Frances Backhouse
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franbwrites.bsky.social
Frances Backhouse
@franbwrites.bsky.social
160 followers 150 following 62 posts
Author of books for kids & adults about beavers, bears, birds & more (www.backhouse.ca). Independent journalist. Associate Editor of SEJournal. Concerned citizen of Planet Earth.

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franbwrites.bsky.social
One week until my “Better With Bison” webinar at the North American Bison Discovery Center. Join me Oct. 25, 1PM CT, to learn about what makes bison so special.
✅ FREE to attend | virtual | kids and adults welcome
🔗 Join here: meet.google.com/ywx-uncf-nya...
@orcabook.bsky.social #bison #kidlit
The cover of a book about bison superimposed over a photo of bison grazing in a mountain meadow. The book is "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers" by Frances Backhouse. The photo on the cover of the book is of a bison cow and her calf.
October 18, 2025 at 6:41 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Trump's 2026 budget plan to defund the North American Breeding Bird Survey and USGS Bird Banding Laboratory will be a continent-wide blow to bird conservation efforts. Undoubtedly, that's the point.
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/int...
#citizenscience #birdbanding #ornithology
Opinion | What we’ll lose if bird banding ends
Scientists have tagged birds for more than 100 years. That preservation program might be defunded.
www.washingtonpost.com
July 8, 2025 at 1:00 AM
franbwrites.bsky.social
My favourite part of writing "Owls: Who Gives a Hoot?" was talking to kids involved in owl conservation. Last week, I finally got copies to one of those inspiring young people and his teacher at their school in South Africa.
www.citizen.co.za/alex-news/ne...
#owls #kidlit @orcabook.bsky.social
Marlboro learner featured in international book about owls | Alex News
Marlboro Gardens Secondary School learner Adivhaho Mokakatleng beams with pride after being featured in an international book about owls. His passion for wildlife, nurtured through the Owlproject.org ...
www.citizen.co.za
June 27, 2025 at 6:59 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
It was such a pleasure to be part of this @orcabook.bsky.social group launch of 8 fabulous new books for kids. Thanks to Munro Books for the beautiful venue and all the lovely people who came out to celebrate with us.
#kidlit #Canlit
robinstevenson.bsky.social Robin Stevenson @robinstevenson.bsky.social · May 1
Here's our crew of launching authors! Monique Gray Smith, Jess Willows andJohnny Aitken @franbwrites.bsky.social Mark Leiren-Young, Gabrielle Prendergast, @gregorcraigie.bsky.social and me! Fly high, little books! (Thanks for the photo, @orcabook.bsky.social)
May 1, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Reposted by Frances Backhouse
juddlegum.bsky.social
"A Financial Times analysis of more than 350,000 posts on X related to the election, gathered since the snap poll was announced in March, revealed a network of co-ordinated accounts pushing content to boost Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre and tarnish his counterpart, the Liberal’s Mark Carney."
Canadians bombarded with rightwing content on Musk’s X ahead of election
FT analysis finds network of social media accounts attacking Liberal leader Mark Carney
www.ft.com
April 28, 2025 at 2:25 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
📚👍 Spring doesn't just bring flowers.🌷 There's also these new #kidlit books by:
@parentclub.bsky.social
@laurabontje.bsky.social
@franbwrites
@caseylyall.bsky.social
@susanhughes.bsky.social
@mahtabnarsimhan.bsky.social
@valeriesherrard.bsky.social
@kirsten-marion
Ten book covers.
April 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
On this #EarthDay, I'm thinking of these Yellowbells (Fritillaria pudica) that I photographed during an April visit to the CSKT Bison Range in Montana a couple years ago. Despite cold, harsh winters and hot, dry summers, they reach for the light every spring and bring beauty to the world.
Four small plants with yellow flowers growing above old dead grasses in a field.
April 22, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Reposted by Frances Backhouse
savethecbc.bsky.social
When fascism rises, journalism and women’s rights are first to fall.
Poilievre is attacking both.
We won’t let him.

#SaveTheCBC #WomensRights #CdnPoli #MediaFreedom #NeverPoilievre
April 19, 2025 at 9:36 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Public lands were key to pulling bison back from the edge of extinction and remain essential to protecting this keystone species. I'm honoured to have "Bison: Community Builders & Grassland Caretakers" included in this @the-revelator.bsky.social roundup of books about public lands.
therevelator.org The Revelator @therevelator.org · Apr 16
In a perfect world, a book-review column focused on public lands would provide readers with exciting tips & insights about visiting national parks & monuments, wildlife refuges, & other breathtaking sites across the United States.

