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Looper moth outbreak in pacific northwest expected to continue for another year

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PHOTO: Melissa McMasters / Flickr

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

Over the past few weeks, moths have been swarming Metro Vancouver. Native to North America, these insects are known as western hemlock loopers and phantom loopers, according to Dr. Gerhard Gries, professor of evolutionary biology and ecology at SFU. 

It has only been in recent months that those in the pacific northwest have noticed the moths crowding their homes, but as Dr. Gries states, “Outbreaks [can] last for two or three years,” and occur every 10–12 years. According to the District of North Vancouver, “we are currently in year two” of the outbreak. 

The outbreak of moths is not a new issue to North America. According to Natural Resources Canada, between 1910 and 1975 hemlock looper moths have “caused timber losses estimated at 12 million cubic meters in Newfoundland and 24 million cubic meters in Quebec.”

In an interview with The Peak, Dr. Gries noted that the surplus of moths “may be caused by a combination of two factors: really warm summers that stress the trees and [ . . . ] a mild winter that allow[s] eggs to survive.” He added that “there is no definitive answer” to why their species has seen a jump in population but ecologists can continue to “speculate on this.”

Dr. Gries stated that the moths have the potential to affect our ecosystems in numerous ways. The huge populations of larvae are “[defoliating] the trees” — which means that as they feed, they strip the trees of their leaves. Dr. Gries said that when “the defoliation is severe, then the trees may die.” He added that local parks and green spaces will notice defoliated and weakened trees due to larvae damage. However, the District of North Vancouver noted that “it will require years of decay before trees become structurally weaker.” 

Dr. Gries discussed some positive effects of forest defoliation on the forest floors. As the moths are feeding on the foliage of the trees, they are opening up with the forest canopy, allowing more light to reach the forest floor — this “encourages regeneration to happen.” This is spurred on by the larvae’s preference for feeding on older trees, leaving space for new trees and foliage to grow in their place. 

This process is aided by the larvae’s feces, which becomes a natural fertilizer that further encourages the growth of new foliage. 

The government of British Columbia has outlined the ongoing short-term and long-term strategies to anticipate and “predict levels of defoliation.” This includes conducting egg sampling in the fall that an outbreak is predicted to anticipate the amount of defoliation that will occur that summer. 

“There are no practical measures we can take” to control the moth populations at this time, according to the District of North Vancouver. While the moths can be overwhelming in some areas, they are asking that those affected have patience. 

If a large tree on your property has died and become hazardous, there is a service that can be used to report it. For more information on reporting tree issues, visit their website. 

What Grinds Our Gears: Stop bombarding me with “Looking for class group chat” posts

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EIC
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by Carter Hemion, Peak Associate

Switching to online classes has been a big transition, but some things never change. The first weeks of every class are filled with the same barrage of notifications as ever: the dreaded “looking for a class group chat” posts.

They’re everywhere, from the SFU Facebook groups to Reddit, from Canvas discussions to Zoom tutorials, and anywhere SFU students can be found online. For weeks, the bottom of every Zoom call is a jack-in-the-box, the words “add me!” and “group chat?” springing out at random moments, as though mass spamming over lecture slides is helpful.

It’s never just one person asking; they come in troves, asking on the same platform for the same class, over and over without bothering to check the identical post from the day before. From the moment someone asks for a Facebook group chat in a tutorial, I know we’re doomed to have confused interjections about it for the rest of the afternoon. I’m getting exhausted with every platform I’m on sending me emails and of my phone buzzing when someone new decides they want a class group chat.

We need a designated space for students to discuss classwork and studying, like a Canvas discussion page in the course, for when these conversations don’t occur in the classroom. It’s time for the search for group chats to end. 

Dr. David Chariandy’s works show that both fiction and nonfiction are vital to understanding racism

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Arts
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Dr. David Chariandy recently featured in a USA Today article about the importance of reading fiction by Black authors. Courtesy of SFU

By: Molly Lorette, Peak Associate

On August 20, SFU’s own Dr. David Chariandy, an English professor, was featured in USA Today’s “100 Black novelists and fiction writers you should read.”

