Reducing light pollution is a simple way to help insects
Frosted elfin butterfly (Photo by Geoff Gallice, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0, generic license, Wikimedia Commons)
Have you ever noticed moths vigorously flapping around your porch light? Well, they’re probably mistaking it for the moon, according to The Guardian. And sadly, most insects trapped in this cycle are dead by morning, either from exhaustion...
10 highlights that show progress and should give us hope for the coming decade
Next Creek watershed (Photo by Steve Ogle)
At the dawn of 2010, the world seemed ready for change. There was increasing awareness about nature and the environment, and voices calling for action on climate and nature conservation were growing louder. A transition to true sustainable...
Why recycling is important, how we’re making it better and what you can do
Facility where residential material is sorted and baled into products that are marketed (Photo by Tammy Schwass of the Material Recovery Facility, Lethbridge)
The Recycling Council of Alberta (RCA) works to promote, facilitate and advocate for a circular economy in Alberta through waste reduction and resource conservation. This post addresses economic, environmental and systemic myths about recycling...
Call of the wolf
Algonquin canoe trip in 2007. (Photo by Dawn Senyi)
“Did you hear that?” I asked my mother. We were lying on our backs on the rocks that sloped down toward one of Algonquin Park’s hundreds of interior lakes. It was warm for late summer, and the Perseids were putting on quite the...
12 gifts of nature
Atlantic puffins (Photo by Bill Caulfeild-Browne)
Every year, the holidays rush by. Anticipation builds, the festive spirit fills the air, holiday jingles loop on. For some, the rush to fill stockings and pick out the perfect gift is both challenging and stressful, but it doesn’t have to...
Celebrating wetland conservation: NAWCA turns 30
Picturesque Cherry Meadows, BC (Photo by Carol Latter)
This month, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA) turns 30. Passed on December 13, 1989, NAWCA is one of the most successful pieces of conservation legislation in U.S. history. Under the Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service...
Celebrating our Conservation Volunteers
Volunteer with tray of seedlings at Goulding West property, Ontario (Photo by Neil Ever Osborne)
Every December 5, on International Volunteer Day, the United Nations recognizes volunteers worldwide for their efforts and celebrates the impact they are making toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals —17 global goals set by the...
First snow at Gillies Grove
Newly planted eastern white pine (Photo by NCC)
There is something magical about the first snowfall of the year. As the coordinator of conservation biology for eastern Ontario with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I’m lucky that I get to experience all of our beautiful properties...
Stop Carcasses! Safer roads for animals and people
A turtle on the roadside with a car speeding by it. (Photo by NCC)
Working in conservation sometimes means bringing harsh realities to light. As a communications assistant with the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) Quebec Region, I promote projects aimed at preventing road kill. Up until...
Conservation on a budget
Lake Erie Farms (Photo by NCC)
This spring, conservation staff from the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) contributed to a study that looked at the most cost-efficient ways to monitor restoration success in Ontario. So what, you may ask? Let me back up a bit and provide some...