But it’s not a perfect world... therevelator.org/books-public...
This Land Is Our Land: New Books About Public Lands, the Threats They Face, and Their Ecological Importance • The Revelator
These new books cover challenges to our shared land, ranging from Indigenous appropriation to current corporate grabs.
therevelator.org
April 17, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Reposted by Frances Backhouse
wcelaw.bsky.social
Do we really need to choose between the environment & economy in #Election2025? 🤔 On Apr. 15 @ 2pm PT, join our expert panel to discuss key election issues – incl. what deregulation could mean for workers, the environment & everyday Canadians.

Register: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi... #cdnpoli
Promo graphic with background photo of highway through a forest, with overlaid text "Election 2025 Virtual Townhall", event details and speaker headshots.
April 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Frances Backhouse
freedom.press
Join us for an urgent discussion on the @apnews.com ban, White House press pool, and other attacks on the press by the Trump administration, featuring @briankarem.bsky.social, @stephaniesugars.bsky.social, and @caitlinvogus.bsky.social.

🗓️ April 16, 2pm ET/11am PT

freedom.press/access-denied
April 15, 2025 at 6:09 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
It’s publication day for “Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers”! The Book Birthday edition of my Better With Bison newsletter has launch news, a peek inside the pages (highlighting the wonders of bison poop) and more. mailchi.mp/8906ca675612...
#bison #kidlit
@orcabook.bsky.social
A herd of bison in a mountain meadow with the cover of a kids' book about bison superimposed above.
April 15, 2025 at 5:58 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
I've read "Pride Puppy," unlike many of the people who want to ban it. It's a delightful book with a positive message and fun illustrations. Author @robinstevenson.bsky.social and illustrator @whatwouldjuliedraw.bsky.social do not deserve the hatred that is being flung at them.
#standwiththebanned
robinstevenson.bsky.social Robin Stevenson @robinstevenson.bsky.social · Apr 12
PRIDE PUPPY illustrator @whatwouldjuliedraw.bsky.social is taking on the folks inventing and spreading misinformation about our book! She's brilliant and hilarious- and if you want to know why there's so much fuss about a book about a puppy, just read this.

