Heard it from a Scout: Five outdoor winter adventures
Skiing is one of Canada's favourite winter sports (Photo by Emma Savić Kallesøe)
The temperature has dropped and frost is nipping at everyone’s nose — but don’t let the chilly weather scare you from adventurous opportunities outdoors. Pictures of your outdoor discoveries are fun to share with your friends,...
Style meets sustainability: Circular fashion comes to Vancouver
To Kaya, sustainability means doing the absolute best she can in every aspect of the business. (Photo by Kaya Dorey)
What does sustainable even mean? The word “sustainability” is overused and misused over and over again. It also has a tendency to turn people off in a conversation because as soon as you say it, their guard goes up and they stop...
Heard it from a Scout: Lessons learned while tree planting in Fort McMurray
St. Albert and Fort McMurray Scouts planting a symbolic tree (Photo by Shayne Kawalilak)
In early 2017, my mom presented an idea to our St. Albert, Alberta, Scout troop — an idea that I didn’t realize would result in our small group doing something really big. My mom is a leader with Scouts Canada and she planted a seed...
A mega-rare mistle thrush visited my mountain ash
Mistle thrush (Photo by Peter Gadd)
On Christmas Day 2017.... It is here! It is here in the mountain ash tree at the crack of dawn. It is a brief appearance, as it turns out, but one long enough to perhaps sense it is sending a Christmas greeting. A bird, once known as the ...
How a hidden forest valley is a big opportunity for conservation
Photo assignment for NCC is a journey into a pristine habitat that will make a difference in southwestern Ontario. (Photo by Gregg McLachlan)
Towering hemlocks reaching for the sky. A deep and rugged valley covered with ferns. A coldwater stream flowing over and under moss-covered fallen pine trunks. Just the thought of these scenes makes my mind wander yet again to northern...
Identifying bats by their distinctive voices
Big brown bat (Photo by Brock Fenton)
Having studied bats for more than a decade, I have been fortunate to be able talk to students in their classrooms while doing bat presentations, or to landowners while I trapped bats on their properties. Everyone has a bat story. Everyone loves...
Christmas trees make a great cup of tea
White spruce with cones (Photo by Manitoba Museum)
Every day, the Google search engine is inundated with searches for the next superfood, health trend or nutritional qualities of certain foods. Sadly, very few people know that you can make a beverage high in vitamin C from...Christmas...
Heard it from a Scout: Sumac is nature's tasty candy
Staghorn sumac (Photo by Kaelem Moniz)
In my first year of Scouts, I went on a hike with my troop and discovered a strange-looking plant. One of the senior Scouts told everyone that it was called staghorn sumac and that it was like “nature’s sour candy.” I tried it...
The elusive wolverine: Beyond the X-Men character
The elusive wolverine. This individual was caught on camera making off from the bait station with a large piece of beaver carcass. (Photo by InnoTech Alberta and Alberta Environment & Parks)
When you think of a wolverine, do you think of an elusive, almost mythical creature with superpowers, or do you think of the comic book character? Most people have heard of X-Men, either through the movies or the comic book series, but few people...
Keep them in your heart: Monitoring Bicknell's thrush
Bicknell's thrush (Photo by Serge Beaudette)
John Burroughs, an American naturalist, once said, “You must have the bird in your heart before you can find it in the bush.” While that might be true, unless you’re planning a trip to the Greater Antilles, you won’t have...
