Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office

Week three of the @programmescoyote for KEPO! ✅

For the past two sessions with the Coyote Program Field Ecologist Program we have been focusing on identifying plants, bird and frogs. 🐸

We have become familiar with…
• Types of bird calls (alarm, contact, feeding, mating and territorial)
• Identifying trees without leaves
• Frog species and calls
• Local plant and medicine identification

Participants will gather for one weekend over 7 months to focus on different themes that will provide an in-depth knowledge of the various flora and fauna in our region. This knowledge will be used to better steward the lands in Kahnawà:ke and Tioweró:ton and further the development of community programming. We are happy to have KEPO summer students joining in this learning opportunity.

Head over to our stories to test your id knowledge. 🪺

#KahnawakeEnvironment #CoyoteProgram #KnowledgeBuilding

Last week, KEPO installed a trail of ten new nest boxes at the Sports Complex field. These are in addition to the ten nest boxes at the old KSS campus that are in their second year and are already fully occupied by tree swallows! KEPO will be doing weekly monitoring to determine population trends and to monitor the health of the broods.

The tree swallow is a native, medium-sized swallow. The males are a striking iridescent green-blue with white underparts. The females are more dull brown with limited iridescence. Tree swallows are common but overall populations declined approximately 0.7% per year for a cumulative decline of about 30% between 1966 and 2019. tree swallows are cavity nesters and their population numbers are probably most limited by available nest sites. They are “obligate secondary cavity nesters,” meaning they must nest in cavities but cannot make their own. They depend on natural tree holes, those made by other wildlife, or nest boxes. Tree swallows can become very competitive for nesting sites even within their species. They are generally tolerant of human monitoring and incubating females may stay in the nest box during monitoring.

These nest box trails were made possible through funding provided by Bird Protection Quebec and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Stay tuned for updates from both nest box trails. Please do not disturb the nests.

Kahnawake Sports Complex/Sports and Recreation Unit

#KahnawakeEnvironment #BirdConservation

KEPO, the @mcakwesasne Environment Program and the @riverinstitutec were at the recent @reel_um_in_baitshop Bullhead Fishing Tournaments to speak with community members about conservation and traditional knowledge of American Eels. Eels are very important to many Onkwehón:we. They are important food and medicine, and indicate a healthy river. We are working to help support MCA’s study on the movement of American Eels.

Thank you to Stephany Hildebrand (@curioustephy) of the River Institute for beautifully capturing these moments and to everyone who shared with us.

#kahnawakeenvironment #akwesasneenvironment #americaneel

Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

We are halfway through No Mow May and participants have been sharing amazing photos of their beautiful yards and returning pollinators. 🌼🌸

Special shoutout to Step By Step Child and Family Center for leading by example again this year. Our next generation are learning to appreciate the important role of pollinators. 👏

#KahnawakeEnvironment #WorldBeeDay #NoMowMay

Is your firewood pest-free? Harmful #invasivespecies that threaten our forests can be transported in firewood without you knowing it! Don’t risk it, #BuyLocalBurnLocal firewood instead of transporting it.

Our trees & forest will thank you! www.BuyLocalBurnLocal.ca

#kahnawakeenvironment #invasiveawareness

3 easy steps to protect our waters: CLEAN, DRAIN, DRY your boat, fishing gear and boating equipment after each use. To learn more about aquatic #invasivespecies, visit:
www.cleandraindry.ca

#kahnawakeenvironment #aquaticinvasives

Take these easy steps to stop invasive species: Stay on trails, clean your gear, clothes, and pets & pledge to always #PlayCleanGo!

www.playcleango.ca

#kahnawakeenvironment #ISAW #invasivespecies

The falcon family is growing!

A second chick has hatched at the Peregrine Falcon nest under Honoré-Mercier Bridge.

You can follow their YouTube channel, where Falcon Environmental shares highlights and full 24h time-lapse of each day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3M0GKvKhy8
(images courtesy of JCCBI)

#NoMowMay in Kahnawà:ke! 🌼

Community members are letting their lawns grow this month to provide food and shelter for pollinators during the early stages in their life cycle. Dandelions, clovers, and other common yard plants are the first food source for pollinators.

Pollinators are a crucial part of our ecosystems. Birds, bats, bees, butterflies, and beetles are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and 35% of the global food supply.

The main threats to these populations include habitat destruction, pesticide use, and climate change.

How do you help to protect the pollinators? 🦋

📸 @kenya_avery20

#kahnawakeenvironment #pollinatorprotection #smallchangebigimpact

Kahnawà:ke Environment Protection Office (KEPO) is pleased to announce that the 2023 Tree Giveaway will be held Friday, May 12, from 10am to 3pm (or while supplies last) at the KEPO grounds, located between the Kahnawake Sports Complex and the Peacekeepers Station.
We kindly ask that community members respect the following guidelines:
• Wear a mask.
• Remain in your vehicle.
• Bring your own bag/bucket to receive your trees, compost and mulch.
Approximately 1,000 trees will be available for community members, with a limit of five trees per household. Exact tree varieties and amounts will only be known to KEPO the day before the event. This year the Waste Management Unit (WM) will also be on site to provide free compost and mulch. Between KEPO and WM you’ll have new trees and amendments to support healthy soils for your new trees!
Trees are provided by the Ministry of Forests, Fauna, and Parks and are distributed by the 4H Clubs of Quebec.
For questions, please contact KEPO at 450-635-0600 or EnvironmentProtection@mck.ca.