BLOG WILD

The latest news: conservation headlines, updates from The Big Wild online community and whatever else drives us wild.

Wild Women: Past, Present and Future Mar 04, 2010
( )

We all know that once upon a time, women didn't receive equal attention for their academic and scientific contributions. So, with International Women’s Day just around the corner, I thought I’d offer up a light read on three women who have made an impact on environmental conservation during the last century.

read full story
What People Think of The Big Wild Mar 02, 2010
( )

We recently did a survey of some supporters of The Big Wild. One of the questions we asked them was: if you could describe The Big Wild in one word, what would it be? We got lots of answers, and turned the most popular ones into this illustrative tag cloud:

If you'll forgive the marketing lingo, that is seriously on-message. That really summarizes what the project is about in one fell swoop.

read full story
Defusing Bombs and Infusing the Wild One Photo at a Time Feb 17, 2010
( )

“Two roads diverged in a wood,
And I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
-Robert Frost

Meet Stephen Elms. He’s a police officer and a member of the Explosive Disposal Unit in Ontario. Stephen’s got a yen for Robert Frost, the movie "The Bear," and an ear for Eddie Vedder. And when he’s not diffusing bombs and fighting crime – he’s a fine wildlife photographer, as you can see from this stunning shot of the Milky Way taken in Algonquin Park.

read full story
Make Some Noise for the Flathead Feb 10, 2010
( )

The road to a conservation win in Canada is a noisy one filled with many voices. So, when we have a win, we tend to get a little loud. This is your cue to make some noise now that the BC government has announced a ban on all oil, gold and coal extraction in the Flathead River Valley. The announcement came down during this week’s throne speech and it means big things for the environment.

Read the CBC story from Wednesday, February 10, 2010.

The Flathead River Valley is located in the southeastern corner of British Columbia and, in addition to being home to many familiar big mammals, is also home to more species of wild flowers than anywhere else on the planet. And, since last fall, the Flathead River Valley has been a featured campaign on The Big Wild.

read full story
British Columbia United for the Flathead! Feb 09, 2010
( 2)

I'm still reeling from the wild and unexpected action British Columbia is taking to protect the Flathead River Valley in southeastern BC. The province has just announced a ban on any further mining, oil or coal extraction in the Flathead. What an incredible win for all the Canadians who supported the campaign to protect this precious eco-system. The ban was announced by Lt.-Gov. Steven Point in the BC throne speech, just days before the opening of the 2010 Olympic winter games.

read full story
Earth Cowboys and Cowgirls or… Feb 02, 2010
( )

Eco-cow-people, as I like to call them. Canada’s full of them – myself included. Allow me to explain.

With the help of Wildsight BC, I came across this gem of a report by the Sonoran Institute called "You've Come A Long Way, Cowboy: Ten Truths & Trends in the New American West." The Institute is based across the United States mid-west and carries out environmental research in an effort to influence public policy and conservation.

read full story
United Nations Report on the Flathead makes your Evening News Jan 27, 2010
( )

Earlier this week, Global BC ran a story on the Flathead River Valley -- it was newsworthy in every sense of the word. The story was sparked by a United Nations report 50 pages long that lays out what will happen if mining is introduced into the Flathead River Valley. Check out the story below and if you feel inspired to help, take a peek at our Flathead campaign.

read full story
Star Wars in the Wild Jan 26, 2010
( )

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Ryland Nelson, pictured to the left in full winter gear. He's an active contributer to The Big Wild who campaigns for Wildsight BC. At the top of his radar right now is the Flathead River Valley.

Ryland, not everyone knows what the Flathead is, can you tell me more about it?

The Flathead River has some of the purest water in the world and is home to rare and endangered species. It's found in B.C.'s southeast corner and flows into Glacier National Park in Montana. For the past three years, the Flathead has topped the B.C. Outdoor Recreation Council's list of the province's most endangered rivers. That's because of nearby energy and mining proposals that threaten water quality, including one proposal for a coal strip mine that would dump 300 million tonnes of slag and pollutants into a Flathead headwaters stream.

Here's a weird one for you ... picture this -- if the Flathead river valley is a movie, what's the soundtrack? In other words, what song do you best identify with when it comes to how you feel about the Flathead?

Weird question, weird answer... Star Wars Theme Song

read full story