Link Up with Lynx! An Adventure in the Boreal Forest with Sandra Yaacoub
Hi, Earth Rangers! My name is Sandra Yaacoub. I study geography at Queen’s University. Right now, I’m working with a team in the taiga – also known as the snow forest or boreal forest – in southwest Yukon. Up here, we see a lot of wild animals, including lynxes!
Unfortunately, an invasive species called the spruce bark beetle has killed a lot of trees in the forests that the lynxes call home.
When you adopt a lynx, you’re helping my team and I study the damage to the trees and measure how the forest is recovering. We’ll share what we find with local Indigenous communities. Together, we’ll come up with solutions to save the lynxes’ habitat.
Are you ready to make a difference too? Visit the Adoptions section in the Earth Rangers App or check out the Earth Rangers Shop to adopt your own lynx and support my research!
Seeing the Forest for the Trees
This summer, my assistant and I worked in Kluane, Yukon, a beautiful area full of forests and mountains. We stayed at the Kluane Lake Research Station and camped at Kathleen Lake for 11 days. To study the trees and plants, we visited 51 different spots! During this trip, we measured approximately:
- 2,400 mature trees
- 2,600 re-growing trees
- 700 shrub points
- 260 fallen dead tree sections
Normally, we use tablets to keep records of what we discover. But the tough conditions in Kluane forced us to take notes by hand. We ended up filling over 20 notebooks! When we got back to our lab at Queen’s University, it took weeks to transfer all of our notes to computers.
We had already taken similar measurements during the summer of 2022. Between these two trips, we measured approximately:
- 4900 mature trees
- 6200 re-growing trees
- 650 fallen dead tree sections
- 1700 shrub points
Using the data we collected, I created maps and charts that clearly show where the spruce bark beetle damaged trees and where the forest is recovering. I shared these maps with First Nations communities in Yukon so they can develop solutions for saving lynxes.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane!
Special NASA airplanes take pictures of Kluane’s forests from high above. They use a tool called AVIRIS-3, which can see things that the human eye can’t. This sensor is called an imaging spectrometer (pronounced IM-uh-jing speck-TRAW-meh-tur). It captures light energy that gives us important information about the health of our forests.
We use computer code, plus the measurements we took, to connect the light information from AVIRIS-3 with observations from the ground, like the number of dead trees in the landscape. We need to make sure that the images from the NASA planes match what we saw on the ground.
With this data, we create detailed maps of Kluane’s forests. People can use these maps to protect wildlife like lynxes and prepare for natural disasters like forest fires.
How Can I Help?
There are many ways to support my work! Just by reading this blog, you’re learning more about the challenges that northern forests face. Climate change is making forest fires and spruce bark beetle infestations (a word for what happens when there are too many insects in one place) more severe and frequent. This makes it harder for wild animals like lynxes to find food and shelter.
The good news? The more people know about these issues, the more support we can get for tools like satellites to monitor forests changes. You can talk to your friends, teachers, and neighbours about what you’ve learned in this blog post! You can also make posters to educate others, run a lemonade stand to raise money for conservation, or even adopt your own lynx in the Earth Rangers Shop!
Want to Be a Conservationist Like Me?
Conservation is all about protecting nature, and there are lots of ways to get involved! As an Earth Ranger, you have plenty of time to explore and learn what you enjoy most about conservation. You could work in forests, oceans, or glaciers – the possibilities are endless!
One important way to help nature is by making maps, just like I do! I use tools like satellites, drones, and computer coding to make my maps. You’re never too young to learn coding, so this is a great place to start! You can also learn about maps and practice mapping different areas in your community.
Want to learn more about lynx? Leave a comment with your questions for Sandra! She’ll answer some in a future Wild Wire blog post!
A Wild Cat in Disguise
The Margay (Leopardus wiedii), a wild cat that lives in Central and South America, is a master of vocal disguises. The Wildlife Conservation Society and the Federal University of Amazonas have documented this species mimicking the calls of its prey, the pied tamarin (a squirrel-sized monkey).
DIY Snowglobe
DIY Snowglobe
Time:30 min
Difficulty:Medium
There’s nothing quite like looking up as snowflakes swirl around and the world becomes a snowglobe… so why not make your own to enjoy indoors?!
- An upcycled mason jar
- Water
- Modeling Clay
- Eco-friendly / Biodegradable glitter
- Help from an adult
Here’s how you make it:
Step 1: Clean out the jar and make sure all of the labels are gone.
Put your jar through a leak test. Add water, close the lid tightly, and leave it upside-down to make sure that no water gets out. If it passes the test, it’s good to use. Dump the water out and make sure your jar and lid are completely dry.
Step 2: Press a mound of modeling clay to the inside of the lid, making sure it’s secure.
Step 3: Craft your figurine. Press your figurine firmly in the clay. You don’t want them coming apart in your snowglobe!
