{"id":13088,"date":"2023-10-06T08:22:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T08:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=13088"},"modified":"2023-10-06T16:20:17","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T16:20:17","slug":"thanks-to-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/thanks-to-you\/","title":{"rendered":"Thanks to You…"},"content":{"rendered":"

…Canadian wildlife is in good hands!<\/h2>\n

We closed last year with many wishes for helping wildlife. We started 2023 with evidence-based solutions to make those wishes come true.<\/p>\n

Last year alone, the Canadian Wildlife Federation invested $23.9 million in charitable programs in areas such as freshwater habitat conservation, endangered species and large marine animal protection, education programming, pollinator habitat, native grassland conservation and so much more.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at what your support for the Canadian Wildlife Federation has done so far in 2023.<\/p>\n

Thanks to you…<\/h2>\n

Bats Can Have Better Homes<\/h3>\n
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\n CWF bat house mounted after an eviction to provide new habitat. | \u00a9 CWF\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\n CWF Species at risk and Biodiversity Specialist James Pag\u00e9 using radio telemetry to locate tagged bats | \u00a9 CWF\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\n Bat house in use\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>
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\n Mist net set up and ready to catch bats as they fly past\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\n Tagged Little Brown Bat before release\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

Due to human influences, nearly half of our Canadian bat species are now at risk of extinction. Throughout the summer, we\u2019ve been busy studying one of Canada\u2019s most unique mammal to help reduce some of these key threats.<\/p>\n

This is the final year of our Canada bat box study<\/a> \u2013 the first nation-wide investigation into what makes a bat house more likely to be used by bats. With this research, we aim to give Canadians the tools to be able to provide valuable habitat for these at-risk small mammals. Data analysis is currently underway, with final results to come in the spring. What we\u2019ve found so far is that bats seem more likely to use bat boxes that have multiple, larger boxes, installed on a building. They also show preference for bat boxes that have been erected for a longer period of time. This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Ontario and Environment and Climate Change Canada.<\/p>\n

Along with the national study, we carried out another year of tracking bats from a maternity colony to their alternate roosts, including some bat houses we installed in 2021. After capturing and releasing more than 80 bats at a known site, we were able to locate several new (and large) roosts \u2013 including one of our bat houses! Special thanks to Karen Vanderwolf, Liber Ero Fellow at the University of Waterloo, for leading the national bat box project in Canada in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Wildlife Conservation Society.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also been busy spreading the word for bat conservation through positive social media messaging, dispelling incorrect myths and offering accurate information at HelpTheBats.ca<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Learn more about how the Canadian Wildlife Federation is helping Canada’s at-risk bats ><\/a><\/h4>\n

Twelve Million Observations Have Been Made on iNaturalist Canada<\/h3>\n
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\n Monarch resting. @James Pag\u00e9 | CWF\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\n Northern Map Turtle. Note the highly webbed feet for swimming. | \u00a9 David Seburn, CWF\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\n Rose Gall wasp. @Chris Friesen | iNaturalist.ca\n <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n

The Canadian Wildlife Federation continues to lead iNaturalist Canada<\/a>, which hit a huge milestone this summer. Thanks to dedicated community scientists we greatly surpassed 10 million observations. Having delivered webinars, guides and downloadable resources<\/a>, CWF has armed people with knowledge and expertise to take iNaturalist to a whole new level. It is now the largest platform to record all wildlife species in Canada, and around the world. With such a breadth of contributions, some groundbreaking contributions to conservation have been made, including:<\/p>\n