CEAC (Cochrane Environmental Action Committee)

05/17/2026

It's time for BRANCHES & BANKS 2026! Since 1996 hundreds of volunteers have planted thousands of trees! Join us for our TWENTY-EIGHTH Branches & Banks community tree plant | Saturday, May 23 | 9am - 12noon.

BRANCHES & BANKS 2026 is less than a week away!

Join us for our 28th community tree plant on SATURDAY, MAY 23 | 9am – 12noon. We will be back at Mitford Park for a second year, planting trees in the riparian area on the upper bank of the Bow River, south of the Mitford ponds.

Volunteer check-in starts at 9am, we plant until we run out of trees! Dress for the weather and don’t forget to bring gloves and spades for planting, buckets for watering.

Event Information & Map: https://cochraneenvironment.org/branches-and-banks-may.../

REGISTRATION: Assist with planning by registering all participants – adults and youth - in advance (free) at Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/cochrane-branches-banks-2026-registration-1987102356640?aff=oddtdtcreator

Learn more about the history of Branches & Banks: https://cochraneenvironment.org/branches-banks/

Please share with your friends and neighbours - even better, bring them along with you!

05/02/2026

Compost Giveaway - May 23!

Let’s talk dirt… the good kind. 🌱

Compost is the secret ingredient to healthier soil — and, on May 23, we’re giving it away while supplies last. So grab a bucket (or two) and come get your hands dirty… in the best way.

📅 May 23, 2026
⏰ 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
📍 Overflow parking lot on RancheHouse Rd

It’s first come, first served — so don’t muck around.

05/02/2026

Holding off on the "spring cleaning" can make a big difference for pollinators and other beneficial creatures.

Before you grab the rake, consider giving pollinators a little more time. Delaying spring yard cleanup helps protect native bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects still sheltering in leaves, stems, and soil. A little patience can make a big difference.

Learn more: https://www.rockyview.ca/news-and-events/news/buzz-yard-cleanup-why-delaying-yard-work-helps-pollinators 🐝🌿

05/02/2026

That bumblebee flying low and slow along your foundation isn't foraging. She's house-hunting.

A queen bumblebee in late April has already mated, already hibernated through winter, and already emerged. She's been feeding on early flowers for a few weeks, building her fat reserves back up. Now she needs a nest site. And she's being extremely picky.

She flies low — inches off the ground — in a methodical zigzag along walls, foundations, rock borders, and garden edges. She investigates every hole, crack, and gap. She goes into some, backs out, moves on. She's checking cavity size, drainage, insulation, and entrance concealment.

What she's looking for: an abandoned mouse burrow. Underground, dry, insulated with old mouse bedding, with a tunnel entrance small enough to defend. Most bumblebee nests in suburban yards are in former mouse holes under sheds, along foundations, in old stone walls, or in undisturbed garden borders.

When she finds one, she moves in alone. She builds a small wax cup, lays the first batch of eggs, and incubates them with her own body heat — vibrating her flight muscles to generate warmth. She does everything herself for the first two weeks. Then the first workers emerge and the colony builds.

🔎 What to do if you see one:

- Don't swat. She's not interested in you. She's interested in the gap between your patio stones.
- Don't block holes along your foundation. That may be the entrance she chose last year or is evaluating now.
- If you know where a bumblebee nested last year, leave that area undisturbed. Queens sometimes return to the same site.

The zigzag along your wall isn't random. It's a real estate search.

She's choosing where an entire colony will be born 🐝

05/02/2026

Know someone between 8 and 18? The BRBC Youth and Young Professionals Committee wants to hear from youth - no prior knowledge of the watershed required - complete a survey and and be entered to win a Watershed Ambassador Package!

The BRBC Youth and Young Professionals Committee wants to hear from youth - do they know what a watershed is? Do they have concerns, questions, or feedback?

No prior knowledge of the watershed required, and participants can enter a draw prize for a Watershed Ambassador Package!

www.surveymonkey.com/r/QGPFZ7Y

04/27/2026

CEAC is thrilled that Cochrane has been selected as a pilot community for the Alberta Native Bee Council 'Living Lawns' app project. Cochrane residents will have the important opportunity to help shape how this tool works and to be part of something that could grow well beyond our community.