Step 4: Fill your jar with water almost to the top, leaving space for the figurines on the lid. Testing that it fits before moving on to step 6 is a good idea to avoid a sparkly mess!
Step 5: Add your glitter, then screw the lid on tightly. For more security, be sure to ask an adult to help you add some hot glue around the rim (caution: lid may get hot!)
Step 6: Flip your jar upside-down, shake it, and watch the glitter glide through the water!
There you have it! Your very own snowglobe~
Top 10 Animals that Change Colour in the Winter
Just like we change our clothing for the winter, many animals also change their appearance to help them stay warm and camouflage from predators. Check out this countdown of animals that look completely different from winter to summer.
1) Ptarmigan in the Summer
2) Ptarmigan in the winter
3) Arctic Hare in the Summer
4) Arctic Hare in the Winter
5) Long Tailed Weasel in the Summer
6) Long Tailed Weasel in the Winter
7) Male American Goldfinch in the Summer
8) Male American Goldfinch in the Winter
9) Arctic Fox in the Summer
10) Arctic Fox in the Winter
Pixel Puzzler #56: The Great Reveal
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 squirrel! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Tap here for more cool stuff like this!
How Loud Can You Howl? An Adventure with Karl-Antoine Hogue and the Grey Wolves of Old Crow
Hi! My name is Karl-Antoine Hogue, and I work with the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation’s Land Guardians documenting wolf activity in their Traditional Territory around Old Crow, Yukon. Our team is studying how wolves and other large mammals move and behave, and how big their populations are. We also gather traditional knowledge through interviews and informal chats with members of the community.
When you adopt a grey wolf from Earth Rangers, you’re supporting our work and helping us find the best way to conserve the wolves that live in Old Crow. As a thank you, you’ll receive a cute and cuddly plush toy, an adoption certificate, a trading card, and a poster full of fun facts for your bedroom wall or your bulletin board.
For more information, check out the adoption section in the Earth Rangers App!
In the meantime, I’m so excited to share an update about all the work I’ve been doing in Old Crow these last few months! I’ve also included some of my favourite snapshots from my Yukon trail cameras. Let’s dive in!
Spotted on the Trail
Grey wolves are amazing animals that can travel long distances to pursue their favourite prey, the migratory caribou. To monitor wolves, we have a network of game cameras that take photos whenever an animal passes by. Which of these photos is your favourite?
We also rely on knowledge shared by Vuntut Gwitchin Elders and other land users to better understand how wolves and caribou interact. Over the past few months, my team and I have been interviewing these knowledge holders. We’ve talked about the animals they frequently see on the Road corridor, changes they’ve seen over the year, and the history of the Road itself. Together, we’ll be able to develop solutions for conserving wildlife in Vuntut Gwitchin Traditional Territory.
Scooting Through the Snow
The snow around Old Crow is very thick, so snowmobiles are the best way to travel and meet people. Snowmobiles have front runners that look like short skis and glide smoothly over snow. At the back, caterpillar tracks dig into the snow and move the snowmobile forward faster than wheels can. Check out these pictures of my team and I traveling on our snowmobiles!
How You’re Helping Us
When you adopt a grey wolf, you enable the Vuntut Gwitchin Land Guardians to spend more time patrolling, studying, and protecting their Traditional Territory. They are the eyes and ears of their Nation. They keep records of the ways that climate change, industrial development, and other human activities change the landscape. The Land Guardians are also training Junior Guardians – young people, just like you, who are learning to become stewards of the wildlife around them.
Visit the Adoption section in the Earth Rangers App to adopt a grey wolf and help us conserve these beautiful animals!
In collaboration with:
Pawsitively Hilarious Jokes #41
Why do hummingbirds hum?
Because they don’t know the words to the song.
Pixel Puzzler #56: 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!
Tap here for more cool stuff like this!
Winter Bingo
Winter Bingo
Time:45 min
Difficulty:Medium
Do you spend more time inside when the weather gets colder? Most of us do, but there’s a winter wonderland out there full of fun activities to try! Why not play winter bingo to get back outside?
About the game:
Objective: Try to fill 5 squares in a row (across, up/down, or diagonal) to win a bingo!
Players: 1 or more
Here’s what you need:
- A notebook or paper to write down your Bingo squarel
- Something to write with like a pencil, pen, or marker
- Your favourite outdoor space
- Friends or family to join you
Here’s how you play it:
Step 1:
Make your way to your favourite outdoor space. It could be your local park, a walking trail, a mountain resort, a beach, or even your backyard!
Step 2:
Look over the Bingo square. You can save or screenshot this to your phone, or write the words down on a piece of paper.
Step 3:
Start exploring and looking around! Take note of what you see and be sure to check your bingo sheet. Do it by yourself, work as a team, or challenge a friend to see who can get BINGO first!
