We’ve got a special Pixel Puzzler for you this time. Hidden in the picture below is one of the sweet deals coming your way this Earth Month. Can you guess what it is?
Pixel Puzzler Special Edition: Part 1
Come back next week for the answer and to find out what we have planned for Earth Month!
Pixel Puzzler #13: The Great Reveal
We’ve gotten tons of great guesses on Part 1 of the 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 Green Tree Python! How did you do? Tell us in the comments!
Albatross Wings
These birds are flying in the big leagues. Albatross have the longest wingspan of any bird, measuring up to 11 feet (3.4 metres) across.
Congrats on a whale of a season, Earth Rangers!
It might be springtime, but we’ve still got snow on the brain at Earth Rangers! Last year’s northern project is in the books, and our partners have some amazing updates to share!
Beluga Whale
The last time we checked in, researcher Matt Gilbert was busy planning a field season to continue his work on Arctic char. These widely distributed fish are an important part of the beluga’s diet, so understanding how they might be affected by climate change is really important. Thanks to the support of hundreds of Earth Rangers like you, Matt was able to purchase equipment and supplies (including a super cool underwater camera!) that he used during his field season, spending part of the summer last year in Nunavut hard at work with his field crew, researching how char respond to warming waters.
A wary seal keeps an eye on nearby researchers – “Just lookin’ for my lunch!” 
Matt’s teammate Ella showing off a huge char she caught!
Arctic Fox
Last summer, researcher Jeanne Clermont was excited to finally get back to the field! She took her small team to Bylot Island, Nunavut, to collect and analyze the data they got from the GPS collars they’d fitted the arctic foxes with in previous years. Using data about how the foxes moved helped her figure out if the fox was running, walking, resting, or digging; she then combined this with information about when and where the foxes did these things, giving us a better idea of areas to protect that are the most important for feeding foxes! Check out these amazing photos from the field – thanks for sharing, Jeanne!
“I see you….!” 
Adorable baby foxes waiting patiently for their parents 
A fox with a GPS collar ready to help!
Polar Bear
Polar bears are found across much of the Arctic, but researcher Larissa Thelin focused her work on one of the most under-researched subpopulations of polar bears: the ones found in the Davis Strait, between Canada and Greenland. Her goal was to combine information about changing sea ice cover with data about where one of the polar bear’s primary prey, the harp seal, was found. By doing this, Larissa hopes to better understand where harp seals might go as climate change causes sea ice to decrease, and then determine what this might mean for hungry polar bears on the hunt for food. With tons of data to comb through, Larissa’s hard work continues!
Over 2,000 Earth Rangers helped support the incredible work of our northern project researchers, and we’re excited to announce that we’re supporting three new northern projects again this year! Purchase an Adoption Kit to help make a difference today!
Wrapping up an otterly amazing year!
Well, Earth Rangers, that’s a wrap on another otterly amazing project! Our partners at CPAWS had an awesome year and did a ton of work to help river otters in the Saskatchewan River Delta. Their goal was to permanently protect a 4,000 square kilometre piece of this amazing ecosystem, one of the most biodiverse landscapes in all of Canada, and thanks to your support they’ve done just that! Here’s some highlights from last year:
- Part of the river delta is found on Cumberland
House Cree Nation, and in June 2021 their important role in protecting it was
made official! The land is now formally protected under Indigenous law, and the
community will help steward it to help conservation and restoration efforts for
years to come!
- In November, the Saskatchewan government announced that a nearly 100,000 hectare ecological reserve in the southern portion of the river delta would now be formally protected, a huge step in protecting the delta as a whole!
This amazing project would not have been possible without the hundreds of amazing Earth Rangers who purchased an Adoption Kit to protect the adorable otter. Thanks to you, we raised over $20,000 and helped make a big difference!
Eco-Activity: Bee-ing Eco With Beeswax
You might not think twice about covering your leftovers in plastic wrap, but it’s just another single-use plastic that’s hurting our planet. There are lots of reusable products you can use for storing your food instead, like the DIY beeswax wraps in today’s Eco-Activity!
Check out the instructions below, or follow along with this video.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 100% cotton fabric
- Beeswax (check local farms, craft stores, or farmer’s markets!)
- Scissors
- A tool to spread the melted beeswax with, like a paintbrush, butter knife, or pallet knife
- Something to air dry the beeswax wraps with, like a hanger or clothespin
- An adult to help
Here’s how to make your wraps:
1. Cut out different sized square and rectangular shapes from your cotton fabric—choose sizes that will fit your lunchbox or the food dishes that you’ll be covering.
2. Place the sheets of cotton onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a reusable baking mat.
3. Spread 1-3 tablespoons of beeswax pellets/shavings over half the cotton sheet. The amount you use will depend on the size of your fabric.