The list is prefaced with the notion that, “Nonfiction books on race have resonated with readers across the country [ever] since the outcry spurred by George Floyd’s death in May and the killing of Breonna Taylor in March – both Black, both dead at the hands of police.” The article goes on to explain the importance of reading fiction written by Black authors, in addition to nonfiction books about systemic racism, as a way to better understand Black perspectives and experiences.

Indeed, Dr. Chariandy’s multiple award-winning works are breathtakingly touching and utilize his own intersectional experience. Through recent events occurring throughout the world, we have seen the profound ways in which empathy proves itself to be a force to be reckoned with. In this regard, stories like the ones crafted by Dr. Chariandy are integrally important in educating others in the ways in which racism is integrated within society, particularly Canada. 

By now, I should hope that many of us have examined ourselves critically, and recognized the falsities behind the concept of Canada as a post-racist society. Still, it seems as though it’s undeniable that this notion continues to plague Canada today, and has led to a distinct problem in accountability. Personally, I can’t count the times I have heard movements like Black Lives Matter being referred to as a strictly American issue. Dr. Chariandy breaks this notion down flawlessly. 

In 2017, Dr. Chariandy released Brother, a novel about two Black children growing up in Scarborough, Ontario, and explores questions of masculinity, family, race, and identity. During an interview with The Writers Trust of Canada regarding Brother, Dr. Chariandy says, “[It was] a way of working through the vulnerability I felt growing up and the possibility that life would take an ugly turn.” 

His most recent novel, on the other hand, I’ve Been Meaning to Tell You: A Letter to My Daughter is a reflective work of nonfiction that Dr. Chariandy was compelled to write following a personal act of racism, and the Quebec City mosque shooting in 2017 as both events left him with a loss of words to comfort his daughter with.

Stories, whether fiction or nonfiction, depicting the lives of intersectional individuals in familiar spaces are vital in truly understanding the world around us. Unfortunately, we are vastly limited in the way in which we interact with our world, and thus have no way of truly understanding another’s life experience. However, literature has proven to bridge such a gap and make these lived experiences more tangible. 

While SFU has a long way to go, I am extremely happy that we have individuals, like Dr. Chariandy, who bring their experiences and expertise to students as well as readers. While sharing personal experiences and stories is understandably difficult, its value is truly priceless, especially in today’s climate.

Vancouver air quality improves due to change in winds

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Image Courtesy of @CDCofBC via Twitter

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

After repeated air quality warnings in Metro Vancouver, air quality has improved since the initial wave of smoke in early September, and the Air Quality Index has returned to normal levels. SFU health science professor Dr. Ryan Allen stated in an interview with The Peak that Vancouver’s air quality has increased due to the change in winds and “weather that came off the Pacific Ocean and pushed the smoke to our east.”

While the intense smoke has subsided in Vancouver, Dr. Allen said that forest fire outbreaks, which result in extremely poor air quality, “will become more common as our climate becomes warmer and drier” due to climate change. Air quality declined again Wednesday morning, due to smoke from California. However, “it’s not expected to be nearly as bad as earlier in September.”

Air quality is determined by the “amount and type of pollution that is emitted,” but other factors such as “wind, the stability of the atmosphere, and topography” can affect air quality. Dr. Allen noted that in recent summers, it has been common for Vancouver’s air quality to worsen due to surrounding forest fires. The fires that impacted Vancouver’s air quality this year from Washington and Oregon were spread to Vancouver by strong “winds that pushed the smoke north into Metro Vancouver and the BC interior.” 

Air pollution is a combination of tiny particles, called fine particulate matter, and is an “important cause of health effects.” Forest fire smoke “produces a lot of particulate matter,” and with prolonged exposure can increase the risk of negative respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath.   

While fires spanned the United States’ west coast, a smaller scale fire in New Westminster contributed to Metro Vancouver’s poor air quality. Dr. Allen noted that the “characteristics of the smoke from structure fires can vary quite a bit depending on what materials are being burned.” 

However, localized and brief events, such as the New Westminster fire, aren’t as much of a concern for public health, according to Dr. Allen. Instead, he stated that forest fire smoke poses more of a threat, because it “can affect very large numbers of people.” 

