Win a Camera with Backyard Biologist!

You don’t need to travel far to see awesome creatures and interesting plants! Just visit your nearest garden, park, pond, or field. You’ll be amazed at how much cool life is living in your own backyard. AND it could make you a winner!

The Backyard Biologist contest is back. Submit your best nature photo and you could take home one of this year’s super duper, amazing, and fantastic prizes: a Canon Rebel T7 Camera!

This year’s categories are…

Epic Landscape

From ocean views to mega mountains, and all the forests in between, this category is all about landscapes. Snap a picture that makes us feel like we’re out in nature with you.

Coolest Colours

Do you love bluebells? Can’t get enough of red foxes? Or are rainbows more your style? This category is all about colours! You could focus on one colour or all of them. Just make sure it’s a picture that makes us go “WOW!”

Wonderful Wildlife

When it comes to animals, we just can’t get enough. For this category, we’re collecting pictures of all kinds of wildlife. Send us pictures of creepy crawlies, cute mammals, funky fish, brilliant birds, and more. We’ll take them all! NOTE: no pets allowed!

The Prize:

The winner from each category will get 1 of 3 Canon Rebel T7 Cameras! It’s a small, beginner DSLR camera that’s easy to use and worth $650 each! It’s great for anyone who wants to take amazing shots and grow as a photographer.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL! The winners will also get a chance to have their photograph put on display at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

The contest closes July 19, 2023, at 11:59 PM ET.

Click here to learn more and submit your pictures!

The Backyard Biologist Contest is generously supported by:

In partnership with:

Summer Jobs at Earth Rangers

Are you or someone you know looking for a job this summer? If you’re under 30, love animals, and have a passion for the environment, Earth Rangers could be the place for you!

We’re looking to fill two roles: a Junior Multimedia Designer and an Assistant Event Coordinator. Read on to see if you qualify.

Junior Multimedia Designer:

Earth Rangers is looking for a Junior Multimedia Designer to help create educational materials for kids in digital graphic, audio, or video mediums.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Create visual assets for Earth Rangers Wild Wire blog and Earth Rangers social media channels
  • Create simple video content for the Earth Rangers Wild Wire Blog, Social media, and YouTube channel
  • Post articles on the Wild Wire Blog – Research and write simple articles related to animals and wildlife conservation- Develop simple eco-friendly activities for kids

Qualifications:

  • Graphic Design:
    • Knowledgeable in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, or equivalent
  • Video Design:
    • Knowledgeable in Adobe Premiere or equivalent
    • Basic understanding of WordPress editor
    • Experience with audio recording and/or audio editing software is an asset
    • Strong attention to detail

Mentoring:

  • The Creative Director will provide guidance and feedback on the design tasks and support with the required software

Assistant Event Coordinator

This Assistant Event Coordinator will assist Earth Rangers’ Development Manager in the planning, organizing, and managing of environmentally-themed events throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2023. These events may be indoor or outdoor and will range from tree planting to community cleanups to nature photography workshops and more.

Responsibilities:

  • Assisting the Development Manager with event planning and organization, including event flow and logistics, invite and registration management, sourcing food and supplies, and creating signage
  • Accompanying the Development Manager to all events
  • Supporting the promotion of events across social media platforms
  • Maintaining records of all bookings, e.g. venue, catering, and taking payments where necessary
  • Assisting with creative decisions
  • Attending all meetings to act as a second point of contact
  • Ad-hoc duties at events include, but are not limited to, guest list management, registration, logistics, crowd control, catering, etc.
  • Helping set up and dismantle events efficiently through to completion

Qualifications:

  • Proficiency in MS Office, especially Excel, and Word
  • Working knowledge of social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram)
  • Excellent organizational skills
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds
  • Some weekend work will be required
  • Passion for the environment, nature, and wildlife

To apply, send your resume to hr@earthrangers.com with the position name in the subject line.

Looking for something long-term? Check out our Careers page to see our other hiring opportunities! 

Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #3

What type of market should you NEVER take your dog to?

A flea market!

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Pixel Puzzler #27: Part 1

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.

Check back next week for the answer!

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Froggy Pencil Holder

Froggy Pencil Holder

Time:25 min Difficulty:Easy  

Hopping to upcycle your plastic bottles? You’ll toadally love this Froggy Pencil Holder!

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 plastic drink bottles (make sure you’re reusing ones you already have)
  • Scissors
  • Paint
  • Glue
  • Paper, felt, or foam sheets in 2 different colours

Here’s how you make it:

Step 1: Cut the top off your first bottle and the bottom off your second. For this craft, you’ll only need the first bottle and the bottom piece from the second. Why not save the rest for another craft?

Step 2: Paint the outside of your pieces the same color. When the paint is dry, flip the bottom piece upside-down and add two big eyes. This will be your frog’s head and the other piece will be your frog’s body.

TIP: You might need to do more than one coat of paint.

Step 3: Let’s add some details! What kind of pattern do you want to give your frog? You can paint a nice round belly on your bottle or add plenty of colorful spots.

Step 4: While your paint is drying, cut a tongue out of the first colour of paper/foam/felt, and cut a set of frog legs out of the second.

Step 5: Finish your frog by gluing the tongue to the inside of the bottom piece and the legs to the outside of the larger piece. Slide the frog’s head over its body and your new Froggy Pencil Holder is complete!

Don’t froget to make your frog happy by adding pens and pencils in its belly!

Finding a new way to use plastic is good for the planet, but you know what’s even better? Saying NO to plastic altogether! Take your eco-action to the next level and kick plastic out of the game for good! Look for Rangers vs. Plastic in the Challenges section of the app!

Would you Rather #42

Would you rather gather…

Honey with a bear or acorns with a squirrel?

Tell us which one you pick in the comments!

More “Would You Rather” Questions!

Caption This: What is this Opossum Thinking?

We need your help! This animal is trying to tell us something but we can’t figure it out! Do you know what this baby opossum is thinking?

Post your ideas in the comment section below.

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Name that group of animals

Name that group of animals

Time:10 min Difficulty:Medium  

Some animals may choose to live in big or small groups. Do you know what these different groups are called? Take this quiz to find out what wacky names some have!

Post your results in the comments below to let us know how you did!

Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #2

Why do fish live in salt water?

Because pepper makes them sneeze!

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Pixel Puzzler #26: The Great Reveal

We’ve gotten 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 bear! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!

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