KPU Urban Ecosystems Major
20901 Langley Bypass V3A 8G9 Langley, BC, Canada

This will be of interest to everyone that took HORT4231 Riparian Management this semester. In our wanderings on the floodplain this past month we noticed that a herbaceous plant with round fleshy cotyledons was germinating all over where there was exposed wet mud. Super hard to ID with only cotyledons but Tuesday had a chance to walk along there again and true leaves had developed. The plant is jewelweed or spotted touch-me-not (Impatiens capensis) whose orange flowers we will see later in the summer - pollinated by insects and hummingbirds.

How to save a lot of money when budgets are tight? And do something very good for the environment that shows you walk the talk about sustainability? Leadership. The day is coming when this will either be mandated by government policy or land holders of public lands will relinquish management completely to Indigenous peoples. https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk//map-shows-areas-plymouth

this is going to change everything about greenhouse production and sustainable horticulture in a very good way https://newatlas.com//transparent-solar-cells-light-green/

What a busy week! On Monday we heard 10 presentations from students in 4820 - the capstone research project for both our degrees. Here's something I learned: "Tomatoes are one of the most highly consumed vegetables. Hydroponic tomatoes represent 10% of the nearly 5 million hectares of the global area and produce 92% higher yields than conventional farming (FAO, 2019 and Hortidaily, 2018)." Tuesday I was borrowing some equipment to continue the planting on the floodplain an...d checking Meagan's butternuts (nope - no buds, and the two grafted trees have moved outside). Which brought me into the header house where the above quote hit home. What you see in the pictures is just a day's worth of picking and why we have been feeding faculty staff and students with healthy affordable food for years. Last year we set up a pre-order contactless system that worked fantastically. Hoping we can do this again. Because we do not have capacity to run around delivering to street kitchens and food banks.

Pandemic Playlist #1 2021. The HORT 4480 Society + Horticulture class again had a fun assignment connecting music to horticulture and coming up with personal playlists. A few further challenged themselves with setting their choices within themes including: Gender Neutral Songs for Plant Lovers; Life Events; Songs of Nature + Love; Memories; Canadian Artists + Canadian Plants; Songs to fit the Mood of the Moment. So for the next 12 weeks or so I'll be posting a playlist. This week is all about first choices. https://youtube.com/playlist

Good news if you think GM was a bad idea and that the $billions wasted in lab time, useless jobs, and lying to farmers: Even if you haven’t had the cases this year, its coming: Evidence emerging from Ontario suggests that corn rootworm is becoming resistant to three of the four Bt proteins used in GM corn and the projection is that all four Bt proteins will lose their ability to effectively control this pest. The first report in Canada of any insect pest developing resistan...ce to a GM trait was in Nova Scotia, in 2019, with the European corn borer. Bt-resistant corn rootworm is one of the big stories in Ontario agriculture this season. It has resulted in yield loss for farmers growing corn this year, but the more serious impact is yet to come. Ontario and Quebec are the big corn growing areas of Canada, and less corn could be planted in Ontario over the next few years as farmers try to stop corn rootworm without using GM plants. In September 2020, the US Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to remove most Bt corn and cotton seeds from the market because they were either not working or their use was encouraging pest resistance. 13 minute video Interview that explains how Ontario is dealing with it. https://youtu.be/Paux5JhVv-o

This resonates loudly: "How a green space is managed also plays a significant role. "If you cut the grass very often or if you use pesticides, then you will affect (insect biodiversity) a lot," said Dr. Moretti." And as an after thought, if you cut the grass very often you will affect your budget bottom line. How to save A LOT of money? STOP MOWING and switch to herb-rich meadows like the ones stolen from the land by colonial settlers. https://phys.org//2021-03-urban-nature-insect-biodiversity

Here's a happy story https://www.nsnews.com//north-vancouver-developer-redesign

"If you’ve noticed more people rooting around their yards for dandelion greens or picking fruit in the local park, there’s a good chance it’s because of Alexis Nikole Nelson." And that's why Aiden's 4810/4820 research project is testing bio-accumulation of heavy metals in dandelion greens in East Van/North Burnaby. Are they safe to eat? Where should people forage for free food that is clean and healthy? https://grist.org//this-tiktok-star-makes-foraging-a-fun-/

I've seen greeting cards and match books with embedded seeds and now face masks! https://tekdeeps.com/netherlands-biodegradable-masks-turn-/

Lovely! https://www.blogto.com/city/2019/07/love-park-toronto/

Need a background to online learning? And looking forward to seeing what HORT 4480 students find for Assignment 4 and their [pandemic] playlists that connect music to horticulture. https://www.tree.fm/

City of Vancouver policy mess. https://thetyee.ca//Urban-Farmers-Leaving-Vancouver-For-G/

Parks Canada - student summer jobs. [Not KPU]. Have a look here Are you a student looking for a summer job? Look no further as Parks Canada has places across the country that are looking for YOU! Check out some of these exciting opportunities http://ow.ly/TDsc50CPyeK

This is NOT a KPU student job. Just passing the opportunity along. Are you a talented communicator with knowledge of social media trends? Do you like storytelling? Messaging? Now you know why we hone our communication skills in our courses - from tweets to stories. Parks Canada in Coastal BC is seeking highly creative and motivated students to join their dynamic communications team this summer as a Promotions Social Media Assistant Student. ... This could be the perfect summer job for you! Apply now http://ow.ly/ASFt50DwUb7 See more

I met last year's cohort of Youth Ambassadors at a meeting in Ottawa earlier this year. This is a terrific program that opens doors and minds into the natural sciences, conservation, and Indigenous relationships with the land. Parks Canada just announced their recruitment process for next year’s youth ambassadors. Are you a communicator, who wishes to nurture your love for nature, connect with history, and inspire your peers to do the same? Info in the link https://www.pc.gc....ca//se/parcsavie-parkslife/pja-yap/cp-ha The 2021-2022 Youth Ambassador application period is open from November 12 to 29.

citizen science works! https://bc.ctvnews.ca/residents-find-queen-murder-hornet-in

The Canadian Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (CCIUCN) invites young people aged 18 to 35 to join its network! Be part of the change and talk about conservation. I sit on this committee so if you are 18-35 and interested you can always email or message me. Key words: Conservation. Network. https://bit.ly/3iumqHw

Bat habitat creation in Barcelona! and more! https://www.theguardian.com//bat-boxes-greened-streets-and

"When scientists in Washington state destroyed the first nest of so-called murder hornets found in the U.S., close to the border with British Columbia, they discovered about 500 live specimens in various stages of development. Among them were nearly 200 queens that had the potential to start their own nests, said Sven-Erik Spichiger, an entomologist leading the fight to kill the hornets." https://www.cbc.ca//murder-hornet-nest-washington-bc-200-q

turf the turf and grow trees. Who can afford lawn mowing these days - dirty fossil fuels, soil compaction, useless monocultures. this is super-inspiring / aspiring https://www.theguardian.com//tennis-court-sized-scrap-of-b

and in the lovely happy news department: https://www.cbc.ca//mo/vegetable-farms-inukjuak-1.5794100

Alert: coarse language in this spoof ad. But....has to be the best advertising a landscaping company could ever ever ask for: mistaken location = international coverage. https://youtu.be/VAyh2xPrFvo

hmmm. in Bradner, north of Hwy 1 - must have blown over the border in a storm. https://www.cbc.ca//british-col/murder-hornet-bc-1.5788477

Hazmat gear to deal with the murder hornets! The article sets out the procedures followed in case you need to tuck the info away for future use. https://globalnews.ca//u-s-scientists-remove-98-murder-ho/