Keep the Green Flame Burning

By Jessica Kirby

Photos submitted by Jessica Kirby

When I started with issue #1 of The Green Gazette, my children were six and two years old.

We played in the woods, baked wholesome treats, and spent rainy days snuggled in on the couch watching movies. Now, they are 16 and 12. We still play in the woods and bake wholesome treats, but rainy days are often spent differently, one doing art or tinkering, the other fuelled by the teenager drive for privacy. I sure miss those snuggles, but this is the independence we have fostered all along. We’ve also taught them to be their own person, love nature, and think about the true reach of their actions.

Looking back over eleven years writing for and editing The Green Gazette, this is the theme I have covered in more than 60 different ways: think about the consequences of your actions beyond the immediate space you occupy. Whether I was writing about trail running, coffee, voting, the United Nations, or sustainable Christmas—or discussing world peace with my son at bedtime, seed banks, legalizing weed, camping, mediation, or getting through COVID, the underlying theme was living the responsibility we all have to the environment and each other. Since I was a wee, wild thing, I have known that helping others and making your community better isn’t a choice. It is an honor and a privilege, and we need to take it seriously.

Sometimes we fear that change is too big. We think we have to go live with the gorillas or start a commune to make real change—not so. There are so many small but meaningful things we can do, and I’d like to leave you with three of my favourites:

1. For the environment: No Mow May is a campaign to help protect wildflowers and pollinating insects, because both are in sharp decline. It means not mowing your lawn in May and only mowing once a month for the summer. Yes, if you love a tidy lawn like I do, you are going to lose it a little as the jungle grows out there, but when you see the diversity and critters that thrive in spring, you will get it. If you don’t care about critters and diversity, at least consider this: without bees there is no life on Earth, so… yea. producers of everything from veggies to craft beer. Eating local reduces our carbon footprint and pollution; the food is fresher and more delicious; and it creates solid, meaningful connections with others. While you’re at it, consider growing something yourself. Growing a year’s worth of just one crop for your household has the environmental impact of taking 20 cars off the road.

3. For yourself: Get. Out. Side. Accessing fresh air and green space at least 30 minutes every day has measurable impacts on your mental and physical health, and role modelling connection to nature will inspire others to do the same. Don’t overthink it and stop saying you don’t have time because you do: just get out there, take a big breath, and let science do its thing.

I want to thank Lisa and the gang for ten beautiful and fulfilling years; the writers for dedicating their words and hearts to sharing topics they deeply cherish; and Mother Earth for fighting the good fight. Let’s make sure we keep marching with Her for a greener, brighter future. -GG

Natural Wondering Connects with High Tech

By Jessica Kirby

If you’re taking tech into nature, here are the tops picks for making your learning experience the best it can be.

Outdoors lovers may all agree on the beauty and benefits of nature’s playground, but opinions vary on whether taking tech into nature enhances the experience or is a distraction from the authentic experience. Advocates say the more we know, learn, and share about our natural world, the more connected to it we feel and more likely we are to protect it. Nay-sayers say screens are a distraction from experiencing nature’s full beauty and taking it all in, in the moment.

Take a look at the following list of nature apps we’ve compiled based on reviews from die-hard, committed nature lovers and recommended for their ease of use, accuracy, and robust data. Whether you are a summit collector, sleeper under the stars, paved trail afficionado, or weekend beach comber, if tech is your thing (or you are tech-curious) there is something here that just may take your observation of nature to a new level.

BIRDS, BUGS, AND ANIMALS

Birdnet: birdnet.cornell.edu The BirdNET research project uses artificial intelligence and neural networks to train computers to identify the calls of more than 3,000 of the most common species worldwide. Record a file using the microphone of your device to identify its source, or record bird noises in the bush and analyze them when you get into service. For best results, crosscheck with another app, such as Merlin merlin.allaboutbirds.org Download the North America pack to access a database of birds, simple facts, and all the different calls they have.

Picture Insect: pictureinsect.com Just as it sounds, this online insect encyclopedia and insect identifier allows you to snap a photo on your device and access a database of thousands of species in your region.

Seek: (Google Play Store or Apple Apps) Get outside and point your device at any living thing—wildlife, plants, fungi, birds, and more. Drawing from millions of observations on iNaturalist, this is a great all-around app for families or anyone who wants to learn more about the world around them.

PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND MUSHROOMS

PlantSnap: plantsnap.com This hightech, comprehensive and accurate plant identification app recognizes 90% of known plant and tree species. To identify a plant, simply snap a photo and the app will tell you what it is in a matter of seconds. PlantSnap works anywhere on Earth and is translated into 37 languages.

Picture Mushroom: picturemushroom.com

This AI mushroom expert in your pocket is a top-rated mushroom identifier with a huge database that includes photos, common and scientific names, and simple facts that include edibility warnings.

NIGHT SKY

Star Walk 2: starwalk.space/en Experience the world of space and astronomy with visual effects, elaborate graphics, and mesmerizing music. This app offers a real-time, interactive sky map that includes stars, planets, and constellations. Simply point your phone to the sky and learn curious facts, view photos, and see elaborate 3D models.

My Aurora Forecast & Alerts (Google Play

Store or Apple Apps) Aurora shows what areas on the globe have the most Northern Lights activity, and it will provide notifications when you might see the Auroras in your area.

TRAILS AND PEAKS

Alltrails: alltrails.com Whether out for a casual stroll or a trek to the summit, Alltrails has you covered with a huge database of trails for hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and road biking. Find routes or record your own and add filters for your sport, difficulty, length, suitability (which includes factors like kid friendly, wheelchair accessible, and more) and specific features, like waterfalls, lakes, forests, views, and more. Users can also filter routes by elevation gain, out-and-back versus loop orientations, and even the amount of traffic they are likely to encounter on the trail.

Trailforks trailforks.com: Trailforks is dedicated to giving you the best interactive trail maps, custom designed for your selected activity. See routes or record your own, access topographic layers, points of interest, trail popularity, heatmaps, routes, trail conditions, photos, videos, and so much more. It was developed to map mountain biking trails, but has since expanded to include trails for ebike, gravel, adaptive biking, winter fat bike, hiking, trail running, horse, dirt bike/MX, snowshoeing, and downhill/backcountry/Nordic skiing.

PeakLens: peaklens.com Open PeakLens, point your phone at a peak, and learn its name, elevation, and neighbouring features. It uses augmented reality for high accuracy, has photography and sharing capabilities, and downloaded regions can be accessed offline.

PeakVisor: peakvisor.com This peak identification app includes 3D maps with hiking trails, making it a precise navigation tool for outdoor adventures. See the peaks reachable with hiking trails around you, make your route, and navigate to the best vistas.

SHARE THE NATURAL LOVE

iNaturalist Canada: inaturalist.ca Become part of a naturalists’ networks with iNaturalist Canada, which works in partnership with Canadian Wildlife Federation. Record your observations in nature, share with fellow naturalists, and discuss your findings. Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. Your findings are shared with scientific data repositories like the NatureServe Canada, Canadensys, and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe. -GG