4. Fold the cotton sheets in half and place in the oven at 200°F for 3-4 minutes, or until the beeswax is melted.
5. Take the baking sheet out of the oven, unfold the fabric and spread the melted beeswax over the entire thing. Be careful when you do this because it could be hot!
6. Hang dry it for about 5 minutes. When the time is up, the wraps should be sticky but not overly so, and they shouldn’t be damp at all.
7. Use your reusable wraps for covering leftover food, wrapping up lunchbox snacks, and more! Remember to only wash your wrap in cool water because hot water might melt the wax.
10 Reasons Why Forests Are Awesome!
Do you like forests? We do too, but do you know just how awesome they are? March 21 is International Day of Forests so it’s the perfect time to share our top 10 reasons why forests are so awesome.
1. A Breath of Fresh Air
With a little help from the sun and a process called photosynthesis, trees take the carbon dioxide (CO₂) we breathe out and transform it into clean oxygen (O₂). Did you know that one fully grown tree can provide enough oxygen for 2 to 10 people? Breathe in… Breathe out… and say thank you to a forest!
2. Home Sweet Home
Whether it’s bugs in the leaf litter, a bird in a tree or a squirrel jumping from branch to branch, you’re probably going to see an animal or two when you visit a forest. That’s because 2/3 of all the animal species in Canada call forests home. Home is where the forest is!
3. Keeping it Cool
It always feels so refreshing to step into the shade on a hot day, and the more trees, the more shade! But this isn’t the only way that forests help keep us cool. Studies have shown that forests actually help make it rain! This not only cools down the environment but also helps new trees grow!
4. Climate Change Fighters
Trees are Canada’s “secret weapon” in fighting climate change! That’s because they absorb lots of CO₂ and store it for as long as they are alive. When they start to get old and die, the CO₂ gets released as the trees decompose. If we turn them into other products beforehand, like lumber for houses and furniture, it stays put for years, if not generations! We can even use sawdust and scraps of wood to make biofuel that can replace fuels with higher emissions. When it comes to the fight against climate change, our trees and forests are superheroes!
5. Meal time
Where does an animal go to get a bite to eat around here? The forest, of course! Not only is the forest home to many animals, it also provides them with lots of good things to eat. Whether it’s berries, plants, nuts, fruits or mushrooms, animals know the best place to get a snack is the forest.
6. Keep up the Great Work
Canada’s plants and animals aren’t the only ones who benefit from the forest. Forests also provide jobs to almost a million people across the country! Engineers, foresters, biologists, skilled tradespeople and many others all rely on forests for work.
7. Gifts from the Forest
On top of the many jobs forests give us, they also provide us with a lot of stuff. Just think about how many paper and wood products you use every day—it’s probably more than you think. Whether it’s the paper you use for taking notes, the cartons that hold your eggs or even the lumber used in your home, so many of the things around us came from forests.
8. A Cool Drink of Water
Did you know that about 2/3 of Canadians rely on drinking water from forest runoffs? The leaves on the trees absorb rainfall and slowly release it into the soil, where it’s filtered underground and eventually released into nearby lakes, reservoirs, and rivers.
9. Soil Protectors
Soil has a very important job when it comes to keeping an ecosystem healthy: it provides nutrients for plants and helps protect their roots. If the soil starts to wear away (erode) or dry up, it doesn’t just hurt the plants, it hurts the entire ecosystem.
Good thing we have forests! The leaves and branches on the trees catch raindrops as they fall, so they don’t all hit the ground at the same time. This keeps the soil from flooding and washing away. The branches also provide shelter from the wind and protection from the hot sun. This helps stop the soil from blowing away or drying out.
10. Forests are Good for the Soul
Do you ever feel refreshed and re-energized after playing among the trees? Studies have shown that being out in forests can improve your immune system, decrease stress and blood pressure, and improve your overall mood!
Want to learn more about forests and plant your very own tree? Accept the Just 1 Tree Mission in the Earth Rangers App!
Would You Rather #8
In honour of International Day of Forests, would you rather hang out with…
Great horned owls in the boreal forest or toucans in Rio Bravo Forest Reserve?
Tell us which one you pick in the comments!
More “Would You Rather” Questions!
Pixel Puzzler #13: Guess the Animal, Part 1
Let’s put your animal identification skills to the test! Can you guess what animal is hidden in this picture? Make your guess in the comments.
Come back next week for the answer!
Looking for more fun stuff? Click here to come up with a funny caption, take a quiz or watch a cool video!
Eco-Activity: This Quiz ShamROCKS
It’s St. Patrick’s Day! You’ve probably seen shamrocks all over the place, but did you know that a shamrock is more than just a St. Patrick’s Day symbol? For today’s Eco-Activity, learn about these cool plants by taking the Shamrock Quiz.
