The blitz of the burdock brigade
Conservation Volunteers with bags of invasive common burdock. (Photo by NCC)
Thanks to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), I can now cross off my bucket list my long-nurtured desire to hack away at invasive burdock plants with a machete. In truth, I’d never entertained the idea before signing up as a Conservation...
The Nature Conservancy of Canada Conservation Internship: Not your average summer
Open woodland located on the Barachois Brook property (Photo by NCC)
When I started my internship with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, in May 2018, I knew that one of my responsibilities would be to complete a baseline inventory of the newly established...
Why Canada needs to be a global leader in the protection of fresh water
Black Bay, Lake Superior, ON (Photo by Costal Productions)
It’s a luxury to not think about water. Most Canadians watch it flow from the faucet and go down the drain without considering its source or destination. When we do think about water, it’s only about where the nearest tap is. Many...
Sidney's paradise on the edge of the Moose Woods
Lucy Weston and her family (Photo courtesy of Lucy Weston)
To tell our story, you have to go back to November 1999 when I met Scott Lawrence, my life partner, on an idyllic beach on the Baja Peninsula, Mexico. I was hitchhiking with a girlfriend, bound for Costa Rica. Scott had motorcycled from Canada and...
Get to know 10 of Canada’s most significant (and big!) natural areas
(Photo by iStock)
Large, intact natural areas are home to Canada’s most valuable ecosystems. These spaces are key to our quality of life. Canada’s forests, grasslands, wetlands and coastal areas absorb carbon dioxide, provide buffers for flooding,...
Mowing for nature
NCC intern Breanna Silverside on a tractor that pulls the industrial mower. (Photo by NCC)
“The lawn mower broke again” is a phrase I have heard from my fellow Saskatchewan Conservation Interns more than once over the summer. When they finally had the tractor and lawn mower working, they would come into the office after a...
Down by the Maitland
The Maitland River as seen from outside our cabin (Photo by NCC)
Being in an office and getting the feel for the business side of working with the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) is what many new conservation technician interns experience when they first start their contracts. While this is an important part...
Nine out of 10 Canadians are happier in nature
Backus Woods, ON (Photo by Neil Ever Osbourne)
Canadians are spending less time outdoors, despite evidence that reveals we’re happier when we spend time in nature.The Nature and Me survey, released by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC), in partnership with Ipsos Public Affairs,...
Taking the creep out of creeping Jenny
Conservation Volunteers at Westmeath Freshwater Cave tackling creeping Jenny (Photo by Cheryl Spotswood)
On July 26, 2018, 14 Conservation Volunteers (CV) journeyed to the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s Westmeath Freshwater Caves property, which is part of the longest underwater cave system in Canada, to remove creeping Jenny. The Westmeath...
Nature Destinations: Alfred-Kelly Nature Reserve
Alfred-Kelly Nature Reserve, QC (Photo by NCC)
The Alfred-Kelly nature reserve is an oasis within an area where residential development is rapidly increasing. The nature reserve is named for an ornithologist who, in 1983, donated his property in Piedmont to Bird Protection Quebec (Protection...
