For the love of our landscapes
Part of a naturalized lawn where goldenrods are in the foreground (Photo by Chelsea Vieira)
For so long, most western societies have valued groomed lawns and manicured gardens; those considered beautiful for their lack of weeds, crisp edges and often symmetrical landscaping. Having lived in urban areas most of my life, it wasn't until...
Healthy forests are gifts that keep on giving
A forested path (Photo by Mariam Qureshi)
Have you ever been in the forest and felt a sense of peace? If so, then you know the importance of the forest to human health. But the forest is more than just a place to get away from it all; it is a vital ecosystem. A healthy forest provides...
Wetlands are our natural defences and need to be conserved
Upper Ohio, NS (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
During the recent UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, over 190 nations adopted a Global Biodiversity Framework. Part of that agreement is to conserve at least 30 per cent of the world’s lands and waters by 2030. While it is not a...
Deep in a thousand-hectare woods: Protecting the magic of Happy Valley Forest
Aerial view of Happy Valley Forest, ON (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
One day it rained red in Happy Valley Forest, and I was there to see it. This was not the red rain of cast-off maple leaves in the fall. This rain painted the tree branches in the spring. And I have witnesses. This is how it went down. It was...
The Yarrow
Spread Eagle Mountain from The Yarrow (Photo by NCC)
As the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s natural area manager for the Waterton region in Alberta, I need to sometimes simply pinch myself and look around at the spellbinding landscapes that I work on. I started this role in May 2022. But I...
Leaves like a familiar face
The breathtaking Backus Woods in Ontario. One of the best examples of Carolinian old-growth forest in the country. (Photo by Ann Tipper and Zach Melnick)
When you think of wild spaces filled with tall, deciduous hardwood trees tilting in warm winds, frost-free days late into the fall, an abundance of reptiles and amphibians shifting between swamps and marshes, and words like sassafras, Kentucky...
Intertidal life
An intertidal zone on Clayoquot Island (Photo by NCC)
Water flows through the fabric of West Coast culture. For those of us steeped in the maritime life, resisting the pull of the ocean is as futile as trying to still the tides. In my twenties, I experimented with living away from coastal British...
Big, bold and boreal: Once complete, this will be Canada’s largest private conservation project
Boreal Wildlands, ON (Photo by NCC)
Spring is unfurling across the country, and those who know me know I love my birds. Birdwatching is great in any season, but I start to get a specific set of goosebumps when I hear the first sounds of migratory birds returning from the south in...
CARE: What does impact look like?
Hikers at Freshwater Bay, NL (Photo by Dennis Minty)
We know there has never been a more important time for nature, nor a greater need for the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) mission. The twin global crises of dramatic biodiversity loss and climate change will mark the decade...
10 facts about fresh water in Canada
Vidal Bay, Manitoulin Island, ON (Photo by Striking Balance)
Fresh water may seem like a ubiquitous substance to some of us, especially if we live near an abundance of it in the form of lakes, rivers and streams. When I take a stroll to my neighbourhood greenspace that has a small tributary running through...
