A toast to the long light

Where the work begins

The quiz moves through mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, asking readers to identify species from photographs and clues. It is light in form, but the context is serious: the province’s biodiversity is under pressure as the climate changes.

In the field

The piece also marks the first anniversary of the Beaty Biodiversity Centre expansion, a $45-million project that brings researchers, students and community partners together around biodiversity questions.

What follows

A quiz cannot measure ecological knowledge or protection. It can make the names of local species harder to forget, which is a small but useful beginning.