Canada's role in preventing species extinctions
Greater sage-grouse (Photo by Gordon Sherman © Audubon Canyon Ranch)
One of the most powerful tools of nature conservation in the 21st century is our ability to put the protection of Canadian species into a global context. By documenting Canadian species that are not just rare in Canada, but rare everywhere, we can...
Saving the planet, one species at a time
Eastern mountain avens (Photo by June Swift)
Save the oceans. Save the rainforest. Save the planet. These are all incredible, daunting, pursuit-worthy goals, but to a student in Nova Scotia, these problems seem very distant. Although we ultimately all feel the effects of environmental...
Finding peace in nature
Walking through a BC forest dripping with witch's hair lichen (Photo by NCC)
Do you ever just wake up in a bad mood? Or something, or someone, has you unsettled? Sometimes the best way to clear your mood, and silence those “mice talking to each other in your head” (as my brother-in-law puts it), is to go for a...
After the clear-cut: A tale of resilience
Sun rising over the aspen forest (Photo by Emma Christensen)
When I think “clear-cut,” I automatically think habitat loss. I don’t think I’m alone in this. Pictures of ravaged swaths of cleared forest, punctuated by the upturned root systems of old-growth conifers, have been...
Almost missing nature's boat
Volunteers at the Broom Bash event on James Island, BC (Photo by Ann MacDonald)
The alarm went off much too early that early winter morning. My body was heavy with sleep, covered in a sea of cozy blankets and it hurt to open my gluey eyes. I was tempted to silence the disturbance. The forecast was calling for rain and it was...
Former TLC lands are in good hands
Talking Mountain Ranch, BC (Photo courtesy TLC)
Habitat conservation, simply put, is about protecting nature. But like most things worth doing, great conservation can be challenging and complex. In the fall of 2015, the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) announced it had accepted...
Dip your toes into World Water Day
Walking on the Barrens in NS (Photo by NCC)
Water is one of the most essential elements on our planet. Almost nine per cent, or 891,163 square kilometres, of Canada's total area is covered by fresh water. Our country's portion of the Great Lakes alone makes up nearly 10 per cent of the...
Pricing the priceless: How the economics of natural capital can help us all better value nature
Walking through Emma Young forest, ON (Photo by Mike Dembeck)
Putting a price tag on nature is challenging. Some people don’t believe it can be done. Some people hate the idea of it. Most will have no idea what it means. But there are new and emerging approaches to help us put a price on the services...
The wonderful world of sparrows
House sparrow (Photo from Wikimedia Commons)
When asked to picture a sparrow, I think a lot of us, especially city dwellers, think of the common house sparrow. Though ubiquitous across southern Canada, this little sparrow is not actually native to North America. This introduced species hails...
A species' international highway
White-tailed deer (Photo by Lorne)
Humans aren’t the only creatures on Earth that need to get around. Animals in the wild have to travel as well, some to migrate, some to hunt and others to find mates. And that explains the importance of the Frontenac Arch, a...
