease the organization’s footprint on the planet while inspiring those around us to implement sustainable technologies.

With three shows daily this live animal presentation has been inspiring kids and their families to help Bring Back the Wild™. After the show children have the opportunity to take the pledge to become an Earth Ranger and take action to help protect an animal and their habitat. Buttons featuring our Animal Ambassadors and species protected by our conservation initiatives are also on display. These items further connect young audience members with the incredible species that inhabit the planet, while providing incentives to donate in support of biodiversity conservation and education.

For show times please visit our Community Calendar or contact the Royal Ontario Museum.