Forest fires that result in extreme worsening air quality are likely to affect those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular health conditions. This would include those with asthma, chronic lung disease, and cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Allen noted that the non-medical masks those are wearing due to COVID-19  “may also provide some protection against particle pollution,” as long as the masks are a “good fit against the face and are made of reasonably thick material.”

My SSP renewed for three more years

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Written by: Serena Bains, Staff Writer

Originally launched in August 2018, the mental health application was created in partnership with the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) to address the mental health needs of students outside of office hours, off campus, and on short notice. The app surpassed the initial targets set and was renewed as a result.

Since My SSP’s launch “over 14,400 hours of clinical support were provided for more than 2,800 students,” according to Braden McMillan on SFU News. 70% of the clinical support provided occurred outside of regular office hours.

The application has four features: a news feed of tweets from Health & Counselling Services, an explore page of articles regarding how to manage one’s health, assessments for depression, anxiety, drug, and alcohol use, and text and call functions for students to speak to a clinical counsellor. The assessments do not diagnose students, rather they recommend that a student use the call function if necessary. Each feature is available in six different languages, with additional languages by request. 

Students are also able to request counsellors according to their religious or gender preferences. The future iterations of the application are planned to include services specifically tailored to Black students and members of the LGBTQ2+ community.

Meet the student complaining on Rate My Professors following a self-induced bad semester

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Humour
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Photo: Tim Gouw / Unsplash

By: Devana Petrovic, Staff Writer

Some students choose to send their professor an email once in a while, or perhaps they may even pop into office hours at some point during the semester when they feel lost. But not me. No, I’m not like other students. 

You see, when I find something to complain about, I don’t look for solutions in the midst of it happening. I wait until I’ve let every single minor inconvenience throughout the semester simmer, and then when it’s too late for anyone to help me, I turn into an anonymous Rate My Professors reviewer and release my wrath.

Yes, that’s right. I’m the one that gives a one-star review on a 4.5 star professor (that high score is practically always undeserved, if you ask me. Which I know you do.) I am that ounce of doubt in the nervous first year’s eyes when looking up their future professor. At the end of every semester, I hide behind my computer screen like a gremlin, with pages upon pages of notes — not class notes, silly, but pages of complaints — hunching into my keyboard as I project everything that’s ever irritated me in the slightest onto the internet forever.

“This prof is a Grinch! He wears an ugly green sweater to lecture everyday, and it doesn’t even match his shoes. Most unorganized prof at SFU >:( 1/10 never taking a course with this joke again,” I’ll eloquently say.

Why put it on the internet, you may ask? Why not fill out a feedback form or just talk to your professor?

That’s a stupid question.

But regardless, I find that leaving a permanent mark on my professor’s reputation, like a tattoo, if you will, shows remarkable courage. It takes real guts to leave a public proclamation of your subjective anger on a site meant to help other students with their course selection. 

Some people ask for help and email their professor assignment questions like some measly child. That couldn’t be me. If I don’t understand assignment guidelines, that’s just not my fault.

The 500 unopened emails on my SFU account don’t prove a thing about my work habits. I’ll have you know that I am physically present at every lecture. What more can even be expected of me? Sure, I sit angrily cross-armed with my earbuds in throughout the entirety of my muted two-hour Zoom class, but that’s only because of the professor’s poor communication. And there’s a slight possibility that I haven’t even looked at any of the readings, but that’s also just because the lectures probably have nothing to do with the readings. No, I’m convinced they definitely don’t.

So there you have it. If you’ve had the professors I’ve had, you would understand why I do what I do. Am I ashamed of myself? Absolutely not. Will I continue to word vomit irrational, harmful, often horribly rude and uncalled for complaints on Rate My Professors? Till the day I die.

Where is the fourth floor of the AQ?

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Humour
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Photo: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

By: Molly Lorette, Peak Associate

Have you ever stepped into the elevator on your way to a tutorial on the fifth floor of the AQ and noticed that the buttons conveniently jump from three to five? Have you noticed that the few elevators that do go to the fourth floor of this building only ever spit you out outside? Have you ever stopped to wonder why that is? 

Think about it! AQ? Academic Quadrangle? Does anyone actually know what the heck a Quadrangle actually is? AQ. A Q. Abolish Quickly. Abolish what, you ask? Here at The Peak, we are trying to uncover the exact same thing.

