Adventures in elk country: Exploring conservation, wildlife and nature
Elk at Lockerby, AB (Photo by NCC)
As the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) conservation intern in the Red Deer River this past summer, I assisted in monitoring more than 35 properties in central Alberta. A critical aspect of monitoring involves making species...
A close encounter like no otter
Two river otters peeping their heads above the water (Photo by Nila Sivatheesan/NCC staff)
Walking through fields of wildflowers and towering trees is an incredible feeling. It reminds me that there’s so much more to this life than just me and my bubble. It’s a humbling feeling. But what’s even more incredible is...
Symbolic species and habitat adoptions are back!
Snowy owl (Photo by ThinkStock)
Looking for the perfect gift for the nature lover in your life? I’m excited to share that symbolic species and habitat adoptions are available again through the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). You may remember our former adoption...
Hop into the new year with these Canadian lagomorphs
Eastern cottontail (Photo by Alain Mochon, CC BY-NC 4.0)
Rabbits are one of the most easily observed species in my suburban neighbourhood. Even during winter here in southern Ontario, you can find hints of their presence. My two young kids gleefully alerted me to a set of eastern cottontail tracks...
Wildlife encounters in rural Saskatchewan
My co-worker and I comparing our feet to prints left by a bear in rural BC.(Photo by Matthew Braun/NCC staff)
Wildlife encounters during my rural Saskatchewan childhood were rare, and you’d have to include cats and dogs and the numerous coyotes surrounding our farm to really pump my numbers up. And while coyotes arguing with dogs during the quiet...
What they do in the shadows
Big brown bat (Photo by Brock Fenton)
I love an underdog. I think it’s easy to fall in love with the quarterback or the frontperson in a rock ‘n’ roll band, but my heart has always belonged to the benchwarmer or the drummer. Growing up, while kids my age toted around...
Bringing bison back to the landscape
Bison at Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area (Photo by Jason Bantle)
When thinking about the Prairies, images of the iconic plains bison often comes to mind. These massive animals, also called buffalo, influence grassland ecosystems by a magnitude proportional to their size. Bison grazing patterns shape the...
Wild cats of Canada
Bobcat (Photo by Gary Kramer, courtesy of USFWS)
When it comes to big cats, many people may think of the iconic tigers of Asia or the lions of Africa. But did you know that we have three wild cat species found in Canada? All of Canada’s wild cats need large, interconnected habitats. The...
Appreciating hibernation
Richardson's ground squirrel (Photo by Charles Thomas Hash, Jr. CC-BY-NC)
January 21 marks Squirrel Appreciation Day, an occasion meant to recognize squirrels’ importance in nature. It also happens to be the middle of winter, a time when many animals, including some squirrel species, are hibernating. To me, one of...
If you go down to the woods today...
Canada jay (Photo by NCC)
Spending my free time hiking and biking in the Rockies means my chances of a wildlife encounter are not unheard of. Usually it’s just a Canada jay looking for a hand-out, or an indecisive squirrel scurrying back and forth across the bike...
