The Return of the Cicada: looking 17 years ahead

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Cicadas to reemerge in US for first time in 17 years

The cicada brood X is scheduled to emerge from underground this year across the North East. This brood contains millions of individuals that will soon litter the sidewalks from Georgia to Michigan. Cicadas hibernate for 13 and 17 year cycles to ensure enough food is available when they reemerge. This week, we talk with Cicada expert George Hamilton from Rutgers University in New Jersey to hear more about this invasion. 

Cicada exoskeletons clustered around a tree.
tree littered with Cicada shells
Daniel Goldgut (@DanielGoldgut) | Twitter

Daniel Goldgut is the CEO and Co-Founder of Epilogue. In his previous life, he was a tax and estate planning lawyer for high and ultra-high net worth clients. Now, he’s on a mission to democratize estate planning for all Canadians with Epilogue. When he’s not working, he’s busy being a husband and father to his 3-year-old twins, and new baby. This week, we sat down with Daniel to discuss the importance of planning your Will and how to make sure that you have a plan in place for your companion animal who has different rights and considerations.  

Spiked Jacket to protect Puggo

A Spiked dog Jacket has increased in popularity recently after a series of Cougar and Coyote sightings and attacks in Metro Vancouver. Two Coyotes were put down in Stanley Park and more recently a Cougar was euthanized in port moody. This Cougar attacked and killed a young German Shepherd who was unfortunately taken to the woods by their handler at night. 

It is hard to validate the efficacy of spiked jackets in deterring these events. It is more important to remember that the best way to avoid these attacks would be to steer clear of hiking trails after dusk and spread the message that we should not be feeding or bating wildlife. 

Check out my interview with Leslie Fox for more information about Coyotes and Wildlife conflict mitigation.

Beaver Creek is home to an Indigenous-led facility focused on helping individuals and families heal from trauma and addictions. The Kackaamin Family Development Centre – pronounced “cots-common” is a peaceful family healing centre facing a battle with the Premium Cannabis Meds BC operation that plans to build a large industrial cannabis facility across the street.

Since 2017, the Kackaamin staff and local residents have raised the alarm about the potential impacts of the marijuana facility. Residents have shared concerns about air and water pollution, impacts on wetland habitat.Concerned community members have urged the company and regulators to reconsider the location of this development. It is also important to remember their concern for victims of colonization that will be exposed to the sites and smells associated with the drugs and addictions they are healing from.  Cannabis is a very water-hungry crop, often grown in remote, forested watersheds. Cannabis plants require nearly 22 liters of water per plant a day during the growing season, which adds up to three billion liters per square kilometer of greenhouse-grown plants between June and October, according to some research. During the low flow period, irrigation demands for cultivation can exceed the amount of water flowing in a river, leaving little water to sustain aquatic life. This, coupled with the use of chemical fertilizers, can cause serious disturbances to aquatic ecosystems. Eutrophication increases algae content in these waterways, which can severely impact the salmon stock.