#HowToNature series: How to canoe
Jennifer McCarter canoeing on the Grand River (Photo by Gabhan Chalmers).
Canoeing is a quintessentially Canadian way to travel and experience the landscape (indeed, it was the primary mode of transportation and trade for the First Nations and early European settlers in North America). There’s nothing like being...
Close encounters with one of Canada’s more mysterious turtle species: The leatherback sea turtle
Jen McCarter and leatherback sea turtle statue (Photo by Gabhan Chalmers)
We rushed down the dark beach, illuminated only by the moonlight, and struggled to keep up in the deep sand. Aside from the gentle lapping of the ocean waves to our right, everything was quiet. Our group moved forward, silent with anticipation....
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya...to Cockburn Island
Our team of expert naturalists and Cockburn Islanders outside the Tolsmaville Town Hall on Cockburn Island, May 30th (photo courtesy of Maria Diebolt).
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) recently acquired land on a beautiful and remote island just west of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron called Cockburn Island. Because of its remoteness, relatively little information about the biological...
Why turtles don't make the best roommates: A caution against keeping turtles as pets
Hatchling map turtle (Photo by NCC)
At the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), we often receive inquiries from well-meaning Canadians wanting advice about how to help the animals and plants they encounter in their daily lives. Case in point: we recently received an inquiry on the...
Helping turtles cross roads safely
Snapping turtle on road (Photo by Tricia Stinnissen)
I see a large dark shape ahead. As I drive closer, I begin to make out a long, outstretched head and neck and an even longer, trailing tail and I realize that it’s a large snapping turtle. It’s sitting right on the white line of the...