The total number of floors in the AQ is six. What happens if you take that number and multiply it by 111 (1:11, the same number I always see when I check the microwave clock to cook my soup for lunch?) 666! A quick search on the ever dependable Wikipedia will tell you that the number 666 is the number of the Antichrist. Clearly, Simon Fraser is hiding something nefarious! Clearly, those who pull the strings behind the scenes are attempting to raise the Antichrist!

The gardens in the AQ are very conveniently placed, serving as the so-called “fourth floor.” Ever notice how strange the art pieces are? Think about those hedges and how they all surround a pyramid. Think about the hill, shaped like what? A triangle! A triangle has three sides, and how many digits are there in the number 666? 

WAKE UP, SHEEPLE!

To me, it’s totally clear what’s going on with this secret fourth floor. They want to hide it from us for a reason. Clearly, our tuition money has been going on to build a cleverly hidden lair for the academic cult to meet and hold their satanic rituals in order to raise up the Antichrist once and for all — right under our noses, as well!

Still don’t believe me? Look no further than the most famous art piece in the AQ gardens: The Avocado. What does The Avocado mean in the big picture? Haven’t they always said that avocados are the cause of all millennials going into debt with their precious avocado toast? Add the allure of a late-night rendezvous at this infamous location and the eventual overtaking of veganism avocados threaten us with, and it turns out we are too late to stop this cult. The Cult of the Avocado has already begun to take over the world as we know it, dear SFU scholars. It may be too late.

Plaza Renewal Project on track for completion

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News
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Written by: Mahdi Dialden, News Writer

The Plaza Renewal Project is planned for completion during the Fall 2020 term. The project began in December 2018 in the Convocation Mall of SFU’s Burnaby campus and currently isn’t facing delays, according to project manager James Bremner. 

The project was broken down into two phases. One phase focused on construction in the AQ, and the second phase on the Convocation mall and Transportation Centre. 

“The project is necessary to replace the existing roofing membrane and outdoor paving, while improving drainage and accessibility with new ramps and upgraded stairways,” Bremner said. 

“We’ve also taken this opportunity to beautify the plaza space with new landscaping, furnishings, and finishes to further emphasize the sense of importance that Convocation Mall and the AQ has to SFU, in a way that is also sensitive to the campus’ architectural heritage.” 

Most of the plaza is already open to use for students. Bremner noted, “Only the area’s around Fountain Square and the Transportation Centre, where the work is still ongoing, is closed off to the public.” 

Bremner concluded with a final statement saying that “the architects and contractors have done a wonderful job with the plaza, it provides a vibrant and beautiful space for the SFU community to enjoy.”

Need to Know, Need to Go – October 5 to 11

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Arts
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Illustration of a blue calendar, with "Need to Know, Need to Go" written on top
Arts & Culture events to catch around the city. Image courtesy of Brianna Quan

By: Meera Eragoda, Arts & Culture Editor

SFU Writer-in-Residence Launch | October 8, 7 to 8 p.m. | Free with registration

The SFU English department is hosting a launch and reading for new Writer-in-Residence Juliane Okot Bitek. The event will feature a reading from Okot Bitek who will be in conversation with Canisia Lubrin, an award-winning writer, critic, editor, and teacher. The event will also be moderated by SFU professor Dr. David Chariandy, also an award-winning author, as well as teacher of contemporary literature and creative writing. Participants can register by emailing [email protected].

A Photographic Tour of Post-War New Westminster | October 8, 6 to 7 p.m. | Free with registration

Hosted by New Westminster Museum and Archives, registrar Allan Blair will be sharing his favourite of the 20,000 photos he has digitized over the past 23 years with participants of the event. The event will feature post-war photos taken by Croton Studio which once was the City of  New Westminster’s official photographer. Participants can register by emailing [email protected].

Vancouver Fringe Festival | October 1 to 10 | Performance Works theatre on Granville Island | Tickets: $15 per event and one-time $7 membership fee

Vancouver Fringe Festival is a festival dedicated to reducing barriers and being open to everyone. This year’s festival is running on staggered dates. This second stage is running small, physically-distanced performances like One Man Pride and Prejudice. A one-time membership fee of $7 is required but will be valid for all events for the duration of the festival. Tickets need to be purchased separately from the membership fee.

