Queer connection and representation in conservation: NCC's Pride/2SLGBTQIA+ Resource Group
Double rainbow over Cherry Meadows, BC (Photo by Walter Latter)
Since I was about 13 years old, I've known I was queer, and I've also known that I love the environment and wanted to make conservation my life's work. Yet, my connections to the queer community and to the conservation community have often been...
A prescription for forest health
Plantation rows in Southern Norfolk Sand Plain, ON (Photo by NCC)
When you think of a healthy, thriving forest, do you think of a straight lines of trees, all the same size, all the same species? Probably not. While tree plantations can be economically important and can provide significant ecological benefits...
Dr. Crayfish, I presume?
Premek Hamr, PhD (a.k.a. Dr. Crayfish) (Photo courtesy of Premek Hamr, PhD)
At the Nature Conservancy of Canada's annual Ontario Region staff meeting last May, a few of us stepped outside to wander the shoreline of Lake Simcoe and admire the sunset. As we rooted around the rocky beach, I took a few photos of plants and...
Tails from the Field: Mapping the way to conservation
Using a GPS to find sign coordinates at Fishing Lake, ON (Photo by Nick Tardif)
If you've ever been frustrated when your car’s GPS directed you the wrong way, you know the plight of the conservation biologist. Staff at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) rely heavily on GPS systems, maps and co-ordinates. And we're...
Tails from the Field: On the trail for wonder
The Forks Prairie Garden is a great outdoor classroom. (Photo by Thomas Fricke)
There are many kinds of nature trails, for many kinds of nature lovers. Some people are happy to scramble over rocks, cut across shallow rivers or squeeze past thorny vegetation during their hike. Others prefer terrain that's a bit more level,...
Wading through the wonders of wetlands
Forested wetlands in summer (Photo by Mary Gartshore)
Wetlands are dynamic places, where the land is, quite literally, wet. From day-to-day fluctuations, to seasonal changes, the amount of water in a wetland can change over time. As water levels shift, you might not know exactly what to expect when...
Forest landmarks: A guide down memory lane
Backus Woods, Ontario (Photo by NCC)
There's something very personal about landmarks. The features in a forest that you learn to navigate by ― turn left at this weird looking branch, go just past that spot where you saw a barred owl last year ― might not jump out to you. Memories of...
Spotting species in Norfolk Forest
Jenna Siu and Kayla Ellis ready to blitz! (Photo by Amanda Bichel)
It was 11:30 a.m. on an early summer day, and a steady trickle of people were arriving at the Bird Studies Canada (BSC) headquarters in Port Rowan, Ontario. The Norfolk Important Bird and Biodiversity Area BioBlitz was set to start in just a half...
A prothonotary warbler partnership takes flight
Prothonotary warbler (Photo by Bill Hubick)
Deep in the swamp forest of Backus Woods in Ontario on a hot summer’s day, it’s easy to feel as though one has been transported to somewhere in the Mississippi basin. The thick canopy of mature Carolinian trees provides shade to...
Five tips to avoid #fieldworkfail
NCC Ontario staff identify meadow marsh plants, Lower Maitland River Valley, Ontario (Photo by NCC)
If you haven’t already explored the hilarious misadventures of field scientists and conservation workers through the hashtag #fieldworkfail, it is well worth a look. Fieldworkers are sharing incredibly honest and amusing anecdotes of when...