www.whatwouldjuliedraw.com/pridepuppy
pride puppy & SCOTUS — what would julie draw?
take a look at what's really in Pride Puppy!
www.whatwouldjuliedraw.com
April 14, 2025 at 9:38 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
I'm fed up with AI companies illegally using my books to train their generative AI. I just sent them a letter demanding they remove my works from their training data. You can use the Authors Guild's letter template to send your own: actionnetwork.org/letters/auth...
Tell AI Companies They Do Not Have the Right to Use Your Work
I just sent a letter telling AI companies they do not not have the right to use my work. Use the Authors Guild's letter template to send your own.
actionnetwork.org
April 10, 2025 at 8:56 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Attention Canadians. Be careful you're not carrying any "illegal ideas" if you're trying to cross the border. Ideas like, perhaps, human rights or climate change?
April 10, 2025 at 7:44 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Also highly recommended for beaver fans: Chapter 4 of "Water Always Wins" by @ericagies.bsky.social. As she explains so well, beavers are "the original water engineers" and can help us deal with both drought and flooding. (The book's other 9 chapters are great, too.)
ericagies.bsky.social Erica Gies / SlowWater.world @ericagies.bsky.social · Apr 7
@franbwrites.bsky.social book "Once They Were Hats" was the first beaver book I read, and it's a great one. It's a deep dive into beavs' role in creating the North America we know today, epic engineering achievements, and their many other wonderful capabilities. Highly recommend on Beaver Day!
franbwrites.bsky.social Frances Backhouse @franbwrites.bsky.social · Apr 7
Happy International Beaver Day! I've been writing about these guys for more than 15 years and they still amaze me. We came so close to wiping them out. Thank goodness enough concerned and determined individuals took action and changed the course of history.
#InternationalBeaverDay #CanLit
April 8, 2025 at 6:13 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Happy International Beaver Day! I've been writing about these guys for more than 15 years and they still amaze me. We came so close to wiping them out. Thank goodness enough concerned and determined individuals took action and changed the course of history.
#InternationalBeaverDay #CanLit
Book cover: A painting of two beavers cutting down a tree. The book title (Once They Were Hats: In Search of the Mighty Beaver by Frances Backhouse) appears in the outline of a top hat, superimposed over the painting. Book cover: The title (Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers) appears above a photo of a beaver sitting upright and holding a twig in its front paws.
April 7, 2025 at 9:52 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
I'm in awe of, and grateful for, this man's dedication to defending democracy.
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
WATCH LIVE: Sen. Cory Booker protests Trump’s agenda in marathon Senate speech
It was a remarkable show of stamina — among the longest in Senate history — as Democrats try to show their frustrated supporters that they are doing everything possible to contest President Donald Tru...
www.pbs.org
April 1, 2025 at 11:16 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
We can all celebrate and honour Indigenous languages by learning Indigenous names of a few local animals and plants. In my kids' books, I include examples, like these ones in "Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers."
@orcabook.bsky.social
#NationalIndigenousLanguagesDay #kidlit
A photo of bison grazing in a grassland with a bison calf in front. Over top of the photos are (1) a list of Indigenous uses for parts of a bison, (2) a list of Indigenous names for bison, and (3) the cover of a book titled Bison.
April 1, 2025 at 12:58 AM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Support local #journalism and the dedicated #journalists who are working hard under extremely tough conditions to bring it to you.
jeffsharlet.bsky.social Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · Mar 28
A tiny, easy thing you can do: wherever you’re traveling, buy the local paper and boost the news of how fascism is trickling down and how everyday people are pushing back. From today’s Caledonian-Record of St. Johnsbury, VT.
Headline: Hundreds turn out to protest planned closure of social security office
March 29, 2025 at 1:22 AM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Poynter offers good insight into the ethics questions in the journalism story of the day. Useful to journalists and non-journalists alike.
www.poynter.org/ethics-trust...
You're a journalist added to a classified group chat. Here’s what you need to consider. - Poynter
5 ethical questions journalists should consider if, like The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, they are added to a top-secret conversation about war plans.
www.poynter.org
March 26, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Reposted by Frances Backhouse
cajournalists.bsky.social
Calling all Indigenous journalists, broadcasters and media creators! The Indigenous Media Association of Canada (IMAC) invites you to a virtual meeting to learn more about this newly formed organization, what they plan to do and how they hope to serve Indigenous media. Date: March 30, 5 p.m. ET.
March 25, 2025 at 2:50 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Independent journalism is fundamental to democracy. And those who are attacking journalism and journalists from every side know it well.
March 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
The proposed tariff might be of limited benefit to Canadian publishers and their authors (of which I'm one), but would likely devastate Canadian bookstores and have no discernible impact on the US book industry or American consumers. The form will ask you for the tariff number. It's: 4901.99.00
writersfest.bc.ca Vancouver Writers Fest @writersfest.bc.ca · Mar 21
With the Canadian book industry dependent on production south of the border, books written by Canadian authors but printed in + distributed through the U.S. would still face the additional tariff.

Fill out the tariff consultation survey:
forms-formulaires.alpha.canada.ca/en/id/cm7upm...
Consultations on Canada’s Response to United States Tariffs on Canadian Goods: Comment Submission Form
forms-formulaires.alpha.canada.ca
March 21, 2025 at 11:37 PM
franbwrites.bsky.social
Happy Global Recycling Day!
parentclub.bsky.social Caroline Fernandez @parentclub.bsky.social · Mar 18
Just saw that today is Global ♻️ Day. Please pause your eyes on The Adventures of Grandmasaurus At the Aquarium Rescue Centre where recycling is a theme.

Published by @commondeerpress.bsky.social

Similar books by @rochellestrauss.bsky.social @franbwrites.bsky.social

#GlobalRecyclingDay #kidlit
Just saw that today is Global ♻️ Day and thus please pause your eyes on The Adventures of Grandmasaurus At the Aquarium Rescue Centre where recycling is a theme. Written by moi Illustrated by @shannonotooleart Published by @commondeer_press Also on theme...my book 7 of the Asha and Baz series (coming in 2026) has very strong recycling/plastic awareness/ocean conservation themes. If looking for similar recycling/conservation books - check out @rochellestraussauthor @erinsilver1 @franbwrites @mireille.messier #GlobalRecyclingDay #picturebooks #kidlit
March 18, 2025 at 4:39 PM