IN THIS EMAIL:
- Learn about the spread of non-native earthworms in northern Canada - Read about Canadian Geographic's Live Net Zero families and how they tackled their biggest challenge yet
- Listen to the latest Explore podcast episode with extreme adventurer Laval St. Germain - Ready for your next adventure? This week, we are featuring Nahanni River Adventures and their incredible rafting journey down the Firth River |
| | | The silent migration beneath our feet
Understanding the spread of non-native earthworms in northern Canada By Stephen Paterson |
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| | Dendrobaena octaedra is a the most common non-native earthworm species we are finding in Canada’s boreal forest. (Photo: Stephen Paterson)
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Earthworms have long been recognized as some of the most ecologically important animals on the planet. Charles Darwin famously wrote of them, “it may be doubted whether there are many other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world.” However, despite their fame, there remains much to be learned about these humble subterranean creatures. For example, there are about 7,000 described species of earthworms, but it’s expected that another 20,000 have yet to be discovered; the biology and life history of many species is poorly understood; and their ecological roles are diverse and complex. |
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Workers install geothermal heat pumps for the Shannon family, drilling 250 ft into the ground to install pipes. (Photo courtesy the Shannon family)
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| There are many simple ways to reduce household carbon emissions: turning off lights, adjusting thermostats, or hang-drying clothes instead of turning on the dryer. Small behavioural changes alone can be incredibly effective. Still, for Canadians who have the means to go further, intensive “deep energy retrofit” solutions – home renovations that reduce your home’s energy usage by at least 50 per cent – can be a game changer in the journey to live net zero.
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| | Laval St. Germain on the summit of Mt. Vinson, Antarctica. The last of the seven highest peaks on each continent that he climbed. (Photo courtesy Laval St. Germain)
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I am thrilled to have Laval St. Germain as our guest for this episode of Explore. An avid adventurer, Laval has rowed solo across the North Atlantic Ocean and is the only Canadian to have summited Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen. He has also climbed the tallest peaks on all seven continents, including Antarctica and many more of the world’s most remote and challenging mountains. He’s also a commercial pilot, flying in the Canadian Arctic and was one of our RCGS Polar Plungers in Calgary. |
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Canadian Geographic Adventures
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Join us on an incredible rafting journey down the Firth River for an enchanting, scenic passage to the arctic tundra plains and the Beaufort Sea.
The Firth River connects the British Mountains to the Arctic Ocean, lies deep within the northern Yukon, adjacent to Alaska, and bisects Ivvavik National Park. |
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Issuing forth from the north-western corner of the Yukon, the Firth River embraces a spectacular natural region on the continent’s north slope and is the core of Ivvavik National Park. The river flows from the British Mountains on the Alaska/Yukon border, north to the Beaufort Sea, and is incised into a spectacular canyon for half its length. The valley hosts a range of habitats from tundra meadows to rich bench lands, and from rocky alpine ridges to lowland delta and coastal lagoon. A variety of wildlife species live in or migrate through the Firth valley – musk oxen, Dall sheep, grizzly bear, wolverine, wolf, gyrfalcons, rough-legged hawks, snow geese and tundra swans to name a few. Join us on this spectacular once-in-a-lifetime journey.
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