In the upcoming months CEAC and the Alberta Native Bee Council are also planning educational workshops in Cochrane, including pollinator garden sessions, bee identification training, and bumblebee box-building activities.

If you wish to receive information about these and other CEAC events - sign up for CEAC e-news at: http://eepurl.com/iexrh9

Cochrane has been selected to pilot the "Living Lawns" app project by the Alberta Native Bee Council, which is currently being developed to help residents turn traditional lawns into pollinator-friendly habitats.

Read more on the CochraneNow website/app.

04/23/2026

Living Sustainably . Event | COCHRANE & AREA GARDENING EXPO| Sunday, April 26 | 11am – 3pm

Get excited about digging in the dirt! Whether you’re an experienced gardener or the owner of untested garden tools this event will help you kick-off your gardening season with plants, seeds, accessories and tips for gardening in this (often challenging) zone!

VENDORS will get you ready for Spring planting with seeds, plants & accessories | EXPERIENCED LOCAL GARDENERS – chat & learn | SEED EXCHANGE TABLE operated by Cochrane & District Horticultural Society - Cochrane's Local Garden Club – bring your extra seeds & buy from the collection - 'pay what you can' with proceeds donated to a local charity.

The Gardening Expo offers three SPEAKER PRESENTATIONS:
11: 30 am: POLLINATORS AND SUSTAINABLE GARDENS | Sydney Worthy, Alberta Native Bee Council
12:30 pm: SOIL HEATH - THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL GARDENING | Sheryl Normandeau, Author
1:30 pm: REGENERATIVE YARD CARE | Kurt Stenberg, Arborist – cochranetreecare

Location: Cochrane Lions Club Event Centre ( 109 Fifth Avenue, Cochrane). Entry is free of charge.

Event information & VENDOR LIST: https://cochraneenvironment.org/cochrane-area-gardening.../

Invite your friends and neighbours to join you at the Gardening Expo!

03/24/2026

Living Sustainably Series IV - Session 01 | BIRDING 101 | Saturday, March 28 | 10 – 11:30 am

The Cochrane Environmental Action Committee (CEAC) is excited to present - for a second time - the very popular Birding 101 with Kirsten Pearson, birder extraordinaire.

The presentation will cover the ecological importance of birds (pollination, mutualism, food webs, etc.) Kirsten will show how to cultivate bird-friendly gardens and demonstrate how we can enhance the natural spaces in and around Cochrane to keep them attractive for a wide range of bird species.

Speaker: Kirsten Pearson will be sharing her knowledge and passion for this popular pastime! For the past several years Kirsten has coordinated the annual Cochrane Bird Count, held every year in late December.

Location: Frank Wills Memorial Hall (405 - 1st Street East, Cochrane)

Sessions are free of charge, but registration is requested.
Register in advance: https://birding101.eventbrite.ca/

'Living Sustainably Series IV' is the fourth series of speaker presentations for Cochrane area residents organized and hosted by CEAC. This is the first session in a new series of presentations that will be unrolled in the upcoming months.

Speaker Series | Birding 101 Information: https://cochraneenvironment.org/living-sustainably-iv-birding-01-march-2026/

Please share with your friends and neighbours!

02/04/2026

The Cochrane Environmental Action Committee Annual General Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 18th at 7pm. This will be a virtual meeting hosted on Zoom. A link will be sent to you upon registration prior to February 16th.

REGISTER your attendance or request more information: [email protected]

CEAC is always looking for Cochrane and area individuals interested in becoming actively involved with CEAC. Visit our website to learn more about CEAC. www.cochraneenvironment.org

Become a member using the online membership.
$10 for individual; $15 for family

02/02/2026

A general meeting and information session for potential canvassers for Corb Lund’s Water Not Coal petition is being held this Saturday, February 7th. The meeting runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Frank Wills Community Hall in Cochrane.
Residents interested in volunteering or helping collect signatures can also sign up online at: Water Not Coal | Corb Lund's Petition To Protect Alberta's Rockies. (linked provided in full story on the Cochrane Now website/app).

An information session on the Corb Lund petition is set for Saturday morning at the Frank Wills Community Hall.

Find the full story on the CochraneNow website/app.