Charlie Lake Conservation Society

05/21/2026

Tomorrow is International Day for Biodiversity (IDB), a day to celebrate the variety of life on Earth and raise awareness about the importance of protecting it.

This year there is a special iNaturalist.org project - sign up and your observations up to May 31st help make a snapshot of life on Earth in all its diversity!

Join the project so your observations count: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/idb-2026-acting-locally-for-global-impact/join

Of course, if you're in the Charlie Lake watershed your observations also contribute to the snapshot of life here in our shared backyard! 🌳🐦

This year's IDB theme is "Acting Locally for Global Impact," and sharing your observations of species on iNaturalist does exactly that. Every photo of a plant, insect, bird, fungus, reptile, mammal — any wild living thing! — becomes part of a worldwide dataset that scientists and decision-makers use to protect species and places.

05/15/2026

It's , so let's talk about bats.

Did you know many of our local bat species are endangered?!

🦇🦇🦇

BC has 15 species of bats, and 9 of them pass through our watershed, whether resident or migratory.

If you want to learn more, we do an annual bat walk in the summertime, typically in August. The 2026 date is TBA... stay tuned!

While you wait, check out these bat-friendly gardening tips from BC Bats:https://bcbats.ca/attachments/Bat-friendly-gardening.pdf

All our BC bats are insectivores, so "messy" gardens are bat-friendly gardens.

Remember: Never touch a bat, and all live bats should be left alone. Let's keep wildlife wild.

BC Bat Hotline 1-855-9BC-BATS (1-855-922-2287)

Observed the third Friday in May, Endangered Species Day started to raise awareness of biodiversity loss 21 years ago in the U.S. and is now recognized worldwide.

05/09/2026

Happy World Migratory Bird Day!

This year's theme highlights the importance of community science (also known as citizen science) to migratory bird conservation.

Canada and the U.S. celebrate World Migratory Bird Day on the second Saturday in May, however, many of the birds who visit our watershed start arriving in April.

Did you know that migration is triggered by daylight hours? Changes to weather and climate can mean there is less food available for birds when they get here. Learn about this and so much more from your community of bird nerds and bird enthusiasts at Birding for Beginners on May 23!

04/21/2026

Got any plans for Earth Day tomorrow? 🧶

We recommend checking out this webinar from iNaturalist.org at 9 a.m. tomorrow, April 22nd, + learn how to explore nature near you!

🧶Register: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_NlyOEUXxQkOf5YGwNc2Wxw #/registration

Happy (Early) Earth Day from all of us at CLCS!

Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd... and has been since 1970! The 2026 theme is "Our Power, Our Planet," which points to how environmental progress is sustained by daily actions we all make.

Communities, educators, workers, and families - each of us and all of us can make a difference for nature.

More info at https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2026/

If you’re curious about iNaturalist but aren’t sure how to get started, this event is for you! iNaturalist helps you explore nature near you — anywhere in the world. Beyond learning, you can contribute to science by sharing photos and sounds of the species you find so that others can verify yo...

04/07/2026

Happy International Beaver Day! 🦫

tsaaʔ (Dane-zaa Záágéʔ)

April 7th was acclaimed International Beaver Day by Beavers: Wetlands & Wildlife in 2019. What a great opportunity to get to know these furry neighbours.

The North American Beaver is Turtle Island's largest rodent, and often called a keystone species because of the benefits beavers bring to ecosystems, from fish habitat and flood mitigation to water quality and more.

They mate for life and live in small family groups + are very territorial! This is one reason beaver relocations don't always work out.

Beavers were nearly extirpated (locally extinct) by the 19th century because their fur and castor was so sought after for the European market.

Shout out to everyone working on helping beavers thrive today, including coexistence solutions like electric fencing for crops, pond levelers near built infrastructure, and so much more.

For more info, check out

🦫 coexistwithbeavers.org
🦫 projectbeaver.org
🦫 workingwithbeavers.ca

Beaver Bonanza resource roundup via SER Western Canada:
https://chapter.ser.org/westerncanada/2026/03/17/beaver-bonanza-resources-to-support-beaver-approved-restoration/

📷 Bill VanderMolen | flickr.com CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

04/01/2026

🎣 Happy new license day! (No foolin')

Avid fisherfolk can get a new one-year license for April 1-March 31 at

Backcountry - Fort St John @ 10120 Alaska Road
Charlie Lake Store @ 12677 Charlie Lake Frontage Road

FrontCounter BC Office @ 100 - 10003 110 Avenue (M-Th)
Service BC Office @ 10600 - 100th St (M-F)

Online using your WILD login

Be safe out there!

"As the season changes, it’s important to know how to stay safe around ice, and when it’s time to pack away your skates or ice fishing rods. As temperatures rise, frozen bodies of water may no longer be safe to recreate on."
via https://engage.gov.bc.ca/bcparksblog/2024/03/19/ice-safety-as-winter-becomes-spring-in-british-columbia/

02/16/2026

Join the world as we come together to celebrate and count birds in February during the 2026 Great Backyard Bird Count. Our lively, beginner-friendly webinar will show you how to deepen your connection with birds while joining a worldwide count.