Become an Earth Ranger and Help Protect Belugas !

The Earth Rangers organization helps protect St. Lawrence belugas and invites all children and their families to participate in the protection of this iconic animal!

Earth Rangers is an organization dedicated to educating children about the conservation of animals and their habitats. Since the summer of 2016, Earth Rangers has been supporting a research project led by the GREMM and Valeria Vergara of the Vancouver Aquarium with the support of the Fondation de la faune du Québec. The project aims to monitor female belugas and their calves in the St. Lawrence River to determine whether noise from boats and shipping traffic affect calf survival. Females and their calves communicate by means of “contact calls,” which allow them to find each other and maintain contact. During the first few weeks of its life, the newborn’s contact calls contain only low frequencies, which can be easily masked by boat noise. The search for factors that affect the survival of young belugas is critical for scientists who are developing recovery and management plans for this endangered population.

Earth Rangers has also recently introduced the beluga into its “Bring Back the Wild!” program. Under this program, children can take concrete measures to protect a threatened species by launching a fundraising campaign. This year, children can support four species: the beluga, bees and other pollinators, the Midland painted turtle and the caribou. When a child starts a “Bring Back the Wild!” campaign, he or she gets a toolkit, tips and resources. They can choose to organize a bake sale, do odd jobs around the neighbourhood, sell their art projects, and much more! Are you ready to become an Earth Ranger?

To learn more:

Earth Rangers: Website, Facebook page

GREMM and Valeria Vergara project:

With the Belugas: Week of July 18, 2016 – “Mom, Can You Hear Me?” Further details

With the Belugas: week of July 25, 2016 – “Bird’s Eye Viewing and Underwater Eavesdropping”… by Valeria Vergara