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High-flying honkers are as Canadian as maple sugar in March and crimson leaves in October. Several species of these migratory majestic cacklers were almost extinct earlier this century. But black-necked giant Canada geese and white Arctic snow geese have made remarkable, albeit raucous, recoveries. Sound dandy? It isn’t. Scientists warn that record numbers of lesser snow geese are placing the Arctic ecosystem in peril as an estimated six million birds grub away at the fragile tundra breeding grounds edging Hudson and James bays. This management problem has wildlife and conservation groups flocking together to find controls. The Arctic Goose Habitat Working [...]

Wrapped in woollies, nibbling Beavertail pastries or sipping steaming cups of cocoa, we make our merry way to winter carnivals from coast to coast. Whether it’s Nova Scotia’s Springhill Chilly Willy winter carnival, Ottawa’s Winterlude or Winnipeg’s Le Festival du Voyageur, carnivals offer communities a chance to actually celebrate snow and ditch post-Christmas psychological and retail blues. This year, more than two million men, women, children–and even pets–will gather for frolics in the snow. We thrill with the chills of carnivals because they really do have physical, social and emotional benefits to fight midwinter melancholy, says one psychological counsellor. “Winter often [...]