Amy Lam: Make-Believe Bathroom | On until December 3 | Free

SFU Galleries is hosting this online, interactive exhibit by artist, Amy Lam. The exhibit aims to explore public bathrooms as both a public and private space, and examine the exclusions that have occurred in these spaces. The bathroom featured in this exhibit is modeled off one located close to the SFU Gallery in Burnaby.

 

Warning signs that your feed may be plagued once again by the same regurgitated Halloween posts

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Humour
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Photo: Kayla Maurais / Unsplash

By: Alex Masse, Peak Associate

We all know them, or someone like them. 

As summer leaves and the autumn chill weaves between our bones, you open your social media of choice and they’re there. It’s benign at first, but the descent into cinnamon apple-scented madness is inescapable. 

That’s right: it’s Halloween Freak. 

Don’t get me wrong: I love Halloween, but there’s something to be said about what’s embodied in this individual. And what’s to be said is that it’s annoying as hell and their content is the exact same every single year. 

They have five definite stages. Here they are, so you can recognize and mute them on your feed accordingly.

STAGE 1: September First

“NO ONE: 

ME: IT’S HALLOWEEN NEXT MONTH!!!” 

Often accompanied by a Nightmare Before Christmas GIF, this is the first warning. While it’s not a guarantee, if there was a watchlist for this kind of person, this would be a qualifier. 

STAGE 2: What’s Back To School?

“Most girls are worried about back to school season, but what about Halloween? It’s crazy it isn’t a national holiday. It should be. I’m already in the spirit!” 

If you’re the kind of person who can slough off fall semester stressors like water off a duck’s back by thinking about Halloween, you could be at risk of becoming a Bone-Chilling Halloween Freak. There should be at least some kind of buffer period, if you ask me (not that anyone ever does). If you don’t leave space for back to school, you end up burning through all your horror movies and cozy sweaters while it’s still technically beach season. I don’t know whether that’s mild BC weather or climate change, but if you can’t wait for Mother Nature, you need to dial it back. 

STAGE 3: The Buzzfeed Quizzes

 

“I got 50/50 on this ‘How Well Do You Know The Nightmare Before Christmas Test!’ Beat THAT! Also, this quiz told me I’m most like Winifred Sanderson! You all WISH you were me.” 

It’s the same quizzes and answers every year. I personally don’t base my identity on a Hocus Pocus witch of choice. The Bone-Chilling Pumpkin-Sniffing Halloween Freak, however, totally does. They fill your feed with results from Internet quizzes. 

. . . I’m not bitter about getting Mary Sanderson as my Hocus Pocus character two years ago, I swear. 

STAGE 4: Group Costume Planning

“OMG guys, check out these 20 group costumes for you and your friends! Who wants to do this with me!” 

No, buddy, I don’t want to be the kids from Stranger Things with you. Or the Losers from It. Or whatever else Finn Wolfhard is in. No disrespect to the guy, but I have a teenage sister, so he’s already inescapable. Also, is it just me, or do group costumes almost never come to fruition? There’s got to be a statistic. Like, one in six. Also, I’m not gonna be anything Disney, dammit. Not until they apologize for making people pay $30 for their live-action Mulan. 

STAGE 5: The Skeleton War 

“This Halloween, consider enlisting in the SKELETON WAR. I am serving proudly as a General under THE BONE LORD. Sharpen your weapons, ready your bone flutes, and forget what it means to be merciful. WE WILL TAKE NO PRISONERS!” 

I’ve only seen someone hit Stage 5 once or twice, but it’s how you know they’re too far gone. They’ve become a vessel for all things spooky and scary, and it sends a shiver down my spine just to think about. I do wonder what a socially-distanced Skeleton War would look like, but also, these people scare me and I’d rather not think about it. 

There are your warning signs. Thankfully, come November 1st, most Halloween Freaks revert back to their normal selves. 

Some, however, will emerge in the new month howling out Michael Bublé and posting Rudolph GIFs. That’s the Christmas Freak, a whole other beast. 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024