Can you guess which creature sports this stylish coat? Our new collection of plush wildlife adoption kits debuts on September 9—featuring this fuzzy little friend!
Think you know which animal it is? Share your answer in the comments!
We got tons of great guesses on Part 1 of this Pixel Puzzler and now it’s time for the answer. Are you ready for the great reveal? Find out if you got it right!
The answer to this Pixel Puzzler is (drum roll please) A family of ducks! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Can you guess which creature lives in this stylish home? We’re launching our all-new slate of plush wildlife adoption kits on September 9 – and the resident of this pile of sticks is in the mix!
Got a guess for our newest adoptable animal? Drop it in the comments!
Summer is winding down, and many of you have been busy protecting animals and plants from pollution through our ‘Stash the Trash’ and ‘Shoreline Saver’ Missions.
In Ontario alone, you completed an impressive 1,816 Stash the Trash Missions, and 1,554 Shoreline Saver Missions, totaling an amazing 3,370 earth-saving Missions.
Whether you celebrated Ontario’s Litter Month or stayed dedicated all summer long, your hard work has made a big difference for the environment, and has earned you DOUBLE the points for completing these missions.
“I want them [animals] to be safe and I want the plants to grow because if there’s a lot of pollution the animals and plants can die.” – Earth Ranger Sophia
Earth Ranger Sophia took action by cleaning up trash from her yard and neighborhood. She found that wrappers were the most common type of litter, and with many animals living nearby, these wrappers posed a serious risk. To help, Sophia even made posters to raise awareness in her community to help prevent more trash from ending up where it shouldn’t be!
“We knew there was garbage from last time we were here.” – Earth Ranger Tyson
Earth Ranger Tyson teamed up with his family to clean up the beach near their home. They worked together, covering an area as big as a football field, picking up all kinds of debris along the shore. They picked up many cigarette butts that were scattered everywhere, which can be very harmful to animals if they accidentally eat them. Thanks to Tyson and his family, the beach is cleaner and safer for wildlife
In the Stash the Trash Mission, you’ll organize your own neighbourhood cleanup to help get rid of litter!
In the Shoreline Saver Mission, you’ll focus your clean-up efforts near water, ensuring litter doesn’t end up creeks, rivers, lakes and even the ocean!
Time:15 min
Difficulty:Medium
Do you think you can decode these riddles? Beware: They hide quite the puns!
Let’s put your identification skills to the test! Can you figure out what is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.
Time:30 min
Difficulty:Easy
Did you know spiders have poor eyesight? They are able to “see” by “feeling” vibrations around them. Go grab your friends! Lets play a game based on their skills!
Start by picking one person to be blindfolded. This person is the spider and everyone else is a fly.
TIP: The spider can’t see, so be sure to pick a spot where they can’t run into anything!
The spider stands in the middle of your chosen area, while the flies all go to one side.
When they’re ready, the spider should call out “Oh flies, oh flies, it’s time to fly on by!”. After this, the flies should walk slowly to the other side of the play space.
The spider, listening closely for the sound of flies, should stand still until they’re ready to try and tag one. When they’re ready to move they should shout “SPIDER STRIKE!”.
At this point, the flies can run to the other side.
TIP: Be careful not to trip! Keep touches light and don’t run so fast you’ll get hurt!
If a fly is tagged by the spider, they become the “spider’s web”. They become an obstacle for the flies and should stand still in the field and try to touch any fly who passes by without moving your feet.
The last fly left is the winner! They become the spider in the next round.
Hi, I’m Peter Soroye! I work at the Wildlife Conservation Society of Canada, where I make sure that swift foxes have the habitat they need to thrive. This past year, Earth Rangers across Canada adopted almost 300 swift foxes!
It’s been so fun to see kids like you adopting the swift fox plushies. I love seeing your excitement and interest! Knowing that so many people want to save the swift fox and support our work has been very motivating. Ultimately, the only way to protect wildlife is for as many people as possible to care about it. We’re all grateful for your help and support. From the Key Biodiversity Areas team at WCS Canada, thank you! Here’s what your adoptions made possible this year.
My work this year focused on identifying Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) for swift foxes and other animals and plants across Saskatchewan and the rest of Canada. We’re identifying different areas, like Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan, or Dundurn Sandhills near Saskatoon, as KBAs. That way, people know exactly which areas are most important for protecting wildlife.
Most of the work to identify KBAs happens on a computer, which is an important tool for most biology and conservation work nowadays! On the computer, I can read scientific reports, chat with experts, and create maps of swift fox habitat.
