Giants of the forest: My father's discovery of Ontario's tallest white spruce
![White spruce bark (Photo by Rob Duval, Wikimedia Commons)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/blog/white-spruce-by-rob-duval-wikimedia-commons-thumb.jpg)
White spruce bark (Photo by Rob Duval, Wikimedia Commons)
When I was young we lived in Cochrane and Dad worked for the Department of Lands and Forests (now the Ministry of Natural Resources) as a forester. Around 1958 or 1959, he was cruising a lease for Abitibi somewhere in the Hudson’s Bay...
An inordinate fondness for weasels
![Fisher, Clear Creek, Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland Natural Area, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)](https://www.natureconservancy.ca/assets/images/species/mammal/fisher_clear_creek_riding_mountain_aspen_parkland_natural_area_ncc_thumb.jpg)
Fisher, Clear Creek, Riding Mountain Aspen Parkland Natural Area, Manitoba (Photo by NCC)
I suppose I’ve always been a cheerleader for the underdog so it’s only logical that I am a fan of the Fisher (Mustela pennanti). Weighing between seven and 13 pounds, fishers are the second-largest of North American weasels. Like their...