Some members of our team were able to get out into the field this year as well. We took an exciting trip to the Beaver Creek Conservation Area in the Dundurn Sandhills and the CFB Dundurn KBA. While we were there, we watched researchers do a controlled burn of some of the site. A controlled burn is when conservationists light a small fire on purpose, with lots of safety measures in place, to burn plant material that can contribute to wildfires.
Controlled burns may look scary and destructive. But many prairie animals and plants rely on lands where small fires break out naturally. When our experts carry out a burn, they’re doing the same work that nature does — and they’re preventing bigger, out-of-control wildfires from happening. This is important work that keeps animal habitats safe and comfortable.
During the summer, I visited the Grasslands National Park KBA. Grasslands is famous: It’s one of the sites where the swift fox has been reintroduced! During my trip, all the swift foxes stayed hidden. But I saw many other cool prairie species, like burrowing owls, prairie rattlesnakes, and bison.
There are many things you can do if you’re interested in a career in conservation. For one, keep learning! Following Earth Rangers, KBA Canada, and WCS Canada can help you learning about the challenges that wildlife is facing. Learning will help you see and even create potential solutions.
Another thing you can do to support conservation in your day-to-day life is use apps like iNaturalist or Seek to take pictures of plants and animals that you see. Try out these apps on hikes, camping trips, or even in your own backyard! You’ll learn more about the plants and animals around you, and the information you collect helps scientists who are working in conservation. You might just discover something that you’re passionate about and could pursue a career in!
Finally, keep caring! Make sure that your friends and family know how important conservation is to you. That way, the people in charge of our cities and countries will know how important it is to support conservation too.
Hi, I’m Katie Florko! I’m a research scientist at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, and I’m fascinated by all things Arctic! I just finished my PhD at the University of British Columbia. I studied how climate change is affecting the ringed seals that live in Canada’s Arctic Circle.
This past year, Earth Rangers across Canada adopted over 250 ringed seals! It’s fantastic to see kids like you taking an interest in my research. All of your adoptions made a big difference in my work! By adopting a ringed seal, you helped us learn more about these adorable creatures. This knowledge is crucial because the Arctic, where ringed seals live, is changing fast. With your support, we were able to understand these changes better and work to protect seals for the future. Your adoption means a lot to me, and you’re really helping these amazing Arctic animals. Thank you for being part of our team!
Here’s everything I’ve been able to accomplish thanks to your adoptions!
This year, I studied seals in Churchill, Manitoba. This town is known for its chilly weather, even in the summer. Snow covers the ground for most of the year. But the summer days are long, with lots of daylight–sometimes up to 20 hours of sunshine! Churchill’s climate is perfect for polar bears, ringed seals, and other Arctic wildlife.
My job in Churchill is to find ringed seals and fit them with special tags that track how they move and act underwater. If we understand where seals go, and what they do, we can learn more about how to protect them and their habitat.
But that’s not all! I also had the amazing opportunity to fly in a plane in the high Arctic. While I was sitting in the plane, I would do aerial surveys – count the animals that I saw and keep a record of where I saw them!
We flew over Ellesmere Island, one of the largest islands in Canada, which is very remote and icy. I spotted incredible animals like walruses and narwhals–and plenty of seals, of course! There were so many different kinds: ringed seals, bearded seals, and hundreds of harp seals.
My goal was to make a record of the animals that live in the Arctic, because the environment is changing rapidly there. In order to conserve this icy ecosystem, we need to know as much as possible about the animals that live in it.
After I collected all my data in the Arctic Circle, I traveled to Tokyo, Japan, to share my discoveries with scientists from all around the world!
Now I’m gearing up for more Arctic adventures. This summer, I’m planning to tag more seals in Hudson Bay. I’m also going to do more aerial surveys to track different animals on the sea ice. I have an exciting journey ahead of me. I can’t wait to see what we’ll discover next!
You can prepare for a career in conservation–and support animal conservation in your daily life!–by learning about different animals and their habitats. You can read books, watch documentaries, and visit nature centers to discover more about the world around you.
It’s important to be kind to animals by recycling, picking up litter, and respecting wildlife habitats. You can also take action to reduce the effects of climate change, which hurts animals and their ecosystems. Encourage your families to use energy-efficient appliances and transportation methods, like walking, biking, or taking the bus. These things can make a big difference for our environment!
You can also participate in beach clean-ups, join or start an Earth Rangers Club at school, and learn about and advocate for policies that protect the environment. This will give you valuable experience and boost conservation efforts.
Every action you take brings you one step closer to protecting our planet for future generations–and pursuing an exciting and rewarding career in conservation!
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